The Social Responsibility of Online Charge-free Service Providers: Accountability for use of the term 'free'

摘要

In an autonomous market economy that has long been separated from other economies, price-signal information such as profit, cost, productivity, or competition tends to be regarded as a matter of concern, and other information regarded only as noise. In the current business environment, where market-economy principles have spread globally, the majority of business scholars and practitioners seem to believe that only price-signal information is relevant and significant for business organizations. This is epitomized by excessive greed demonstrated by some hedge funds, based on their belief in a neo-liberal law of the jungle. The development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has made it possible for business organizations to handle huge amounts of personal data (now referred to as big data) to streamline business operations and enhance customer satisfaction. It has also shortened the life cycle of products and services. Business people in this environment feel it is not fair to handle personal/privacy information data properly, unless it generates short-term profits. In fact, many business people, especially in Japan, consider personal data/privacy protection to be a cost factor and view regulations as an impediment to industry development. This study examines whether privacy could be adequately protected in this socio-economic environment.