Ethical Issues for Internet Service Providers

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are companies that connect their customers to the Internet.  ISPs include companies such as AT&T, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Widestream, Verizon, and several others.  ISPs use wireless or fiber-optic means for transmitting the communication on the internet to both individuals and businesses.  Each computer has an Internet Protocol (IP) address that allows you to access the Internet.  The ISP in which a customer uses knows that person's specific IP address.  Although ISPs are providing individuals with the opportunity to access the Internet, some companies actually observe their customers behaviors in order to get a better understanding of how to market towards them.  With this being said, problems have arose from this.  Many people argue that this is a complete breach of privacy.  This allows for other individuals and companies to discover information about a particular person that he or she may not want others to know about.

For the most part, ISPs collect only enough information on their customers in order to complete transactions for billing and service, but when the information is sold to third party companies, people believe their Internet privacy has been completely disregarded.  Also, another major issue that some believe to be a problem is government institutions being able to access an individual's personal information without that persons consent.  These institutions are able to access the information with the Provider's consent.  Does this mean they are able to access the information regarding a criminal activity without a warrant?  According to Martha Arias, Immigration and Internet Law Attorney, in the article, "Can EU Internet Service Providers Provide Information Regarding Copyright Infringers," she writes, "It is also clear that privacy laws in the United States (U.S.) and the European Union (EU) protect personal identifiable information found in databases, and that Internet Service Providers (ISP), specifically, can only reveal this information to public authorities conducting criminal investigations or for national security purposes" (http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=2246).  She then explains that in the 2007 Spanish case Productores de Musica de Espana (Promusicae) v. Telefonica de Espana SAU, there was an argument over whether intellectual property owners were able to work with ISPs in order to seek out those people who had committed copyright infringement.  It was ruled that individual companies could not use personal information stored by ISPs to seek out those who committed infringement.  "The facts of this case show that IPS in Spain were required to store certain data about individual users so this data could be used by criminal authorities or for public security and national defense."  Although, this case ruled that only government authorities could access that information, some people still disagree with this idea.  Some believe that the government is constantly watching over them, ultimately disregarding the idea of privacy.


In conclusion, with technology increasing at such a rapid pace, the abilities one has with the Internet to perform a variety of activities, whether legal or not, are increasing as well.  There are both legal and ethical issues that come into account when using the Internet.  As users, people need to make sure that they understand the privacy statements associated with certain websites, and ISPs need to ensure their customers that they only use the information gathered specifically related to what is required for Internet service, such as IP addresses and billing information.