PP #2- Breaches of Ethics

Breaches of Ethics: When Promotion, Persuasion and Finance Cross the Line

In our age of hyper-connectivity, digital media and constant marketing, the line between persuasion (often benign) and deception (unethical) is more important — and more blurred — than ever. Whether done by corporations, governments, or public relations firms, misleading or deceptive practices can damage trust, exploit consumers or citizens, and undermine ethical norms. Below are recent illustrative cases (national, international) that highlight the variety of ways this happens, and some reflections on what they teach us.

Case 1: “Greenwashing” and Misleading Sustainability Claims – SHEIN

One prominent case involves the fast-fashion e-commerce giant SHEIN. In 2024, the Italian Competition and Market Authority launched an investigation into SHEIN for allegedly misleading consumers with environmental claims — essentially “greenwashing” it's business.

Key issues : 

The company’s website used promotional language implying greater environmental sustainability than supported by evidence. 

The omission of material details: consumers were not fully informed about how limited the sustainability efforts really were, or about the environmental impact of the ultra-fast-fashion model.

Cybernews

Case 2: Deceptive Earnings / “AI Business Opportunity” Schemes – Federal Trade Commission (FTC) v. “AI-Powered” Start-ups

In September 2024 the FTC announced it would crack down on deceptive schemes that promise large earnings by leveraging “artificial intelligence” or other hyped technologies.

One scheme  claimed consumers could make thousands of dollars a month via AI-powered tools, opening online storefronts. The FTC alleged no evidence supported the claims. 

Another promised “7-figure business” via AI tools managing online storefronts; in fact consumers spent tens of thousands and got little or nothing.

These promotions often appeared on social media, leveraged testimonials and “easy money” narratives, and targeted less experienced consumers. 

 Link to wedsite

Broader Reflections and Ethical Implications

From these cases we can extract several themes:

1. Promise vs. Evidence: Many breaches involve grand claims (“AI will make you rich”, “we’re sustainable”, “we follow top cybersecurity frameworks”) where the supporting evidence is weak, non-existent or mis-represented. Ethical promotion requires that claims be verifiable and not misleading.

2. Designing for Behavior: Whether via UI/UX (Meta’s interface), contract terms hidden (store-credit promotions), or marketing narratives (fast fashion, AI get-rich), deception often leverages behavioral science to steer users/consumers/citizens in ways they wouldn’t if fully informed.

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Suggestions for Your Blog Format & Interactive Elements

Since you’ll publish on Google Blogger, here are some ideas to enhance interactivity and depth:

• Embed hyperlinks to the primary source articles/regulatory documents (as cited above).

• Add visuals/screenshots: for example, a screenshot of SHEIN’s sustainability page; sample ad for an AI-earnings scheme; depiction of Meta’s flagging interface; contract award announcement for the PR firm.

• Use social-platform links: if your course includes readings or postings on X/Twitter, Blue sky, Facebook, embed those as either screenshots or links so readers can follow the original conversation or comment threads.

Concluding Thoughts

Ethical breaches in promotion, persuasion and finance are not fringe occurrences — they are increasingly part of mainstream business, government communications and digital platform strategy. The cases above show how the tactics vary (greenwashing, AI-hyped money schemes, interface design to discourage reporting, misleading disclosure to investors, government-PR spending) but the underlying ethical failure is similar: misleading or withholding information in order to influence behavioral

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