Value of Privacy Perspectives

Privacy is a value that people in the world today hold in high esteem. Traditionally, the value of privacy was based on the strong belief that each individual deserves the right to be left alone and the right to choose what he/she wants to disclose to other people. The concept of privacy has become significantly complicated in the digital age.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Value of Privacy Perspectives specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People have a different understanding of what privacy is depending on factors such as their education, cultural background and even nationality. I am an international student from Kuwait and my understanding of privacy is that it is a right for everyone. The concept of value comes from the strong belief among people that each individual deserves the right to be left alone and the right to choose what to disclose to others. Various scholars have over the years written pa pers that address the issue of privacy in the digital context. The perspectives offered by various scholars relate to my understanding of privacy in some ways.  In my view, privacy has changed over the years due to the technological advances made by humans. Rule (2015) confirms that the state of privacy has changed over the past few decades and it can be expected to change even more in future. Privacy concerns have always been linked to the ability of other entities to violate the individual’s privacy. On the other hand, the extent to which a person’s privacy can be violated is linked to technology. Before the invention of technologies such as the telephone, it was hard to eavesdrop on a person’s private conversation. However, the telephone made it possible for electronic eavesdropping to occur. The prevalent use of the internet has introduced new privacy concerns. These concerns such as electronic surveillance did not exist a few decades ago when the internet was not widely used. Rule (2015) suggests that the future of privacy is very insecure as technology is introducing many privacy-destroying processes. Most people in the public acknowledge the privacy risks that the internet has introduced. Abel-Azim (2010) notes that privacy concerns are regarded as important issues as people in the Middle East adapt new technologies and make use of them. I believe that the efficiency with which computer systems and the internet can process data has increased the threats to privacy faced by individuals, especially in the developed countries that have embraced the technologies. For example, many new privacy issues have been introduced by the development and widespread use of computers and the internet.Advertising Looking for critical writing on common law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Traditionally, governments and organizations relied on paper-based systems to maintain various individual r ecords. The privacy issues introduced by such systems were minimal since the information was not centralized. In the paper-based system, it was hard to compile information about a person from different sources. The digital age has made it not only possible but also easy for governments and corporations to compile vast amounts of personal information. Rule (2015) points out that various justifications have been made for collecting individual information. Some of these justifications are benign, such as that surveillance can assist enhance the health of the population. Other justifications, such as the use of the collected data to identify would-be terrorists, are repressive. A study by Abel-Azim (2010) on online privacy concerns reveals that privacy-conscious Arabs are less willing to make their personal information available in their online profiles. Digital surveillance has threatened the privacy of millions of individuals. Due to technological advances made in the past two decades , governments are able to engage in mass surveillance, Government agencies such as the National Security Agency in the US are able to monitor and analyze the telecommunications data of the entire population. Marx (2015) presents the notion that surveillance is wrongly seen to be the opposite of privacy. While privacy is seen as a good thing, surveillance is painted as a bad thing. I am one of the people who have always viewed surveillance as a dark and sinister thing. Surveillance to me meant accessing information from the public. This access is made with or without the explicit consent or desire of the individuals being surveyed. As such, surveillance is a threat to privacy, which is the value based on the right of an individual to restrict access to his/her information from others. The idea presented by Marx (2015) that surveillance might actually promote privacy is very interesting. Marx (2015) reveals that surveillance instruments such as audit trails and biometric identificatio n can be used to safeguard personal privacy. As such, surveillance is not always a negative thing in the context of privacy.  Privacy is one of the most important values in modern society. However, it has been threatened by the propagation of digital systems in recent years.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Value of Privacy Perspectives specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The proliferation of the internet has meant that governments, corporations, and strangers can easily gain access to an individual’s personal information. In this paper, I have compared my perspective of privacy with those of privacy scholars. There is agreement that technological advances have led to a significant erosion of privacy. I discovered an interesting perspective, which is that surveillance can serve to enhance privacy. As such, while I will be conscious of the privacy issues that the digital era brings, I will also ap preciate the positive role that surveillance plays in the society. References Abel-Azim, A.M. (2010). Online Privacy Concerns among Social Networks’ Users. Cross-Cultural Communication, 6(4), 74-89. Marx, G.T. (2015). Coming to terms; the kaleidoscope of privacy and surveillance. In B. Roessler., D. Mokrosinska (Eds.), Social Dimensions of Privacy Interdisciplinary Perspectives (pp. 32-49.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Rule, J.B. (2015). Privacy: The Longue Duree. In B. Roessler., D. Mokrosinska (Eds.), Social Dimensions of Privacy Interdisciplinary Perspectives (pp. 11-31). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. This critical writing on Value of Privacy Perspectives was written and submitted by user RoxanneSimpson to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.