Ethical Issues on Privacy

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PRIVACY
Privacy is a fundamental human right that, in broad terms, guarantees the individual their autonomy and establishes boundaries between themselves and others. The concept of privacy is widely evolving over the years, mainly due to the rise of technology and easier access to human information. As a result, various new definitions of privacy have been raised to encompass these changes. Privacy is defined as the right to be let alone, a vastly broad definition that shields the individual and their property from unwanted external scrutiny and enables the individual’s seclusion from outside attention (Warren and Brandeis 193). This broad and vague definition raised a lot of contention over the years, leading to new, more specific descriptions and alterations to the concept. (Westin 7) extended this definition by categorizing it into four specific sub-classes: solitude, which is the physical separation of an individual from other individuals; intimacy, the seclusion of an individual or a group of individuals who are in a close relationship with each other, anonymity, which is the individual’s desire to remain unknown, and reserve which is an individual’s barrier against unwarranted external interference. (Solove 7) extended this theory of privacy to include the following sub-classes; individuality or personhood and the individual’s control over their personal information. With the emergence of technology and the rise of the Internet Age, the privacy concept has been redesigned to include the extent of control of an individual over their information.
In democratic societies, the support of privacy may threaten or infringe on other equally fundamental principles and values, raising the need to balance between these values. Despite the numerous benefits that privacy brings to the individual, it has its limits which many constitutional regulations and stakeholders strive to acknowledge. Critics of the concept argue that the privacy concept promotes individualism and largely infringes upon accountability and security. According to (Bennett and Raab 14), the conceptualization and implementation of privacy are largely separate and hinder working towards a greater good for society, noting that it may validate domestic-based violence in families. They argue that privacy is misleading and can cause individuals to create and maintain a false general image to the public that masks their true character. This may lead to an infringement on other individuals’ right to security which is equally a fundamental right for survival. (Quinn 214) states that individuals may hide under the guise of the privacy concept to plan and execute illegal activities without being suspected or stopped. As every individual should be accountable for their actions and must be subjected to some form of benefit or punishment based on their actions, the concept of privacy may largely violate this obligation. (Lyon 20) states how difficult it is to distinguish between private and public life. Law enforcers or constitutional restrictions may have a hard time deciding what circumstances are appropriate to infringe upon the individual’s privacy. (Katell and Moore) reit...