Beware of Dog...

Juan J. Guevara
jg808618@ohio.edu

The internet. Probably one of the best creations so far. It enables communication, learning, freedom of speech, collaboration, the list is endless. It connects everyone. Once the internet took flight so many other things turned on too. Think about it, before the internet there was no Google, there was no Uber. No checks and balances in the form of video recordings to expose government and or companies. The internet allowed everyone who wanted to have a say, have a say, in the form of this giant and massive digital megaphone.

I have heard of countless cases when online communities such as Reddit have come together to provide assistance in incidents. These incidents involve helping identify missing information, giving advice to people when they find themselves in troubling situations, or members who are either lawyers, police officers, human resource, giving the insight to assist others.

Sounds gravy so far. Unfortunately, the internet also opened doors to those who want to exploit this digital megaphone. For this reason, entities such as the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) were formed. In order to set guidelines and ethical procedures to ensure a safe and honest environment. There are many values entities such as the PRSA list, however, above all else, is honesty. Well, that’s great and all but I don’t know if everyone got the email which told social media and the internet that.

There are too many ways for someone or something to scam you or misinform you online. Phish emails, Technical Support Scam, Inheritance Scam, Travel Scam, Warrant Scam, IRS Scam, etc, etc, etc. These “codes” do not apply to those who are preying on others and this includes governments. These ethics are an honor code system, however, an honor system should be enforced when they can to demonstrate the consequences of violating these rules. The issue is when you have users who know how to hide their location or live in another country, finding them and holding them accountable is hard.

Scams are complicated but let's discuss another form of unethical behavior which occurs online. There are webpages such as mothers against vaccines, terrorist promoting sites, and politically motivated sites. Each site can send emails, blog, give you step by step instructions to intervene, protest, or sabotage. I believe until we find a way to hold users accountable, consistently, that these rules or ethics are just… cute.