Ethical Use of Tracking Software

So how can tracking software be used ethically? First, telling users about the tracking process and any software used adds transparency to the process. If a website uses cookies to collect data, being upfront with users may help reduce the anger or frustration that develops from the use of collected information. In addition, telling customers about the way the organization protects the data is also helpful. This disclosure may help reduce anxiety and increase trust that the organization cares about the public’s wellbeing. In addition, should any data breaches occur, reaching out to customers and impacted members of the public once the problem is identified will help individuals protect themselves as soon as possible.

Finally, providing the public a way to opt out of the data collection and tracking also helps build a conscientious and responsible public image. This can be accomplished by providing an “unsubscribe” button on all digital communication, as well as reminding users they can turn off “cookies” which will temporarily stop tracking programs on their computers.

Although most companies engage in tracking software, such as cookies, other organizations can purchase data from big-datasets and big-data warehouses. The three largest US digital warehouses of information are the largest warehouses are HPE, Spokeo, are Hadoop. You can go to their websites to see what type of information they may have on you or people like you.

These big-data warehouses gather data from a variety of sources and then consolidate or triangulate the data to compile profiles of information on users. This includes collecting data from social media profiles, shopping histories, credit card statements, and even tax files. Recently, controversy has surrounded the use and gathering of data from electronic fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Jawbone.

In 2015, Fitbit became the center of national attention after a women discovered she was pregnant by her heartbeat monitor. After the monitor recorded her heartbeat as twice the normal rate, she went to her doctor who confirmed her pregnancy. Like Target in the earlier example, Fitbit knew the woman was pregnant before she did.

Questions then arose from the database archiving of Fitbit information. Could Fitbit sell this women’s information to big-data warehouses? Could retailers then use this information to market baby items to the woman (perhaps even before she knew she was pregnant)? In short, is it ethical for a company to use data gathered from Fitbit to tailor communication? This type of data archiving is still so new, there doesn’t seem to be an industry ethical standard yet. It is up to public relations employees to advise their clients on the use or rejection of this type of data.