Author: Jerin Michael
Publisher: Growth Animals
Publication Year: 2021
Summary: The following article discusses how there are 5 main ethical issues to look for when it comes to online marketing. The first is consumer privacy. Using online tracking, search engines are able to gather information about people and use that information to sell products and advertise to certain people that have shown interest in similar products. The second issue is copyright infringement. An example of this is “google bombing,” or linking a website to a website that is often highly searched in order to increase the ranking of the website. The third ethical issue to look out for is personal information security. It is a company’s responsibility to make sure their customers’ personal information is secure and there is a risk that hackers can find vulnerability through the server hosting system. Because of this, it is important that companies follow strict rules on securing personal information. The fourth issue is advertisements on ethical websites. Companies should be mindful of how well a website they are advertising on aligns with the company’s ethics and values. Finally, the fifth issue is using social media influencers. Many social media influencers try to promote products without saying they were paid to do so. This impacts the authenticity and effectiveness of the campaign.