There's an exponentially expanding
amount of information out there. Sometimes you have to search for
it, or maybe it's everywhere. Everyone should have access to it, but
maybe not all of it, like your Social Security number. But if the
government doesn't have access to that number, you won't be getting
your tax refund or Social Security benefits.
We've been worried about the government
having access to too much of our information since at least the 1960s
(Dunn, 1967), and I'm sure it actually dates from the same time as
the creation of governments. Today we continue to have such worries,
especially in light of legislation like the USAPATRIOT (Uniting
and Strengthening America
by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct
Terrorism) Act. And it's not only the government we have to worry
about, but businesses and corporations as well. They have vast
amounts of information about everything from our surfing habits to
our favorite brand of toothpaste, but they want more and they want to
make money buying and selling it (Lipinski, 1999).
These privacy issues are just one facet
of the broad topic of information policy. We'll explore more in
subsequent posts. Until then, consider this: Should any information
be “classified” by the government or should citizens be able to
access any information they desire? How far should the government go
to protect an individual's right to privacy? Should the same rules
apply to the government and businesses? Should all information be
treated equally, or should special rules apply to “sensitive”
information, such as medical records or Social Security numbers?
What do you think?
References
Dunn, E. S., Jr. (1967). The Idea of a National Data
Center and the Issue of Personal Privacy. The
American Statistician, 21(1),
21-27.
Lipinski, T. A. (1999). The Commodification of
Information and the Extension of Proprietary Rights into the Public
Domain: Recent Legal (Case and Other) Developments in the United
States. Journal of Business Ethics, 22(1),
63-80.
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ReplyDeleteAs was noted in other posts here and in other blogs, libraries work hard to protect the privacy and rights of citizens. Maybe this is the area that libraries really need to market - what other institution has such an important mission and do "lay people" know of this mission? I don't think the general public is aware of this purpose. http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/ifissues/issuesrelatedlinks/alaprivacypolicies
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, going back to 1967 to see that these aren't new concerns. And yes, now there are companies whose entire business model focuses on collecting information about individuals to sell to advertisers. For libraries, this wealth of personal proprietary information is a whole other ballgame. Are there libraries so concerned with privacy that they keeps internet users away from Google and Yahoo? Conversely, is there any chance of a future policy that would make some proprietary information part of the public record? That information might have value outside of ads.
ReplyDeleteThere are a whole lot of interesting questions here. I think that it is easy to say that people should have access to whatever information they want, but does that mean where I am at during this moment? It is clear that there needs to be a dividing line somewhere, but I think that 'protection' is too convenient a word for large organizations. I think that 'rights' can be just as big and volatile. Ultimately, I think that these dividing lines can be flexible, yet they should be agreed upon by the community.
ReplyDelete