Micaela Flowers

Hofmann
English 1102 Sec. A
4-1-14
Privacy Laws
Throughout this Inquiry paper I am going to be exploring the changes in Privacy Laws
over the past 40 years and the reasons behind these reforms. very person has their own sense of
what !privacy" is. #ome consider privacy a right while others consider it a privilege. Privacy
laws come into place because$ while in the %irst &mendment of the 'onstitution there is the right
to %reedom of the Press the government wants it to be used for the bettering of the public rather
than for exposing individual(s intimate or inappropriate secrets. the official definition of Privacy
Laws is that they are !)egulation or statute that protects a person*s right to be left alone$ and
governs collection$ storage$ and release of his or her financial$ medical$ and other personal
information" +,usiness -ictionary ./ 0ar 10/42. Privacy laws are in need of a change because
of the development in technology over the past three decades as well as the increase in Popular
'ultural +Pop 'ulture2 interest and the government(s steps to prevent events such as terrorism.
The Privacy &ct of /344 !prohibits disclosure of these records without the written
consent of the individual+s2 to whom the records pertain unless one of the twelve disclosure
exceptions enumerated in the &ct applies." +55#$ 6.-2. #ince /344 the world has come a long
way$ especially in technology. & few of the advancements with the most effects on privacy
include Internet$ 0obile phones$ social networ7ing$ and digital photography8 videography
+9harton :niversity of Pennsylvania$ 10032. ,ac7 40 years ago it was easier to control the
access people had to other people and their business. 6ews reporters and ;ournalists bac7 then
would have to use interviews and do more interactive !snooping" to find out about a source or a
person and even then they may not get all of the ;uicy details. 6ow$ the internet ma7es it easy to
find hidden records as well as for pictures and videos to be uploaded for everyone to see by the
Micaela Flowers
Hofmann
English 1102 Sec. A
4-1-14
clic7 of a few buttons. Technologies will continue to grow and social networ7ing and sharing
will still remain bigger than ever.
The increase in media coverage within pop culture over the past few decades has been
exponential. The advancement of camera(s and video(s and how they can be shared world wide
quic7ly has lead to a lot of privacy invasion. The most common form of privacy invasion done
within pop culture is through the papara<<i. Papara<<i are paid photographers who(s photos go to
maga<ines and entertainment agencies. 'ertain shots that these papara<<i get can earn extremely
large amounts of money which ma7e the practice enticing. & lot of the people who are papara<<i
are men$ these men do not hold bac7 as7ing personal questions or even going to extreme
measures to see a celebrity and ta7e their picture.9hile they play a huge part in media to spread
trends and ma7e pop stars bigger than ever$ their habits are 7nown to be dangerous and almost
not even worth it. 0any celebrities and even non= celebrities have come together to try and reign
in the institution of papara<<i by creating specific privacy laws they must abide to. 0any of these
laws are to 7eep everyone safe physically and even emotionally. There are websites to aid these
efforts li7e Papara<<i=reform.com where petitions can be found as well as updated privacy laws.
>n these websites$ the main arguments are to protect the identity and safety of children$ also
drawing a line between stal7ing and interviewing$ and also to avoid indecent exposure and
embarrassment. Photos these days have the ability to ma7e or brea7 a celebrity so they want to
restrict how a photograph can be obtained and 7eep detrimental ones from surfacing to the
media.
The government(s role in Privacy Laws is clearly a large piece. The government created
the privacy laws to help the people but they are also questioned for their infiltration of privacy.
The government has admitted to wire tapping phone calls among other invasive acts. 9hile this
Micaela Flowers
Hofmann
English 1102 Sec. A
4-1-14
is said to be done to protect the public from events li7e finding potential terrorists$ many feel li7e
this is an unnecessary invasion of privacy. >ver the years many reforms and changes have been
made to the laws. ,eginning with the Privacy &ct of /344 when there was the reali<ation that the
%irst &mendment had a sort of loop hole in it that infringed people(s right to privacy with the
right of press. 6ow the most current set of laws prevent people from hac7ing into other(s
personal things$ as well as 7eeping people from getting too close$ as well as frowning upon
embarrassment and bullying. There is also the %ree of Information &ct which !allows
individuals to request access to federal agency records$ except to the extent records are claimed
as exempt from disclosure under one or more of the nine +32 exemptions of the %reedom of
Information &ct." +55#$ 6.-.2 This involves cases and other ;udicial information which is
believed to be information that should be available to the public. 5owever$ the government has
to regulate it to protect individuals for example a lot of information on cases involving minors
are not available. &lso$ information such as addresses$ family members$ etc are 7ept hidden to
avoid harassment. This type of information can be detrimental to an individual$ however$ some
information could help the public. %or example$ if a person in a case had hidden a bomb or had
an attac7 on the common people planned ahead$ the press can report that and people near that
area can be 7ept safe and away from the danger.
In conclusion$ the changes made to Privacy Laws over the past 40 years have been
necessary to 7eep up with the constant evolution of the government and our society as a whole.
0any reasons are behind the changes and many more still need to be made as society continues
to grow. #omewhere there is a happy medium between 7eeping individuals safe and 7eeping the
public face without intruding either$ we ;ust have to find it.
Micaela Flowers
Hofmann
English 1102 Sec. A
4-1-14
,ibliography
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Micaela Flowers
Hofmann
English 1102 Sec. A
4-1-14
Fevin ,an7ston $ '.. 6.p.. 9eb. 1? 0ar 10/4.
@httpsA88www.cdt.org8privacy8guide8protect8laws.phpD.
GThe P&P&)&HHI )eform Initiative = Legal.G The P&P&)&HHI )eform Initiative = Legal. 6.p.$
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