Question

Marco is an intern at a company that collects customer data. He is considering using the data as a basis for a project in his social studies class. Would this be considered plagiarism?

Answer 1

Using customer data collected by a company for a project without permission or proper attribution could potentially constitute a breach of confidentiality, privacy, or ethical guidelines, rather than plagiarism in the traditional sense. Plagiarism typically refers to the act of presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without proper citation.

In Marco's case, if he uses the data without authorization from the company or without ensuring that he has the right to use it, he could be violating the company's data policies or ethical standards. Additionally, if he were to present the findings as his own work without acknowledging the source of the data, that could also be viewed as unethical, depending on the context.

To avoid any issues, Marco should seek permission from the company before using any customer data for his project and ensure that he complies with any guidelines regarding the use of that data.