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what are the legal and ethical issues of using internet search engines

by Jaime Trantow Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Search Engines and Legal Issues

  • Copyright infringement Copyright protection for a web site is just as enforceable as it is for traditional media. ...
  • Trademarks and search engine advertising The main issue with paid search—in the sponsored links—is legally allowing bids on competitor’s trademarks. ...
  • Click fraud Click fraud is the practice of clicking on PPC (pay-per-click) advertisements to increase advertiser costs. ...

The use of search engines has generated a cluster of ethical concerns including: (1) search-engine bias and the problem of opacity/non-transparency, (2) personal privacy and informed consent, (3) monitoring and surveillance, and (4) censorship and democracy.Sep 10, 2015

Full Answer

What are the legal implications of search engines?

The search engine operators’ growing market power and ability to control access to information trigger new legal concerns encompassing data protection, trademark and copyright infringement consumer protection, competition law, and free speech.

What are the legal and ethical issues of the Internet?

Some legal issues with regard to internet use have to do with copyright, hacking and privacy. Ethical issues are moral issues regarding use of the Internet and there are many. Some ethical issues are pretending to be someone else, Internet bullying, stealing personal information and using resources without permission. What does Local SEO mean?

Are search engines and Internet-related businesses relevant to emerging market economies?

Both search engines and Internet-related businesses are influential factors shaping policies and laws in emerging market economies. Turkey, as an emerging market economy, is particularly concerned with search engine liability in the development of Internet laws.

Can search engines be held liable for intellectual property and defamation?

American courts have addressed a significant number of claims against search engines and have developed extensive jurisprudence on search engine liability, particularly related to intellectual property disputes and defamation. Perfect 10 v.

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What is SEO in search engines?

The search engines set rules for search engine optimization (SEO); for example, webmasters are not supposed to insert invisible text, create link exchanges with irrelevant sites, etc. (For instance, to pack one's index keywords with words like sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll, even though the site might be about a new math textbook.)

Which companies digitize books?

From a Utilitarian Perspective. Google, Yahoo, and Amazon have all announced or begun programs to digitize the contents of books so that they can be searched and downloaded by anyone with a computer.

Why was Yahoo subpoenaed?

Privacy. Recently the U.S. government subpoenaed search records from Google, Yahoo, and MSN as part of an effort to control children's access to pornography on the Internet. Yahoo and MSN complied, but Google argued that the subpoena infringed on user privacy.

Do search engines censor websites?

All the major search engine companies have agreed to censor certain sites when they operate in some foreign countries. The Chinese government has insisted on blocking certain political sites; the German government on blocking Nazi or other hate sites.

Copyright infringement

Copyright protection for a web site is just as enforceable as it is for traditional media. U.S. copyright law states that electronic files—including web files—are copyrighted the moment they’re put into a tangible form, even if they’re not on display to the general public.

Trademarks and search engine advertising

The main issue with paid search—in the sponsored links—is legally allowing bids on competitor’s trademarks. Can competitors legally use your actual trademarks in the ad copy itself?

Click fraud

Click fraud is the practice of clicking on PPC (pay-per-click) advertisements to increase advertiser costs. According to Jeffrey Rohrs, President of Optiem LLC, some of the reasons for click fraud include:

What is the law on removal of content from search engine results?

Although no specific regulation exists for content removal from search engine results, Law No. 5651 establishes a procedure for content removal by a content provider or host provider that could be applied to search engines. Search engine operators could potentially be liable for content removed from the original website but still appearing among search results under Article 9 of Law No. 5651.

What is the law that Google cannot be held responsible for search term suggestions?

The court held that Google cannot be held responsible for search-term suggestions appearing on its search engine when the search term “recep konuk corruption” and “recep konuk’s corruptions” appear. The court reasoned that what is being requested for removal is the search term suggestions and not content as understood by Law No. 5651. The court premised its reasoning as follows:

What is search term suggestion?

Search-term suggestion (or the “Keyword Suggestion Tool” as Google phrases) is a function of a search engine whereby a word, phrase or a website name, when typed to the search engine’s search bar, presents a list of keywords and phrases that the relevant search engine most closely relates them to the typed search-term due to frequency of search or popularity of search of the relevant term.

What is the purpose of Law 5651?

5651 on the Regulation of Broadcasts via Internet and Prevention of Crimes Committed Through Such Broadcasts (“Law No. 5651”). Law No. 5651’s purpose is to regulate the obligations and responsibilities of content providers, hosting providers, access providers, and mass use providers.

Can search engines ban specific search terms?

Another recurring issue includes requests to ban specific word searches and remove particular content from a search result. Search engine operators can neither prohibit users from using specific search terms, nor can they remove the search results related to these search terms.

Is search term suggestion considered content?

Although directing the request to the access provider is not the correct procedure, the court issued an interesting decision which might be used as supporting precedent in similar removal requests for search term suggestions, as the court grants that search terms suggestions are not considered content as understood under Law No. 5651.

Is a search engine a content provider?

Based on the key terms defined in Law No. 5651, however, search engines do not fall within the scope of an “ access provider,” a “hosting provider,” or a “content provider.”. Problems ensue when legal authorities apply legal rules that are not developed to address and fulfill content removal requests.

What is the effect of Internet searches on a patient?

Internet searches for information about a patient may lead to unforeseen boundary problems that may adversely affect the psychiatrist-patient relationship .

What happens if your email address matches your password?

If the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to reset your password

How can social media help mental health?

Kolmes and Taube (7) suggest that patient-targeted research on social media could help mental health professionals to determine the social proximity of a patient without compromising the patient’s privacy or confidentiality. Through tools such as Facebook, for example, it may be possible to find reassurance that one’s patient is not within one’s own social circle without, for example, mentioning the patient’s name to a colleagues or friends. In this respect, patient-targeted Internet searches could be used to identify potential future boundary problems. This does not, however, address the problem of what happens should the mental health professional come across sensitive information about the patient in the course of the search.

What should a psychiatrist know before conducting a search of social media?

Before conducting a search of social media or other Internet content for information about a patient, the psychiatrist should be familiar with all applicable laws regarding mandated reporting (14), such as for suspected child abuse or neglect.

What is the purpose of social networking for psychiatrists?

If the psychiatrist keeps in mind the limitations of Internet- and social networking–based data, this information can be useful in supplementing traditional sources of clinical information, provided it is gathered and interpreted with the patient’s best interests at heart.

What is Google for information?

To “Google” for information (i.e., to research something via Google or other search engines) has become routine in our daily endeavors. Search engines and social media, such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and so on, provide a ready trove of information on people, events, places, and things.

Is the Internet a good source of information?

Nonetheless, there are some potential benefits from seeking out information via the Internet. Appelbaum and Kopelman (16) and others (4, 15) have noted that it may be a useful source of collateral information. For example, evidence suggests that many individuals (particularly adolescents and young adults) are remarkably open about mental health symptoms on social media (17, 18). Appelbaum and Kopelman (16) also endorsed the possibility that research might be conducted via the Internet, although concerns about informed consent and protection of human subjects (12), as well as the quality of data utilized for research, remain prominent.

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