Understanding Crowdturfing : The Different Ethical Logics Behind the Clandestine Industry of Deception
Rinta-Kahila, T., & Soliman, W. (2017). Understanding Crowdturfing : The Different Ethical Logics Behind the Clandestine Industry of Deception. In ECIS 2017 : Proceedings of the 25th European Conference on Information Systems, Guimarães, Portugal, June 5-10, 2017 (pp. 1934-1949). European Conference on Information Systems. http://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2017_rp/124
Date
2017Copyright
© the Authors, 2017.
Crowdturfing, the dark side and usually unnoticed face of crowdsourcing, represents a form of cyber-deception in which workers are paid to express a false digital impression. While such behavior may not be punishable under the jurisdiction of formal law, its consequences are destructive to the cohesion and trustworthiness of online information. The conceptual work at hand examines the current literature on the topic, and lays the foundation for a theoretical framework that explains crowdturfing behavior. We discuss crowdturfing through three ethical normative approaches: traditional philosophical ethics, business ethics, and codified rules. We apply these lenses to an illustrative example of an online platform orchestrating the trade of paid book reviews on Amazon. The study contributes to theory by explaining the ethical logic behind crowdturfing from the perspectives of the key actors involved in the business. We argue that while crowdturfing cannot stand a critical examination through the deontological, stakeholder, or social contract perspectives, leaning on the teleological logic, the stockholder theory, or certain levels of codified rules can enable the actors involved in the business to operate with clean conscience. An increased understanding of the behavior can help both victim platforms and the Internet community at large to combat this hidden industry.
...


Publisher
European Conference on Information SystemsParent publication ISBN
978-989-20-7655-3Conference
Is part of publication
ECIS 2017 : Proceedings of the 25th European Conference on Information Systems, Guimarães, Portugal, June 5-10, 2017Keywords
Original source
http://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2017_rp/124Publication in research information system
https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/27211376
Metadata
Show full item recordCollections
Related items
Showing items with similar title or keywords.
-
Taxonomy of generative adversarial networks for digital immunity of Industry 4.0 systems
Terziyan, Vagan; Gryshko, Svitlana; Golovianko, Mariia (Elsevier, 2021) -
Developing Cybersecurity in an Industrial Environment by Using a Testbed Environment
Simola, Jussi; Savola, Reijo; Frantti, Tapio; Takala, Arttu; Lehkonen, Riku (Academic Conferences International, 2023)Critical infrastructure protection requires a testing environment that allows the testing of different kinds of equipment, software, networks, and tools to develop vital functions of the critical industrial environment. ... -
“This Is the Future of Advertising!” Or Is It? New Insights into the Justifiability of Deceptive Crowdwork in Cyberspace
Kauppila, Santtu; Soliman, Wael (University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2022)Unlike classical forms of deception where the deceiver deceives their victims directly, the crowdsourcing of cyber deception provides a powerful and cost-effective mechanism for deceivers to create and spread falsehood ... -
Organizational Learning from Cybersecurity Performance : Effects on Cybersecurity Investment Decisions
Shaikh, Faheem Ahmed; Siponen, Mikko (Springer, 2023)IS literature has identified various economic, performance, and environmental factors affecting cybersecurity investment decisions. However, economic modeling approaches dominate, and research on cybersecurity performance ... -
Online Expression, Personal Cybersecurity Costs, and the Specter of Cybercrime
Rauhala, Juhani; Tyrväinen, Pasi; Zaidenberg, Nezer (IGI Global, 2020)The internet is used increasingly as a platform both for free expression and e-commerce. The internet has unique security and privacy risks. Such risks include the threat of criminal cyberattacks, including hacking and ...