Internet technology and its use in e-commerce disrupts existing social and business
relationships and understandings. Suddenly, individuals, business firms, and political
institutions are confronted by new possibilities of behavior for which understandings,
laws, and rules of acceptable behavior have not yet been developed.
Many business firms and individuals are benefiting from the commercial development of the Internet, but this development also has costs for individuals, organizations,
and societies. These costs and benefits must be carefully considered by those
seeking to make ethical and socially responsible decisions in this new environment,
particularly where there are as yet no clear-cut legal or cultural guidelines.