Big 12 Room. Although there have been problems with computers and the free flow of information, such as identity theft and fraud, Singleton said regulating the flow of information isn't the solution. Singleton said better security efforts were needed to protect consumers, such as individually chosen passwords for credit cards as opposed to social-security card numbers. Singleton also cited new technologies available, such as voice imprints for accessing bank accounts. Singleton said the free flow of information should remain in the realm of business ethics, not business law, and those who abuse that freedom should be punished, instead of requiring universal regulation.
Many businesses use computers to sell lists of their customers to other, similar businesses.
Singleton said those lists are often valuable, and current proposals to regulate them should not be enacted. She said that once consumers give information about themselves, they don't necessarily have control of where the information goes from there. Virgil Wallentine, head of the computing and information sciences department, said regulation was an important topic to discuss. Everything about you that makes up your persona can be tracked at this point in time. Maarten van Swaay, professor emeritus, said he agreed with Singleton's view that it is impossible to regulate privacy.