The Food and 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?
I feel as though legally this would help the advertisers if they did this but besides that I don't really see it to be necessary. People hardly acknowledge the potential side effects of medications during those commercials anyway because they are usually read super fast and are in size 4 font at the bottom of the screen. Plus, I think that where we are technologically as a society that if you are buying one of these products you should understand as the buyer the risks that come with every purchase.
ReplyDeleteThat seems unrealistic to me because the privacy concerns can be so large in number and wide in effect that it would hard to convey it all. I would rather have separate ads in place warning people about potential privacy concerns associated with the technology in general, with the hope that people would do research and make more informed decisions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Quade in that listing all the possible privacy concerns isn't feasible. This is partly because there are so many, and partly because many of the potential concerns will only arise after the device is released. I feel that the consumer should take responsibility for identifying major security concerns before purchasing a product. As a part of that, manufacturers should have information available about the security concerns, but by no means should it be "comprehensive".
ReplyDeleteI think that It isn't necessary. Most people don't really listen to the side effects or even read the privacy terms. So having the privacy risks and concerns wont be listened to or just freak people out. I don't think a company can correctly display how well they are protecting your privacy when these are listed. When people hear things they freak out and It definitely happens with the medication and all of its side effects. Most people don't realize that most of the side effects only happen in rare cases and It would be the same for the privacy concerns. So all in all I think this would just hinder the company more than It benefits the people. I would like however to know important bits of information like what is being stored and how It's stored. That is all however.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a list of all possible privacy and security risks in advertisements would be useful, but some sort of disclaimer instead of a super fast list, such as "privacy risks may apply, visit -insert company website- for more information" would be useful. This way, the company is still acknowledging that their product comes with potential risks to the consumer, but doesn't overdue the list, which could either be ignored or cause unnecessary alarm. A general acknowledgement that privacy risks are present with a product also leaves room for privacy issues unforeseen by the company to be addressed after the product is released, because it would be extremely difficult to predict all potential privacy risks in a list form for every advertised IoT product. I think a disclaimer would help balance responsibility between companies and consumers.
ReplyDeleteI think they should provide a disclaimer about potential privacy risks. Lily said it best, “a disclaimer would help balance responsibility between companies and consumers.” I completely agree. Listing all the potential privacy risks as they do with TV advertisements would fly by many consumers as they often list the side effects way too quickly to register anyway. Instead they should provide information on their website, or provide a call in number, that lists the possible privacy invasions.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's necessary or feasible to include a full list of risks in advertisements. I fully agree with Lily, I think a short disclaimer on advertisements that leads potential customers to an easily accessible comprehensive list on the company's website would be a fantastic compromise.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do believe commercials for smart devices should mention the existence of privacy or security risks, I don't think the FTC should require companies to detail every possible privacy and security risk. I feel as though the comparison between drug side effects and smart device risks are different. With prescription drugs the side effects are related to the user. With smart devices, the possible risks are due to another individual, whether they be someone from the business or a hacker. The risks of smart devices are primarily third party interference, which can be true for any other product. The advertisements shouldn't require details about security risks because users should know that any product they buy could have been tampered with by a third party. That being said, I do believe businesses should remind the viewer that the chance of privacy invasion exists and it's at the user's own risk they use the product.
ReplyDeleteNo, the Federal Trade Commission should not require TV advertisements for "smart devices" to list possible privacy/security risks. I agree with some of the above posts that a disclaimer might be beneficial to both the company and the consumer by both taking some of the responsibility off the company while also providing basic information to the consumer. However, a comprehensive list of possible security concerns and privacy risks would likely be ignored. A basic disclaimer to the viewer with a link to more comprehensive information online seems like the best idea.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a list of possible security/privacy risks at the end of advertisements would be effective as these concerns are too varied and too broad to be covered in such a form. Also, the advertisers might list risks, but the consumer may be unaware of what some of the things listed even mean. Such lists seem to be used more to protect the companies from liabilities rather than to actually educate the public. I think that efforts would be far better spent educating the public in a different manner, maybe a privacy awareness week in grade school or something similar.
ReplyDeleteNo, they should not list the potential security risks. The reason that the FDA requires a disclaimer on drug advertisements is to prevent backlash in the case that the adverse side effects take place. The same thing for smart devices could be accomplished with a terms of service/use agreement, which would be less clunky/awkward. It is impossible to have a nuanced disclaimer with regards to privacy in a 30 second iphone commercial.
ReplyDeleteThis doesn’t seem realistic. Privacy compared to drugs is more subjective. Where drugs have side effects, depending on how you us our smart phone can determine how much or little privacy you reserve. There are also many different privacy related issues it seems hard to know which issues companies would be required to list. I agree with Lily; a short disclaimer would be sufficient enough to remind customers about privacy related concerns and seems like a good compromise.
ReplyDeleteI don't think so. It seems as though this would be very unrealistic, given just how many concerns there could be about such devices. On the other hand, drugs are tested years before they are even released, to study the possible side effects and then publicize them. I don't see such a system happening with smart devices. I agree that disclaimers would be best.
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