The Food & Drug Administration has required all TV advertisements for prescription drugs to list possible side effects. Should the Federal Trade Commission require all TV advertisements for “smart devices” to list possible privacy and security risks?
March 20, 2023
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
Transparency vs Privacy in the US The Current State of Transparency vs Privacy in the US Most Americans* are concerned about their personal ...
-
Introduction A national DNA database would collect data from millions of citizens across the country and store each individual’s genetic s...
-
(Audible, N.D) Who is Edward Snowden and What did he do? Edward Snowden started working for the Central Intelligence Agency in 2006, where...
No. I would like to think that is a good idea, but because there might be a lack of knowledge, of these privacy and security risks, the average American might just see it as legal jargon on a screen. While the side effects provided for prescription drugs are typically all common-knowledge, and easy to comprehend on a screen, I do not believe that the privacy and security risks that would be listed would prove effective in educating the average American consumer about what they are sacrificing when using a smartphone.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ryan. It seems to be a good idea in theory but I do not think it would be very effective. The privacy and security risks of smart devices are much more vague, unclear, and generally up to interpretation than the average risks of prescription drugs. I do not think the average American would be phased or think twice about a long list of complicated privacy issues, whereas hearing "may cause heart attacks" has a much clearer message.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think the FTC should require all "smart devices" to list privacy and security risks. I believe that consumers should have pertinent information about their purchase. To address the issue of legal jargon, I suggest privacy risks to be written/spoken in plain English. In health services, we use plain English to try to best inform patients. I think a similar method can be used with smart devices. I would also suggest a link to a site with more/accessible information on privacy and security risks.
ReplyDeleteThis is mixed for me. On one hand if the FTC reuqires all "smart devices" to list all the security and privacy risks it would hurt the econcmy for "smart devices". On the other hand if we don't tell people about the privacy and security risks and then something happens the consumers will be furious. It may be that there is no clear answer, maybe it could say the privacy and security risks, but how they will push out frequent updates to help stop these breaches.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the FTC should require warnings on TV, mostly because I don't think it would be affective. When advertisements list the side effects of drugs on TV they do so as fast as possible with medical jargon that makes it hard to follow unless you are paying close attention. I imagine that listing the risks of smart devices would work similarly. Instead, I would require that there be a warning clearly printed either on the device itself or on its packaging when it is purchased.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that the FTC should require plain English warnings like Hanna mentioned, because I don't think it's that far-fetched to require tech companies to start doing that during mass advertising. There very easily could be populations that don't know the privacy risks at all like most people are aware of now. It's not a huge request to just have companies add a few descriptors either audio or written on the screen to make sure there's some basic understanding of the assumed risk with the product.
ReplyDeleteI think that the FTC should require companies to list the security risks of their 'smart devices.' These devices can track almost all of your personal information, and relatively few people are aware of the fact. Often, these companies can benefit from selling that information, and as such it pits the companies in a position to take advantage of the consumer. I do not think that should be the relationship between companies and people, and as such the FTC should step in.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how effective it would be, honestly I hardly ever see ads on television nor watch television, but I think that companies should have to use the same "we reserve the right to store and sell your data" phrasing that they would use for copyright or other things. The consumer is somewhat aware that amazon could be selling my data if I buy an echo, but I'm not tuning out the message.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to change off anonymous posting.
DeleteYes. I think having ads list privacy and security risks would be beneficial since it could make some people more aware of the risks they take with using these devices. However, listing all of the risks in detail would be long and complex, so I think ads should only be required to convey these risks in simple and general terms. Even if many people ignore the fast-paced listing of risks, having some sort of warning would be better than not having one at all. Out of all the people who watch TV, I'm sure there would be at least a few people who would learn something new. Plus, this could keep companies accountable and transparent on the risks that accompany their devices.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what a lot of people are saying about it being hard to understand and possibly seen as legal jargon. I think that if there was a phrasing that was easy to understand and in plain English, I would say yes, but otherwise I think it’s not going to do much good for the general public.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't think so. I don't feel those warnings are needed on marketing material. I think a better option is to keep the commercials as is, but refine the buying process to include a notice of the privacy and security risks. If you are buying online, there is a required field letting the consumer know the privacy risks and signing on to them (kind of like terms and conditions), and this message can be taught to salesman in person to make sure the buyer is aware. I feel this would be more effective in consumer transparency efforts, but doesn't take space in advertisements (where no one will really care/skip past it) when possible.
ReplyDeleteIdeally they should, but I don't know how practical it would be. Smart devices are can pretty much send or gather an unlimited amount of data depending on what software that is installed on them. Perhaps the FTC or tech companies could come up with some sort of generalized warning.
ReplyDelete