Privacy and Its Invasion PDF
Preview Privacy and Its Invasion
PRIVACY AND ITS INVASION PRIVACY AND ITS INVASION Deckle McLean LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData McLean,Deckle. Privacyanditsinvasion / DeckleMcLean. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferences(p. — )andindex. ISBN0–275–95335–1(alk.paper) 1. Privacy,Rightof. 2. Privacy. I. Title. JC596.M34 1995 323.44'8—dc20 95–9308 BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable. Copyright(cid:1)1995byDeckleMcLean Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher. LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:95–9308 ISBN:0–275–95335–1 Firstpublishedin1995 PraegerPublishers,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881 AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc. PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica TM Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For PBM Contents Preface ix 1 TheDifficultyofPrivacyasanIdea 1 2 Background:ThroughtheAmericanGoldenAge ofPrivacy 9 3 Background:ThoseLeftOutoftheGoldenAge 31 4 TypesofPrivacy 47 5 ThePerniciousSideofPrivacy 61 6 WhatPrivacyProvides 71 7 SexualAssault 91 8 News-ReportingEthics 109 9 InvasionsofPrivacy 121 10 Summary 129 SelectedBibliography 131 Index 135 Preface Thisbookexploreswhyprivacyisimportant,hasalwaysbeen important, and can play an instrumental role in most lives. Alongthewaythebookacknowledgesthedarksideofprivacy, teases out the privacy element embedded in some widely rec- ognizedproblems,andnotestheawkwardbutpotentiallyhar- moniousrelationofprivacytopressfreedom. Privacy is a topic of growing awareness and should be be- cause as the century ends privacy is in crisis. The crisis is in- teriortoeachofus;weareinconflict;wedonotknowwhatto thinkofprivacyanditsinvasion.Thetechnologyusedtoinvade privacyisalarminglyadvanced;yettherefinementofdatacol- lectionandsurveillanceisnotatthecoreoftheproblem.Ifwe knew our own minds, we could regulate the technology with clearresolve.Butwedonotknowourminds. It is not merely that we recklessly divulge private economic information in order to get credit or college financial aid; in addition,wehungeraftertheuglyprivatesecretsofcelebrities, the latest nude picturesofroyalty,fallensportsfigures,orsci- ons of well-known families, and the wave of sad, banal, but occasionally interesting disclosures provided by those who x Preface therebypurchasetheirmomentinthelimelightontalkshows. At the same time we wonder how anyone can live in such a fishbowl,andwehopeitneverhappenstous.Sometimessome of us feel a bit uncomfortable, or even guilty, when we find ourselves perusing some of these materials—and enjoying them. Whenwecontemplatewhatisbadaboutlifeincrowdedur- ban housing developments, we think of crime and the simple wantthatresultsfrominsufficientmaterialpossession.Thenit occurstousthatthepeopletheregetverylittleprivacy.Then, justpossibly,italsooccurstousthatwithoutprivacychildren in such developments cannot get their homework done. And thenitdawnsonusthatanysocietythatrequiressophisticated mental skills must provide a great deal of privacy; otherwise, noonecanlearnwhatisnecessaryorgettheirjobsdoneafter theydo. Anyone who has ever been hit with sudden tragic news knows that a person needs quiet moments in which to absorb the shock or in which to break down and recover; yet many people will gawk at a television screen as tape is broadcast of someoneundergoingthehammerblowofjustsuchnews.Most will be physically unable to avert their attention from the screen, even though they know that something is wrong with pesteringapersonatsuchatime. Privacy. We want it for ourselves; we love to invade other people’s.Buttoacceptsuchselfishnessinourselvesisnotgood enough. We need to do better, to work out an approach or a policy,oratleastanindividualpolicy. Thepurposeofthisbookistoidentifysomeofthevirtuesof privacy, to recognize some of its flaws, and to convince the reader that privacy has been very important for a very long time,andisexceptionallyimportantasthecenturycloses.
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