TheLimitsofPrivacy

TranDangOsis1

CST337EthicsandCurrentIssues
inCommunicationScienceandTechnology

Fall2013
ProfessorKevinCahill

HungTran
ThachDang
DaryllOsis

MyThoughtsontheLimitsofPrivacyPost9/11

CST373EthicsandIssues

TheLimitsofPrivacy

TranDangOsis2

MyThoughtsontheLimitsofPrivacyPost9/11
Wewerebornandraisedinthecountry,whichpeopledidnotcaretoomuchabout
privacyandsurveillance.We,ascitizens,couldtalk,text,goonline,ordowhateverwewant
withoutconcerningaboutbeingtrackedorrecordedbythegovernment.Indeed,weactually
hadntheardthewordprivacyuntilwecametoAmerica.Peoplehereargueandfightfortheir
privacyagainstgovernmentagencies,i.e.therightofprivacy.Americaisknownasthelandof
freebecauseeveryonehastheirownfreedom.ItisstatedintheFourthAmendmentthatthe
Amendmentpreventspoliceandothergovernmentagentsfromsearchingusorourproperties
without"probablecause"tobelievethatwehavecommittedacrime.InadditiontoFourth
Amendment,otheramendmentsalsotouchpartofprivacysuchasprotectingourfreedomto
makecertaindecisionsaboutourbodiesandourprivateliveswithoutinterferencefromthe
government.However,after9/11,everythingwasdramasticallychanged.U.S.government
createdasurveillancesocietyinwhich
thelongstandingwallbetweensurveillanceforlaw
enforcementpurposesandforintelligencegatheringhasbeendismantled(Shamsi,Abdo,2011).
Moreover,thetechnologyrevolutionalsoplaysabigpartinhelpinggovernmenttorecordevery
moveofitscitizens.Asaresult,thecitizensaretheoneswhoviolentlyreceivedconsequencesas
theirprivacyisincreasinglydifficulttoprotectintodaysadvancedtechnologyandspiedsociety.
Hasthegovernmenttakenanycautionswhenthesurveillanceprojectwasintroduced?We,as
citizens,understandaboutit,buthaveweevergivenupourprivacyjustsimplybecausewecant
doanythingtochangethesituation?Itmaybeprettyhardtofindthebestanswerforthis
controversy,butwecanstillanalyzeandevaluatewhatactuallytheprivacyisandhowimportant
itisinourlives.

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Privacyhasmanymeaningsanddependingonhowpeopleconsidertheirownprivacy,its
meaningscanbedifferent.OneversionofdefiningprivacyisstatedbyMcFarland:freedom
frominterferenceorintrusion,therighttobeletalone(McFarland,2012).Asthedefinition
suggests,weshouldhaveourownspaceandlegallydowhateverwewantundertheprotectionof
laws.Theprotectedsphereforeachpersonmayincludepersonalopinions,communications,or
activitiesinwhichthatpersonhasfreedomtoexpressandbehaveaslongasthoseactionsdont
poseanysignificantthreattothesocietyornation.Withtheriseofdigitalworldnowadays,
informationprivacyisalsointroduced.Itistherighttohavesomecontroloverhowourpersonal
dataiscollectedandused.Areweabletodothat?Intheglobalinformationeconomy,Idont
thinkwehavesucceededpreventingpersonaldatafrombeingmanipulatedbygovernmentand
companies.Theyrecordphonecalls,placesurveillancetechnologytofollowus,orgatherour
informationoneverysinglemove.Weallheardaboutthemassivedatabreachesinseveralgiant
companies,cybercriminalsstealing,andcustomerdatabeingusedtotargetadvertising.Infact,
therevelationsofWikiLeaksandSnowdenwerealsobuiltupthesuspiciontothelimit.Thereis
notasingletrustbetweencitizensandgovernmentbetweencustomersandcompaniesbecause
wedonthaveanythingwhichwecancallitprivateanymore.Peoplearenowsuspiciouswhenit
comestoprivacymatters.
Technologyinnovationhasmadeeverythingeasierfromhometowork,from
entertainmenttoschoolwork.Peoplecantlivewithoutitanymorebecauseitgivespeoplethe
necessarymeantoliveintheworldtoday.WeuseInternettocommunicateinourprivateand
professionallivessuchasemail,socialnetworking,makingappointment,shopping,banking,
workingremotely,orevenhavingvideoconferencewhileatthedinnertable.Accordingto

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ShamsiandAbdo,whileAmericansareconductingtheirvirtuallives,theyarealsostoringnot
onlytheirordinaryworkbutalsotheirownpersonaldata.Theproblemstartedfromherebecause
whenwereceivesomethingforfreeorwithasmallamountofmoney,wedefinitelygiveback
somethinginreturn.Astheauthorspointout,telecommunicationsandcommercialenterprises
havedevelopedabusinessmodelwhichisprovidingneededservicestocustomersandcollecting
theircustomersdatainordertomanipulateitformarketingstrategyorevaluatingcustomers
need.Therefore,tous,technologyhasplayedthehugepartincontributingtothelossofprivacy
amongpeople.SocialnetworkingsitessuchasFacebookandTwitterarethesubjecttobe
exploitedofprivateinformationbycybercriminals.Theinvasionofprivacythroughsocial
networksisseriousdamagesinceusersdataisbeingcollectedorstolenwithouttheirconsent.
Everythingthatwethinkthatisprivatetoourlivescanbeputuponlinefortheentireworldto
see.Evenworst,thedatamaybeusedtoagainstusoneday.Popularbanksalsoofferonline
bankingforthesakeofconveniencetotheircustomers.UserIDs,passwords,andtransactions
areenteredopenlysotheywillexposecustomerssensitivedataandmakethemvulnerableto
identitytheft.Cookieswhicharepopularlyusedbyonlineshoppingsitesalsoexposed
customersinformation.Theycollectseverykeystrokewetypeandeverylinkweclickthrough
mouseinordertoprovideadvertisementsbacktousfromwhatwehavedonebefore.Iguessitis
literallyinvadingourprivacybecausetheyaremanipulatingourdatawithoutconsenttousefor
theirownbenefits.Onlineusersknowledgeandconsciousnessaretaughtandupdatedmoreand
moreeachday.However,theyshouldtakecautionwhentheyareusingtheseinnovative
technologies.

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Anotheraspectofprivacyinvasionistheadvancedtechnologydeviceslikecamera,
recorder,tracker,andcellphones.Camera,recorder,andtrackerfallintospyingdevicesasthey
canbebuiltassmallasaneraser.Theyarehiddentocapture,record,andfollowbyintended
peoplesuchasgovernmentagentsorallkindsofcriminals.Withoutvictimsknowledge,the
consequencescanbeprettybad.Forexample,sexoffenderscanusetinycamerastocapture
womenintherestroom.Lawenforcementsmayuserecorderswhiletheylurevictimstoconfess
acrimetheymayormaynotcommit.TheauthoritiesinTexasschooldistrictrolloutthe
trackingIDonwhicheverystudentisrequiredtowear.Wecantdenythebenefitsofthosesmall
andsmartdevicesthatpeopleevercreatedandusedinagoodway:helpingcapturecritical
footagewhichcansolveacase,recordingconversationsofcriminals,ortrackingacriminalwho
wasimplantthetrackingdevicebefore.However,inouropinion,theyarestilloneofthetools
forviolatingsomeonesprivacy.Wefeelthatourprivacyisbeinginvadedbecauseofthem
especiallywithphonetappingandtrackingInternetsearch.Governmentusesthesemethodsto
spyonpublic.Webelievethatwearenottheonlyonesconcernedaboutourprivatespacewhen
wetalkonthephoneoruseGooglesearchengine,butalsomanyAmericanshavethesame
thoughtstowardtheissues.Cellphonesarenowlikeapowerfulcomputerthatisequippedwith
manyinnovativetechnologies.Theirbuiltincamerascanbeusedtouploadpicturestosocial
networkingsitesortostorageclouds.Themusicorprivatedatacanbepushedtocloud.Ifthe
cloudscompaniesexperiencedatabreach,weloseprivacy.Alotofpeoplearegettinghackedof
theirphotosonline.Thepicturestheythoughtwereprivateonlyforthemselvesortowhoever
theysentittowerenot.Hackersexploitthefactthateverythingonlineisntprivateandtake
theseprivatephotosandpostitonlinetoshareittotheworldandsometimesworse,useitto

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shamepeople.TheOSproviderandappscancollectusersdatasecretlyandusedittotheir
advantagetomakemoremoneyoffpeopleandalsoprovideuswithabetterserviceand
technology.Betterserviceandtechnologyatthecostofourprivacy.Inaddition,cellphonesalso
storelotsofinformationsuchascreditcardnumbers,contacts,emails,schedules,and
multimediathingsinoneplace.Theyarethetargetsforidentitytheftstoexploittheidentityof
owners.Therandomactionsofthesmalldevicesstillcanplaceabigimpactoninvasionof
privacy.
Governmentspoliciesaremadetosupposedlyprotectthecitizensprivacy.However,I
seethatgovernmentiscurrentlyplacingwiretapeandsurveillanceprogramtointerceptwith
everyprivate/publiclifeinthisnation.Weasitscitizensneverknowwhattheyarekeepingour
personalinformationorhowandwhentheyaregoingtouseit.
TheconceptofprivacyinU.S.
waschangedsignificantlyafter
theterroristattacksofSeptember11,2001when
thePatriotAct
waspassedbytheCongressandsignedintolaw
byPresidentGeorgeW.Bushon
October26,
2001(TheUSAPatriotAct1).ThetermPATRIOTstandsforUnitingandStrengthening
AmericabyProvidingAppropriateToolsRequiredtoInterceptandObstructTerrorism.By
passingthisAct,itallowsfederalofficialstohavemoreauthorityintrackingandintercepting
communications,anditincludesthechangesinlawenforcementandforeignintelligence
gathering.Itmayseemgoodaswefirstthinkaboutthesecurityaspect,butwhenitcomestothe
privacyaspect,wewillseethatthePatriotActgivesthegovernmenttoomuchpoweron
surveillance,accordingtoAmericanCivilLibertiesUnion:
1.

Recordssearches.Itexpandsthegovernment'sabilitytolookatrecordsonan
individual'sactivitybeingheldbythirdparties.(Section215)

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2.

Secretsearches.Itexpandsthegovernment'sabilitytosearchprivateproperty
withoutnoticetotheowner.(Section213)
3.

Intelligencesearches.ItexpandsanarrowexceptiontotheFourthAmendmentthat
hadbeencreatedforthecollectionofforeignintelligenceinformation(Section218).
4.

"Trapandtrace"searches.ItexpandsanotherFourthAmendmentexceptionfor
spyingthatcollects"addressing"informationabouttheoriginanddestinationof
communications,asopposedtothecontent(Section214).
(ACLU,2010).Bylookingatthesenewlaws,theimmediatequestioninourmindis,
whereistheprivacythatweusedtohavebefore?Arewestilllivinginthelandoffree?We
believethateverythinghasitspositiveandnegativeside,ascitizensfightfortheirprivacyand
governmentprovestheirspyingprogramasthenecessaryduty.Wedontknowwhenthis
programwillbeshutdownbutwearecurrentlydealingwithitdaybyday.Onereportfrom
Parviniontakepart.comstatingthatNationalSecurityAgency(NSA)surveillanceprogramhas
failedbecauseterroristthreatshaventbeendiscoveredthroughthemassivedatacollectionfrom
UScitizensandothercountriescitizensaswell.Itisprovedthattheprogramhasessentially
beenuselessinthebattleagainstterrorism(Parvini,2014).Infact,PrivacyandCivilLiberties
OversightBoardsmembersalsoreviewthegovernmentsactionswhileitusestheinnovative
andlegallyviolentprogramthattheprogrammadeaconcretedifferenceintheoutcomeofa
counterterrorisminvestigation(Parvini,2014).Itisactuallyabused.Wegetthatmonitoring
systemswouldhelpgovernmentandpolicetocatchcriminalsbutitalsocausesustobelieve
thattheyarebeingtrackedandfollowed.WedontfeeltheprivacyanymoreasBrinsaid:even
darknessnolongerguaranteesprivacy(Brin,1999).

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Theotherhalfpartofsurveillanceprogramwhichisusedbygovernment,iswiretapeinto
phoneconversationswithoutpeoplesconsent.Governmentalsocontactswithcellularproviders:
AT&TorSprintandInternetserviceslikeGooglesearchtocoordinatetothemissionoffinding
terroriststhroughrecordingourconversations,messages,andsearching.Eventhegovernment
canlocatewherewecurrentlyarebasedonphonesignals.AsShamsiandAbdoreport:
In2009,
anemployeeofamajormobilecommunicationscompany,Sprint,revealedthatthecompanyhad
receivedsomanygovernmentalrequestsforlocationinformationreportedlymorethan8
milliontimesinaoneyearperiodthatiteventuallyallowedthegovernmentdirectaccesstoits
customerslocationsthroughawebbasedinterface,withoutinformingcustomers.(Shamsi,
Abdo,2
011)Toourknowledge,WeknewthatGooglehasadeepconnectionwithgovernment
tohandoverusersdatawhiletheyareusingGooglesearchengine.Inthissituation,Idont
meanthatgovernment,Sprint,orGoogletrytoinvadeourprivacyfortheirownbenefitsthey
justwanttohelpmakeasecuresocietybypreventinganypossibleterrorism.Ithankthemfor
thiseffort.Ontheotherhand,Wehatethattheyarealldoingtheworkbehindourbacksecretly.
Theyneveradmitthattheytapintoourphonesandrecordoursearches.Toourdefinitionof
privacy,invasionofprivacyreallyexistshere.
Privacyisgoingtobesufferedwhenadvancedtechnologyiscreated.Itwillcausethe
unbalancebetweenwhatgovernmentcallednationalsecurityandwhatitscitizenscalledprivacy.
Wethinkprivacyisalsoasubjectthatgovernmentshouldprotectjustlikeprotectingsocietyby
fightingwithterrorists.However,thegovernmentalpoliciesdontcovereveryoneeventhough
governmentclaimsthatallcitizensshouldbeprotectedunderprivacylaws.AsprofessorEtzioni
pointedoutthatprivacylawshavebeenupdatedsince2002andtheyareshownthattheyare

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createdtonotprotecteveryone(Etzioni,2000).Withourownexperienceaboutprivacy,We
agreewithwhatgovernmentisdoingrightnowbecauseatsomepointtheultimateresultisto
catchcriminals.Governmentjustintendstogivesocietymoresecure.Ifeelthatprivacyisnot
fundamentalthingwhicheveryonehastoprotect.Ifwehavenothingtohide,wedontneedto
haveanyconcernsaboutinvasionofprivacy.Tokeepourprivatedatasafely,weshould
limitedlyuploadpersonaldatatosocialnetworkingsitesoricloudservices.Weallknowthatwe
arelivingintheworldwithwiretapeandsurveillancewatchingoverusallthetime,weshould
onlytrustourselvesandnobodyelse.Wecantuseprivacyasatooltoblamegovernment.Allof
mysupportingargumentisjusthalfofwhatisinmymind.However,theotherhalfofminesays
thattheinvasionofprivacyisannoyingsometimes.Icantmakeajokewithmyfriendsonthe
phonebecauseImafraidthatImaybeinatypeofblacklists.Oritirritatesmeverymuch
wheneverIthinkaboutInternetservicesprovidedbyenterprises.Theysecretlycollectand
manipulatemyownpersonaldata,thenmakebenefitoutofit.Haveweeverfeelsecureeven
whileweareinourhomes?Wemaybeasubjectofbeingwiretapeoraudio/videorecorded.We
neverknow.AreweabletosecurelysurfWeborgoonlineshoppingdespitethefactthatwe
haveappliedallsecuritypracticestoouradvancedtechnology?Idontthinkso.Wemaylose
ourprivatethingstotheserviceproviderswemaybethevictimofidentitythiefwemaybe
trackedbygovernment.Wealsoneverknow.
Indevelopingdigitalworldtoday,Ifeelthatitis
impossibletomaintainprivacywiththeadvancedtechnologyandfailedprivacylaws.
InTheLimitofPrivacy,Amitaitalksabouttheprivacyissueindecipheringencrypted
messages.Ihavelearnedaboutcryptographyafewsemestersago,andthatwasmyfirsttime
knowingaboutthetermencryption.RememberbackwhenIwasinVietnam,Ineverheardof

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thisterm,andIthinktherewasareallysmallnumberofpeoplewhoknewaboutit.Evenifthey
knewaboutit,theywouldnotknowwhatitwasusedfor.Theydidnotknowabouttheprivacy
issuesbehinditatall.WhenIcametotheUnitedStates,Iheardmoreaboutallthehiddenparts
abouttheVietnamesegovernmentssurveillanceonthecitizens.Irealizethattheprivacyinmy
hometowncountryissomethingthatwascompletelylost.Sincetherearenotthatmanypeople
knowaboutencryption,theyarepossiblybeingwatchedbythegovernmentwithouttheir
consentatall.Andtothesedays,morepeopleinmyhometowncountrydiscoverthisfactabout
encryptionandgovernmentssurveillancebutcannotdoanythingaboutit.Itissadtosaybutthe
citizensinmyhometowncountrydonothavemuchprivacy,andsinceIlivedthereforabout18
years,therewasnotreallyaclearconceptofprivacyinmymind.

ThatiswhatIexperiencedaboutprivacybefore.WhenIcamehere,Isawthedifference

rightaway.Thepersonalprivacyisreallyapriorityforeveryone,andasImentionedaboveI
neverknowaboutencryptionuntilItookcryptographyclass.FromwhatIlearned,Ijustthought
thatencryptionwasreallyhelpfulintermofsecurity.Ididnotknowaboutthecontroversial
issuesofencryptionthattheauthormentionedinthebook.Withmorecyberattacksbeingmade
thesedays,theneedsforstrongersecurityareindispensable.Thisiswhymoreandmore
advancedencryptionsareinvented,anditisimpossibletocrack.Itisgoodforpersonalprivacy,
buttherearespecificthreatstopublicsafetyandnationalsecurity.Theadvancedencryptions
willpreventthelawenforcementofficerstoobtainnecessaryevidence,toinvestigatecriminals,
andtostopterroristattacks.Itisadebatebetweenprivacyandgovernmentssurveillance.To
solvethisissue,thegovernmenthasmademanyattemptstoreachthegoalofprivacyand
security,butalmostnoattemptshavebeensucceededsofar.Inmyopinion,thereasonthatthis

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issuehasbeenarguedforalongtime,andhavenotcometoanendisthelostofcitizenstrustto
thegovernment.Itwillnotbeamatterifthegovernmentdecipherencrypteddatajustforpublic
healthandnationalsecurity.However,oneofthebiggestdocumentrevelationaboutNational
SecurityAgencyspyingonthecitizens,whichwasleakedbyEdwardSnowden,hasamajor
impactonthecitizensprivacy,especiallythosewhoareforliberty.ChristopherSoghoian,
principalattheAmericanCivilTechnologistLibertiesUnion(ACLU)saidatthetimetheNSA
documentwasleakedthatthetermcybersecurityisjustawordtheNSAusedtodemandmore
powerstoinvadepeoplesprivacy.ItdoesnotmaketheInternetmoresecure,butitotherwise
exposesustocriminalhacking,foreignspy,andillegalsurveillance.Christopheralsosaidthat
theNSAsactionofcrackingtheencryptionwascompletelywrongandwilldestroytheUnited
Statessimageastheleadingcountryincivillibertiesandglobalprivacy.(FranceschiBicchierai
1).Thisiswhythecitizensarelosingtheirtrustongovernmentsinceitisagainstthe
ConstitutionandtheAmendments.Thepowerthegovernmenthadofbeingabletocollectdata
fromourphonewithoutusknowingaboutit.Ontheotherhand,standingonthegovernments
side,wecanseethedifficultiesthegovernmentisfacingwhenpeoplewanttoomuchprivacy.
Bynotbeingabletocrackthenewadvancedencryption,criminalsandterroristswilltake
advantageofthistodangerthepublichealthandnationalsecurity.
TheUSAPATRIOTactwasextendedforanotherfouryearsonMay26,2011.Obama
signeditanditisnowknownasPATRIOTSunsetsExtensionAct.Itisextendedforthethree
maincomponentsintheUSAPATRIOTAct:rovingwiretaps,conductingsurveillanceoflone
wolves,andsearchesofbusinessrecords.ItwasabigtopicwhetherObamashouldsignthe
extensionornotbecausepeoplewanttheirprivacy.Fouryearslater,thePATRIOTactexpired

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onJune1,2015becauseoflackofCongressionalapproval.Thefollowingdayitexpired,anew
actwaspassed,USAFreedomAct,anditwillbeactivethrough2019.Itsbasicallythesameact,
butonemainsectionwasamended,section215.NSAcannotdomassdatacollectionanymore
andthisleavesthephonecompaniesinchargeofourinformationanddata.TheNSAcanstill
obtaindatafromthephonecompanies,butitwillnotbeaseasyasitwasbefore,theywould
havetogetpermissionfromafederalcourtinordertogetdataandinformationaboutan
individual.Thisisabigsteptowardsregainingourprivacy,itdoesnotgivebackalltheprivacy
wehadbefore9/11happened,butitisastepclosertoit.Wehonestlythinkthatthereareother
waysforthegovernmenttoprotectAmericafromterroristthreatsthaninvadingourprivacy.But
again,lookingatitfromthegovernmentsperspective,itoneofthemosteffectivewaysof
tracingunusualbehaviorandsuspiciousactsandtoprotectAmericansfromunseenharm.We,
people,canthavebothprivacyandprotectiontogether,wehavetogiveupsomeoftheotherto
getmoreoftheother.Thethreeofusarehonestlyarenotbotheredwiththisasmuchassome
AmericanswouldbecausewegrewupnotknowingaboutprivacyuntilmovingtoUnitedStates.
Also,wedonthaveanythingtohideforustobeagainstthisact.Webelievethatnothingonline
isprivate,soifyoudonotwantpeopleseeingapictureordocumentoranythingthatyouonly
oneforyourself,thendonotputitontheinternet.Thereisnoprivacyontheinternet.Theres
alwaysawayforthehackerstogetwhattheywant.
Withtheabilitytodomassdatacollectiongone,moreprivacywerereturnedtothe
people.Itdoesn'tchangethefactthateverythingwedowithourphoneandontheinternetare
stillbeingsavedandrecorded,butitsabitofareliefforpeoplethatthegovernmentcannotgo
throughpeoplesinformationdatawithoutapermissionfromthefederalcourtoratleastitisnot

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aseasyasitwasbeforeforthegovernment.Nowitsinthehandsofthenetworkprovidersto
protectourinformation.AppleandGooglerequireslegalreasonforthemtodiscloseuserdata
andinformation.Accordingtotheapplewebsite,lessthan0.00571%oftheircustomershadtheir
datadisclosedduetogovernmentinformationrequests.Ontheotherhand,Googleisntasstrict
asApplewhenitcomestogivingoutinformationtothegovernment.Googlehadagraphwhere
theyshowthepercentageofrequestswheresomedataproduced.Thegraphshowsayearby
yearpercentageofdatadisclosedduetogovernmentrequests,andtheyrangefrom63%to73%.
EventhoughGooglesrateisntasgoodasApple,itstillshowsthattheyjustdontgiveoutuser
informationsanddata.Thewaythetechnologyisadvancing,ourprivacywillnotbeprotectedas
itwasbefore.Peoplealwaysthinkofstufftomakethingseasierforeveryone.Oneofthebig
differencefromcoupleofyearsagotonowisthatitseemslikeeverythingiscateredtousonline
andonourphone.Itmakeslifeeasierforusbutatthecostofourinformation,anditdependson
whatinformationfromthepeoplethatthecompaniesneedinordertoprovidemoreandbetter
service.Phoneapplicationsneedscertaininformationfromusinordertogiveusthebestservice
andthemostcateredservicetowardsus.Ontheinternet,everysearch,andeveryclickaccounts
forsomething.ApersonssearchhistoryandhisclickhistorywillhelpGoogleoranother
companysetadsthatiscateredtotheperson.Bothbenefitsinthis,thecompanysuchasGoogle
makesmoneyofclicksandthentheuserwillhaveadsthathe/shemightbeinterestedinpopout.
Asforusthough,wehonestlyfeellikeitsunnecessary,Weratherhaveaprivacytokeepwhat
wesearchedforourselvesthanhavingthesecompaniesrecordallofitanduseitforthemto
makemoney.Butlately,allthisappsthatarecomingoutthataskforpermissiontousetheuser's
informationaretoogoodtopassup.Likewementionedbefore,youcanthavebothprivacyand

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protection/luxury.Oneofthebiggestquestionsthatrelatestoeverythingisthatisitworthit?.
Forus,wereallythinkthatitisworthitbecausebygivingupalittleprivacy,wegettoenjoya
lotofgoodandusefulphoneapplicationsanditmakelifeeasier.
Inanotherchapterofthebook,Amitaitalkedaboutmedicalprivacy.Everythingseemsto
turntobedigitalizednowadays.Itmakesourlivesaloteasier,butatwhatcost?ourprivacy.
Havingmedicalrecordsonlineinalargedatabaseofmedicalrecordsaccessibleelectronically
willhavebothpositiveandnegativeeffects.Itwillbeeasierforhospital,insurancecompany,
andthepatienttoaccesstherecord.Peoplewillnothavetoworryabouttheirrecordsmissingor
gettinglostandhavingthehassletocontactplacestogetnewcopyoftherecordsbecauseitis
easilyaccessiblebycertifiedpeople.Oneofthebiggestdrawbackofhavingeveryonesmedical
recordsandhistoryisthateverythingwillbetheretoseeandtheresnowayofhidingthe
information.Apersoncantcontrolwhattheywanttobeshared,lossofprivacycantbehelped.
Iftherecordsweretobekeptbetweenthepatientandthedoctor/hospital,thenitmighthave
beenworthit,butthatisnotthecase.Themedicalinformationaresometimesusedfor
nonhealthissuesandisabusedbycompaniesthatmakesmoneysellingpeoplesmedical
information.Isitworthit?Idon'tthinkthepositiveeffectsofthisoutweighstheprivacyloss.
Thereisnotthatmuchtogainbyhavingmedicalrecordseasilyaccessible.AsAmitaiwordedit,
Privacyiscompromisedwithoutservinganyimportantcommongood,(Etzioni,p.182).
Thelastchapterofthebookgivesusacontemporaryconceptionofprivacy,whichIthink
itisagoodsolutionforthiscontroversialissue.Likemanyotherareasoraspectsinourlife,
everythingneedstobebalancedinorderforagoodresult,anditisnotanexceptionforthis
particularissueaswell.Toreachthegoalofbalance,thereareseveralcriteriasthatneedtotake

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intoconsiderations.Throughoutthebook,AmitaiEtzionirepeatsthemainreasonthatleadsto
thebattlebetweenprivacyandsecurity.Howcanweprotecttheprivacywhilewestillprotect
thepublichealthandpublicsafetywhenweholdonmoreonprivacy?Infourofthefiveareas
mentionedinthebook,therewasonlythemedicalareathatisnotinterferetoomuchtothe
commongood.However,forotherareastheargumentsarekindofacrimonious,andtheauthor
comesupwithsomeinsightsabouteacharea.
Thefirstcriterionisthedeepconsiderationontheneedsofanydecision.Similartoour
life,whatwewantisdifferentfromwhatweneed.Whenitcomestoprivacy,weneedtothink
aboutitcarefullytoseewhetherifwerevealsomeprivatepersonalinformationwillaffecttoo
muchtoourselves.Ontheotherhand,tonotinterferetoomuchtotheprivacy,therehastobe
strongevidenceenoughsothatsecuritywouldtakeprecedenceoverprivacy.Aswecanseein
ourlife,therearetimesthatnewdiseaseshappens.Wewillneedtohavethemedicalrecordsof
thepatientswhoareinfected.Ifweleantowardthecommitmentofprivacy,thedoctorswillnot
beabletodiscoverthevirusesandfindoutawaytopreventit.Thesecondcriteriongivea
furtherconsiderationsintothegoalthatbeingreachedwithoutrecalibratingprivacy.Itiskindof
hardforthiscriteriatostandalone.However,onequestionthatcouldpossiblybeaskis,isit
sufficienttothisorthat?We,somanytimes,thinkthatonedecisionisgood,butlookingatthe
resultwerealizeitisnotgoodenoughorinotherworditisnotsufficienttochangeortakeinto
effect(Etzioni,2000).
Thethirdcriterionisasupplementtothesecondcriteria,whichinvolvesthelimitto
intrusiveinterventions.AmitaiEtzionigiveaperfectexamplethatiswellexplainedtothis
criteria:WithHIVtestingofinfants,wesawthatthelegalizationofdisclosureofinfantHIV

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testresultstothemothersisvitalandnotoverlybroad(Etzioni185).Themainpointinthis
criteriaisthatitisfinetorevealtheprivateinformation,butitmustnotovercomethelimit.In
additiontothatexample,applyingtheregulationsthathasbeenappliedforphonetothe
regulationsofkeyrecoverysystemindataencryptioncouldbeagoodsolutionintermofprivacy
andsecurity.Thefourthcriteriontalksabouttheunwantedeffectstotheprivacywhenthe
suggestedchangestolawsandpublicpolicy(Etzioni,2000).
Throughoutthispaper,wehaveexaminedmanyaspectstothesolvetheissues.Wetalked
howweviewedprivacybeforecomingtothiscountryandafterbeinghereforawhile.Wecame
toconclusionthatpeoplevalueprivacyhereintheUnitedStatemorethanourcountries,
VietnamandPhilippines.Wealsocametoconclusionthatthecitizenscanthavebothfull
privacyandfullsecurity.LikeAmitaimentioned,everythingneedstobebalanced.Weallagree
withtheauthorsviewpointsonhowtoachievethegoalofprivacywhilethesecurityisalso
guaranteed.Byapplyingthefourbalancingcriteriaabove,itwillhelpusalotbeforeany
decisionsaremade.However,thosearejustlikeadirection.Theydonotgiveusthecomplete
precisiontoallsituationssinceeveryissueisdifferent.Fourcriteriasseemstobealot,butifwe
cangobacktotheU.S.ConstitutionandtheFourthAmendment,wecanrealizethattheyarenot
reallyhardtoachieve.Theissuescouldbesolvedifthedecisionsarebasedoneverysingleword
thatwerewrittenintheFourthAmendment.Itisgiveandtake,whatdowevaluemore?Security
orPrivacy,ifwemeetinthemiddle,everythingwillbefine,butitiseasiersaidthandone.Ifitis
thateasy,thisproblemwouldhavebeensolvedalready.

CST373EthicsandIssues

TheLimitsofPrivacy

TranDangOsis17

References
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GuySephton.(October27,2012)."SocialNetworksAreanInvasionofPrivacy."
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HinaShamsiandAlexAbdo.(2011).
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WhatIsPrivacy?
Web.Retrieved15Oct.2015from
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/technology/internet/privacy/whatisprivac
y.html

CST373EthicsandIssues

TheLimitsofPrivacy

TranDangOsis18

"OurCommitmenttoCustomerPrivacyDoesn'tStopBecauseofaGovernmentInformation
request."
Apple
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encryption.html?page=6

CST373EthicsandIssues

TheLimitsofPrivacy

CST373EthicsandIssues

TranDangOsis19