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A Case for Consumer Virtual Property

A Case for Consumer Virtual Property

Matt Hettche
Copyright: © 2010 |Pages: 16
ISBN13: 9781615206155|ISBN10: 1615206159|ISBN13 Softcover: 9781616923099|EISBN13: 9781615206162
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-615-5.ch012
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MLA

Hettche, Matt. "A Case for Consumer Virtual Property." Ethical Issues in E-Business: Models and Frameworks, edited by Daniel E. Palmer, IGI Global, 2010, pp. 172-187. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-61520-615-5.ch012

APA

Hettche, M. (2010). A Case for Consumer Virtual Property. In D. Palmer (Ed.), Ethical Issues in E-Business: Models and Frameworks (pp. 172-187). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-61520-615-5.ch012

Chicago

Hettche, Matt. "A Case for Consumer Virtual Property." In Ethical Issues in E-Business: Models and Frameworks, edited by Daniel E. Palmer, 172-187. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2010. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-61520-615-5.ch012

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Abstract

While the Internet is generally regarded as a tool of consumer empowerment, recent innovations in e-marketing signal a disparity in the quality of knowledge that the e-buyer and e-seller each bring to the exchange process. Armed with sophisticated consumer tracking programs and advanced data mining techniques, the e-seller’s competitive advantage for anticipating consumer preference is quickly outpacing the e-buyer’s ability to negotiate fair terms for an equal trade. This chapter considers the possible threat that aggressive forms of electronic surveillance pose for a market economy in e-commerce and offers a framework for how marketing practitioners can protect consumer autonomy online. Using John Locke’s classic social contract theory as a model, I argue that information created by an end-user’s online activity is a form of ‘virtual property’ that in turn establishes a consumer’s right to privacy online.

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