Perini & Associates

Geofencing- Part 3
Is it ethical?

Is it ok to target individuals just because they happen to visit a certain location? Geofencing technology has especially raised questions among the public and business owners alike. No one wants to feel violated, however, in today's culture more and more people realize the value of social/digital media to extend well beyond relationships with friends and family. It is now an opportunity for many to expand their otherwise limited world and enjoy the benefits and explore the possibility of being more successful than if they simply stay within the confines of a hometown.

Though benefits can be seen, the topic of ethics in our modern digital world is becoming more and more controversial. People realize the need to utilize social media and other forms of internet advertising to get the exposure they need to be as successful as possible, but yet there is sometimes a cost. What is it? Privacy or position? Privacy in the sense that geofencing is targeting IP addresses to then send appropriate messages of advertising to individuals in a particular area or business location.
Position in the sense that it is not necessarily infringing on privacy and gaining the user's info. but simply gaining the user's particular location or GPS position at that time.

Keeping an open mind is important on topics such as these because there are many factors that must be considered. Business capacity is no longer limited to the small town or city you reside in. You can now enjoy a small town lifestyle while also exposing your products and services as far as you are willing to reach whether on a regional, national, or global scale. People realize that with exposure comes the possibility of not only more business opportunity but sometimes negative feedback as well. In this case geofencing is getting the negative feedback at times while others are excited about all of the many business opportunities it is providing.

So, the question still remains. Is geofencing ethical?

Whether you are a consumer or business owner, after gathering the facts on geofencing, perhaps the only one who has the truly correct answer is you!

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#5af16ffb2650" target="_blank">https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailydozen/2019/05/13/ubers-ugly-market-debut-the-next-cambridge-analytica-musk-faces-trial-over-tweet-your-daily-dozen-briefing/#5af16ffb2650