Term paper on Privacy And Anonymity And Information Network Technologies

Privacy And Anonymity And Information Network Technologies Essays

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We might assume that nothing new could be said about the issue of

privacy behond the basic notion that it is something secluded from the

inclusion of others, a virtue and right that every citizen of a

democratic society might possess. However, if that were actually the

case then we would not see our culture involved in debates about the

issues regarding privacy and anonymity as they relate to new information

technologies.

The primary reason for such concerns is that information has become a

commodity in what we have come to know as the 'information age'. With

the advent of new technologies; particularly that of the Internet this

information can be sold and exchanged quite easily. Before the use of

widespread computer technologies, our personal information had no real

value beyond its immediate transaction. When data and information was

provided by a citizen or consumer it had no secondary reuse. However,

due to advances in technology and data retrieval systems and

transactions, information has been given commercial value, especially

with regards to the issue of who owns and controls this information.

The information age has been a period that has allowed rights to privacy

to beocme seriously jeopardized by new information technologies.

Richard A. Spinello, has defined two distinct phases to the systematic

erosion of information privacy. The first he calls the 'data base

phase'. The emergence of sophisticatd data base technology in the early

eighties made it possible to store and retrieve large amounts of

information efficiently and economically. During this time,

considerable amounts of personal data were transfered to computerized

records, which have been stored on record. Another implicator in the

invasion of privacy has been what is described as a 'network phase', in

which many individuals and organizations are relying heavily on digital

networks such as the Internet to help conduct their personal business.

The Internet specifically has facilitated the integration of different

databases and allowed data to become completely mobile, and easily

retreived by anyone. The use of such networks has expanded the

capability of elctronically pinpointing an individual or checking up of

personal backgrounds by following electronic trails of information.

There has become a realm where immediate on-line personal data is

available to anyone with the simplest personal computer system. The

implications on idividual privacy are great; we hve become completely

transparent to anyone who wants to take a little time to investigate

one's background. What becomes a more important question is what types

of information can be deemed as public and private, and as this

information is stored who may legally claim access to it.

It has been consistenly maintained by members of our soicety that a

right to privacy an anonymity is a necessity, a basic natural right,

however in the information age, privacy is not a simple concept that can

be easily defined. Still, with respect to a general definition of

privacy the basic right to be 'left alone' is rather broad. Of most

conern in our current culture is the need to define and explore what is

deemed as 'information privacy' with direct connections to technological

advances. For Spinello, this is simply defined as "the right to exert

conrol over the fate of one's personal information (name, address,

telephone number, financial background etc.), and the right to limit the

accessibility of information known about oneself". In the context of

information technologies and specificallly the Internet; accessiblity

and use of such technologies can violate and inhibit our personal

privacy. Our private information may be violated because our personal

data may be acquired by individual without permission; when this occurs

according to Spinello, such a person may use it to excercise control

over a person's activities. For example; companies with detailed

knowledge of an individual's purchasing habits may subject them to

manipulative promotions, while a prospective employer may gather

sensitive information about a future employee's medical histories,

financial records, etc.

As a result of this there becomes a new found concern; a developing

relationship between privacy and freedom in the new information age. It

becomes difficult to exercise guaranteed personal liberties when our

actions are on display and our intimate information can be accessed in

the public domain, furthermore they can become accessed without our

knowledge or consent. If our right to privacy continues to decrease in

the wake of technology's continual progress so too will our basic

freedoms. Such concerns provide the basic notions behind already

legislated laws governing individual rights to privacy, however there

are not many specific laws protecting privacy and regultions that offer

protection of privacy that can be adequately applied to technological

advances.

Spinello argues that there has been a general failure on behalf of

North American policy makers to fashion sufficient protections for

privacy rights in the wake of technology's expanding capablitites. He

asserts that privacy has been consistently eclipsed by other values such

as economic efficency and crime control as well as technological

progress. This becomes the central argument when discussing privacy,

anonymity and technolgoy in the wake of an emerging invasion of personal

rights and...

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