Question

What is the importance of ethics in e-commerce ?

Answer 1

      E-commerce is the commerce related to trading that takes place on the Internet web sites.   Internet is essentially, a set of websites hosted on some servers far away from the physical locations of customers.  The consumers and dealers have to interact through the internet for viewing products, ordering products, delivery and the related commercial transactions.

    Ethics are very important for the e-commerce trasactions.  We cannot physically see the commodities, and the vendors.  We only see the pictures and perheps voices (recorded).  For consumers to trust and order the products online, the websites have to be truthful.  The ethical values like honesty, truthfulness, being open and transparent, helpful nature are to be present on both sides of a transaction.   The vendor should not steal any data (passwords, key numbers) from the customer.  The consumer must give proper details for the dealer to trust him and complete the transaction.
  
     The customer must be ethically good and the dealer (vendor) too should be ethical on his side.  Otherwise, the entire e-commerce will loose its purpose.  The entire use of Internet based e-commece will be defeated by unethical practices.

    Unethical practices like cheating, stealing and mischief over internet during e-commerce activities are criminal offences.  They are punishable under law.  Hence, the ethical practices are to be followed.