TylerBattaglia

CST373:Ethics
10/15/2014
MyThoughtsonPrivacyPost9/11

Assignment05:PrivacyPaper02
Havingarighttoprivacyisanimportantpartoflife.Somepeoplehaveagreater
needforprivacyandsomemightnotneedanyatall.Ashumans,wearesocialbeingsand
enjoyspendingtimewithothers.However,wealsohaveabasicneedtokeepanddo
thingsprivately.TheliteralmeaningofprivacyisThestateorconditionofbeingfreefrom
beingobservedordisturbedbyotherpeople.Thisisthetruthhowever,privacycan
extendtoomuchmorethanjustbeingalone.Privacywillhaveadifferentmeaning
dependingonwhereandhowyouwereraised.Forexample,somecountriessuchas
Japanhavesmalllivingspacesandsometimesusethinbamboosheetsaswalls.Most
teenagersinAmericawouldnotacceptthisandwouldexpecttheirownroomtomaintain
theirprivacy.Everyonehastherighttodecidehowmuchprivacytheywantorneed,
however,sometimesthegovernmentcantakeawaythisfreedomanddecideforyou.
Somecommonthingsthatmayinfluencehowindividualsviewprivacyisreligion,
culture,ethnicity,andrace.Butwhatabouteventsthathappenandcompromisethe
securityofthenation?Thebestexamplewouldbethetragedyof9/11.AllofAmericas
privacywasatriskandcertainquestionspoppedup.Americanswantedtoknowthatthey
weresafeandbeingprotected.SothegovernmentcameupwiththePatriotAct.The
passingoftheactmadeitpossibleforourowngovernmenttosecretlyspyonany
informationtheywantaslongastheyarepreventinganyfurtherterroristattacks.Thismay
beforthegreatergoodofthenationandmighthavestoppedsomeattacks,butwasour
privacyeverconsideredinthisact?AquotefromtheDepartmentofJusticewebsiteis,

TheDepartmentofJustice'sfirstpriorityistopreventfutureterrorist
attacks.SinceitspassagefollowingtheSeptember11,2001attacks,the
PatriotActhasplayedakeypartandoftentheleadingroleinanumber
ofsuccessfuloperationstoprotectinnocentAmericansfromthedeadly
plansofterroristsdedicatedtodestroyingAmericaandourwayoflife.
Whiletheresultshavebeenimportant,inpassingthePatriotAct,
Congressprovidedforonlymodest,incrementalchangesinthelaw.
Congresssimplytookexistinglegalprinciplesandretrofittedthemto
preservethelivesandlibertyoftheAmericanpeoplefromthechallenges
posedbyaglobalterroristnetwork.

Thisquoteexplainsthemotivesofthegovernmentandalsoexplainswhythisact

wasputinplace.Iknowthatthegovernmenthasourbestinterestinmindmakingthisnew
Act,however,thewayinwhichtheyuseitisstillunknown.WiththerecentWhistleblower
scandalwithEdwardSnowden,itreallymakesmequestionwhatthegovernmentisdoing
withourinformation.PeoplehaddoubtedtheNSAbeforetheleakshadcomeout,but
aftertheleaks,itputadoubtintoeveryAmericanshead.Analarmingfactthatcameoutof
Snowdensleakwas,TheSnowdenfilesrevealanumberofmasssurveillanceprograms
undertakenbytheNSAandGCHQ.Theagenciesareabletoaccessinformationstoredby
majorUStechnologycompanies,oftenwithoutindividualwarrants,aswellas
massinterceptingdatafromthefibreopticcableswhichmakeupthebackboneofglobal
phoneandinternetnetworks.(Perez)Thismeansthatthegovernmentcanaccess
informationfromallthetoptechcompaniesthatwetrusteverydaytokeepourinformation

private.TheNSAdoesntevenneedwarrantstoobtaintheinformationiftheybelievethere
isaterroristthreat.Thismeansthateverysearchyoutypeintogoogle,everyemail,every
textorphonecallcanbeseenbytheNSA.Doesthismeanthatanythingwedoonlineis
trulyprivate?
Ibelievethatnothingwedoonlineisprivate.Everysearch,everylinkweclickonor
websitewevisitisloggedinsomewayontheinternet.Asfarasemailsandmessages
go,thereisonetechniquethatmaykeepourprivacyandthisisknownasencryption.This
isgoodforthepublicbecausethismeansthatthemessageswesendthatareencrypted
cantbeseenunlessdecrypted.However,thisencryptioncanfallintothewronghandsas
explainedinTheLimitsofPrivacy,byAmitaiEtzioni.Hesays,Althoughhyperencryption
greatlyenhancesprivacyinthecyberworld,itposesnewandratherdifficultbarriersto
publicauthoritiesasterrorists,druglords,pedophiles,andothercriminalsincreasingly
drawonthenewformsofencryption.(Etzioni927)Thismeansthatencryptionprotectsour
communicationbutitalsoprotectsallthebadguysfromhavingtheircommunication
intercepted.Thismeansastechnologycontinuestodevelopatarapidrateandsoisthe
encryptiontechniquesusedbythegovernment.
Therealityoftheinternettodayisthateverysearchwedo,everywebsitewevisit,
hasacyberfootprintattachedtoit.Theaveragelesstechsavvypersonwouldsimplyclear
theirbrowserssearchhistoryandthinkthateverythingtheyjustdidonlinewillbeerased
forever.Thisisnotthecase,consideringthatmostcompaniesthathavesearchengines
willsellyourinformationthatyousearchedtoadvertisespecificallytoyoutomakemore
money.Everythingwedoisloggedonaserversomewhereandtheonlywaytokeepyour

computerprivateistocompletelycutoffyourinternetconnection.Thisconceptdoesnot
stoppeoplefromusingtheinternetwehavecometorelyoninthisdayandage.Our
communicationisthebiggestconcernofprivacywehave.Youassumethatall
communicationwedoisonlybeingseenbythepersonwemeantforittobeseenby.
WiththepassingofthePatriotActafter9/11,thepublicsrighttoprivacyisputin
dangersothattheNSAcouldpossiblypreventanyotherattacksfromhappening.
Personally,IhavenoproblemwiththisandtrustthattheNSAisintercepting
communicationsfromsuspiciouspeopleandnotjusttheaverageAmerican.Aquotefrom
anarticleoncnn.com,thatexplainsthePatriotAct,says,
ThePatriotActthatCongresspassedafterthe9/11attacksbroadenedthe
government'sabilitytoconductantiterrorismsurveillanceintheUnited
Statesandabroad,eventuallyincludingthemetadatacollection.Inorder
tocollecttheinformation,thegovernmenthastodemonstrateitis
"relevant"toaninternationalterrorisminvestigation.(Perez)
ThearticleexplainshowtheNSAwasabletoobtainabulkofphonerecords.TheNSA
wasabletodothisbecauseofarulingin1979foundthat...privacyrightsdidn'textendto
personalinformationpeoplegivetothirdpartiessuchasthephonecompanies,which
storebasicdataoncallsmade.(Perez)Thismeansthatthejudgmentwasmadewhen
technologywasinitsinfancy.Ifeelthatthisneedstobeupdatedtocurrenttimesand
needstoaddressallthenewformsoftechnologythatwehaveinthepresentday.

Thebook,Click:WhatMillionsofPeopleAreDoingOnlineandWhyItMatters,

discussestheanalyticaldataofover10millionAmericansandwhattheysearchonline.

ThisbookexploredthedifferentkindsofsearchesthatAmericansdidandittookawhile
formetodecideifhisworkdirectlyviolatestheprivacyofeveryAmericanorishedoingit
tostrictlygatherdataaboutsearchhabits.Icametotheconclusionthatalthough
Americansdatawasbeingseenbysomeonewhotheydidnotauthorize,attheendofthe
dayitisjustdata.AsanAmerican,Ihighlyvaluemyindividualprivacyandinacaselike
thisthedataisinagroupandnotindividualized.Mostofthepopulationmighthavesome
issueswithwhatBillTancerisdoing,butthishisjobandthisiswhathiscompanydoes.I
believeBillTancerisbetteringtheonlinecommunitywithhisworkandhesaysinhisbook,
Clickstreamdata,orinformationonsitesvisitedimmediatelybeforeandafteranygiven
siteorcategoryofsite,canalsoprovidenewinsighttobusinesses.Ifweconsiderhow
trackingusersastheyjumpfromsitetositecanbeappliedtonewsandentertainment
contentontheWeb,weseethatwehaveanewwayofviewingcompetitivespace.(Tancer
47)Thiskindofresearchcanreallyhelpoutbusinessesthatarelookingforthat
competitiveedge.
AsanindividualIhighlyvaluemyprivacyandthinkthatprivacyisabasicrightand
everyoneshouldhavearighttoit.Ibelieveitishealthyforindividualstohaveaspaceto
calltheirown,wheretheycanhaveprivacyandnotbeinterferedwith.Anexampleofthis
wouldbeapersonshouseortheirownroom.Ibelievehavingaprivatespacewhere
someonecangoandbealoneisessentialtohavinggoodmentalhealth.Ialsobelievethat
keepingthingsinyourlifeprivatecomesdowntowhatyoupostonlineandchoosetoshare
withothers.Ibelievethatifyouwantyourthoughtsandbeliefstobekeptprivate,thenyou
aretheonlyoneresponsibleforit.Ibelievethisbecauseyouhavethepowertoshareyour

thoughtsandfeelingsandifyouvaluetheprivacyofthemyoushouldkeepityourselforonly
shareitwithsomeoneyouhighlytrust.Peoplecanfilterwhattheypostonline,however,
withadvancedtechnology,therearepeoplethatusetheseadvancementsforthewrong
reasons.Forexample,recentlytherewasamajorbreachofprivacyforsomewellknown
celebrities.Foracoupledays,someanonymoushackersleakedvariousnudepicturesof
thecelebrities.Thehackersusedtechnologytogainaccesstothesepictureswithout
permissionandthisresultedinahugeinvasionofprivacy.Thisjustshowsitworksboth
waysandastechnologyadvances,sowillthetechnologythebadguysuse.
Ihavediscussedmypersonalconceptofprivacyandittendstoagreewithmost
Americanadolescents.Americansputahighvalueonhavingindividualfreedomandfor
themostpartarekeptinthedarkabouthowandifthegovernmentisviolatingtheir
personalprivacybyspyingontheircommunications.Americanfamiliestendtoliveby
themselvesandprovidearoomforeachindividualintheirhousehold.Thisisnotthecase
forfamiliesthatliveinChina.Somefactorsthatincludelivinginadifferentcultureand
beingforcedtoliveinasmallerhomecontributetosomeofthedifferenceinprivacythat
familieshave.Forexample,itisfairlycommoninChinatohavemultiplefamiliesliving
togetherinasmallplace.TheChineseculturedoesnotvalueprivacyasmuchasthe
citizensoftheUnitedStatesdo.Inanarticlewrittenin2006,theauthordescribeswhat
privacyislikeinChina.
Thecountry'spubliclavatoriesareoftenopenplanaffairswherelocals
unabashedlysquatelbowtoelbowastheytendtotheirbusiness.In

hospitals,modestyisoftenthrowntothewindastreatmentsarecarriedout
infullviewofmillingcrowds.Inthemostcasualofsocialinteractions,
completestrangersthinknothingofaskingeachotherdetailsabouttheir
salary,weightandsoonthatmostwesternerswouldnotshareevenwith
closefriends.(TheEconomist)
ThesekindsofactionswouldbeunacceptableinAmerica.Theovercrowdedrestrooms
maybebecauseofoverpopulationinChina.Afactthatreallysurprisedmewasthefact
thattheydomedicaltreatmentsinhospitalsinplainviewanddonotgivethepatientany
privacyatall.ThegreatestdifferenceChinahascomparedtotheUnitedStatesishow
openpeoplearewiththingssuchassalaryandtheirweight.PeopleintheU.S.dontoften
talkaboutthesethingswithotherpeople,letalonerandomstrangers.Thisjustgoesto
showhowcultureaffectshowindividualsformtheirpersonalconceptsofprivacy.
AbigtopicinthebookTheLimitsofPrivacy,isaboutidentificationcards.Etzioni
explainswhyweneedidentificationcardsbysaying,Intermsofmyfirstcriterionfor
assessingthebalanceofprivacyandthecommongood,theabsenceofuniversal
identifiersintheUnitedStatesclearlydoesposeasignificantandmacroscopicproblem.
(Etzioni)IagreewithEtzioni100%becauseoftheexamplesthatwasgivensuchas,
criminalfugitives,sexoffenders,illegalgunsales,illegalimmigration,andidentitytheft.
ThewayAmericassystemissetup,theonlyinformationthatisonthecardsisbirthdate,
address,weight,height,eyecolor,anddriverslicensenumber.Thisseemslikealotof
informationtobedisplayedonacardthateveryonecarrieswiththem,butitisverylittle
comparedtoothercountriessuchasChina.Anarticledescribeswhatiscontainedinthe

ChineseI.D.cardsbysaying,ChinasnationalIDcards,forinstance,areencodedwith
whatmostpeoplewouldconsiderashockingamountofpersonalinformation,including
healthandreproductivehistory,employmentstatus,religion,ethnicityandeventhename
andphonenumberofeachcardholderslandlord.Moreominousstill,thecardsarepartof
alargerprojecttoblanketChinesecitieswithstateoftheartsurveillancetechnologies.
(Burghardt)Thisisanabsurdamountofinformationthatiscarriedaroundonand
identificationcard.Idonotagreeatallwithhavingthatamountofinformationtocarry
around.IappreciatethefactthatinAmericawedonothavethisamountofinformation
freelyavailabletoeveryone.Itmakesmerespecttheamountofprivacythatwehavehere
intheUnitedStates.
Chinaisanexampleofaculturewithverylittleprivacy.Europeisontheotherside
ofthespectrumandhavetremendousrespectforitscitizensprivacy.Inanarticlethat
explainedaprivacybreachbetweentheItaliangovernmentandGoogle.Inthearticlethe
author,AdamLiptak,comparedAmericanprivacytoEuropeanprivacyandsaid,
Americanslikeprivacy,too,buttheythinkaboutitinadifferentway,asan
aspectoflibertyandaprotectionagainstgovernmentoverreaching,
particularlyintothehome.Continentalprivacyprotections,bycontrast,
focusonprotectingpeoplefromhavingtheirlivesexposedtopublicview,
especiallyinthemassmedia.(Liptak)
ThismeansthatAmericanshavearespectforprivacybutgoaboutitinadifferentwaythan
Europeancountries.AquotethatdescribestheEuropeanmentalityissaidbyJane

Kirtley,whoteachesatUniversityofMinnesota,saidTherealityisthattheyconsider
privacyafundamentalhumanright.(Liptak)Ithinkthatthisisagreatapproachtosetting
standardsregardingprivacyofthepeopleofEurope.Iftheirgovernmenttreatsprivacyas
abasicright,thenthegovernmentwilllikelytrusttheircitizensmorethanthatoftheUnited
States.

AculturethathasanextremelydifferentviewofprivacyistheJapaneseculture.In

anarticlewrittenbyYohkoOritoandKiyoshiMurata,theystated,ThereisnoJapanese
wordcorrespondingpreciselytotheEnglishwordprivacy.(OritoandMurata)Theauthors
thengoontoexplainwhytheJapanesehavenowordforprivacy.Hayashiclaimed,...that
riceagriculturehasaffectedJapanesesocialcharacteristicsgrowingricerequiresa
collectivedecisionmakingprocess,makingthegroupmorevaluablethanthe
individual.(OritoandMurata)ThiscanexplainwhytheconceptofprivacyinJapanese
cultureissomewhatnonexistent.ComparedtoChina,theJapaneseculturechoosestonot
needprivacy,whereChinesecultureforcespeopletonothaveanyprivacy.TheJapanese
conceptofprivacyisonethatisforeigntotheWesternculture.InabookaboutJapanese
culture,theauthor,RayDonahue,says,Japaneserestroomsgivetotalprivacy,whereas
thoseinChinadonot.Chineserestroomsrarelyhavebarriersorscreensthatobstructthe
viewofotheroccupants.(Donahue)Thisisagoodcomparisonbetweenculturesandthis
isoneofthesmallareasthatJapanesecultureagreeswiththeWesternculture.Iwould
havetoagreewiththeconceptofprivacythattheJapaneseculturehas.Iagreebecause
thatishowthepeopleofJapanwereraisedandarecarryingonthetraditionoftheir

ancestors.Therewoulddefinitelybesomeissuesiftheseconceptswereadoptedby
Westernculture,butitworksforJapan.

Inconclusion,privacyhasdifferentmeaningsineveryculture,evennomeaningin

some.Theconceptofprivacyvarygreatlydependingonwhenandwhereyouwereraised,
whetherthereisnoconceptatalllikeJapan,orprivacyisconsideredabasichumanright,
likeinEurope.Everyoneisallowedtohavetheirownviewofprivacyandsomeneedmore
thanothers.IagreewiththeEuropeanviewofprivacythemostandthinkthatprivacyisa
basichumanright.Ibelievethatyoucanchoosewhatthoughtsandinformationyouwantto
shareonline.Itisuptotheindividualtodecidetheirownconceptofprivacy.

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