Informtion Technology Acts

Throughout the years there has being many different advances in the information technology, as a result new ethical issues have being created by the government and has had to implement Acts over the years. The two main once that will be discussing in this paper are Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) 1991, and Fair Credit Reporting Act 1970. These two Acts are very important because the privacy of a consumer can easily be viewed by anyone when information is stored in a database and shared over the internet; at the same time that is when companies use this to their advantage to make telemarketing phone calls to consumers.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) was first signed into law by President George W. Bush in 1991, and it was to restrict telemarketing or telephone solicitation from companies to consumers. Three of the main general provisions are as follows (1) no residences calling before 8 am or after 9 pm, local time (2) companies should maintain a specific "do not call" list of consumers who don't want to be called (3) when calling the solicitors should provide their name the company they are working for, the phone number and the address where they can be contacted. If any provision is violated the consumer may sue for up to $1,500 for each violation or to recover actual monetary loss, unless the consumer has given express consent the TCPA will not comply by any provision (Federal Communications Law Journal, 199).

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is to promote accuracy, fairness, and the privacy of the personal information. The FCRA was enacted in 1970, and it has been amended server times in the ensuing years, as the amount of personal information kept on individuals has mushroomed and the ability of computers to capture and manipulate those data has grown exponentially, concerns about personal privacy have risen to a new level (Journal of Retail Banking, 1990). The Fair Credit Reporting Act contains general provisions on adverse information that is obtained via personal interview unless the consumer reporting agency has cross-checked other verifiable sources to ensure the information is correct and or must delete or correct inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information and may not report outdated negative information to any agency.

To conclude, every Act that has been created throughout the years has had advantages to the consumer because technology has evolved and more people are using it every day. Both acts are necessary one to restrict telephone solicitation during consumers own personal time and the other one to protect and know who has accessed your personal information at any time. Now, that the government has acknowledged and implemented new laws to the advancements in technology the consumers can feel safer in today's world.