Ciampa 1

Richard Ciampa
My Concepts of Privacy
8/17/16

There is no doubt in my mind that every person has the intrinsic right to privacy when
you are born. The intrinsic properties include the right to keep ones thoughts and beliefs out of
the view of public judgment. The right to move in and around communities in which someone
works and lives, without being tracked by cameras or being followed by government agencies.
The right to have your personal space, whether owned or rented from view of others including
the government as so long as someone is not infringing on others rights.
My upbringing spans the 1970s and 1980s, so when thinking about privacy I often have
a perspective that predates that of personal computers in the home. In addition, I have three half
siblings from my father where the closest to my age is about twelve years my senior. For me, this
has a profound impact on my perspective of privacy in at least two ways. The first being the
innate ability to keep things private and secondly the expectation that privacy is given or an
intrinsic right.
For the most part my parents were separated since I was about six months old. As my
mothers only child I was provided a since of privacy from other siblings that did not exist at my
fathers home. So things like notes from others, like girlfriends and others that I kept were never
in view of nor at risk of being viewed by siblings nor parents. I was free to have my space as
really my space. The only real way to provoke my mother to riffle through my belongings was to
engage in some bad behavior which I most often refrained from in the first place.
While I enjoyed a since of privacy at my mothers things where much different at my
fathers home. Although the 1970s provided an innate ability to keep things private my half
siblings were in their mid to late teens. Many things were happening in the 1970s but as typical

Ciampa 2
Richard Ciampa
My Concepts of Privacy
8/17/16

teens in the seventies in the South Bay of Los Angeles county my half siblings found themselves
involved with drugs. Back then, there were no cellphones to check for emails, calls or text
messaging, there was only in person communication or the house phone which had absolutely no
privacy from prying ears. What was a method of teenage communication in the seventies was
citizen band transceivers commonly known as CBs. Using this type of technology really didnt
lend itself to privacy either by my older siblings tried to keep their communication private or at
least they thought it was.
The second issue, that of the expectation of privacy, has dramatically affected me as both
a teen and an adult. Watching my older half siblings grow up with an amazing amount of privacy
has given me some frustrations. While I see privacy as an intrinsic right one possesses, I believe
that it should only be breached in cases where harm to others is foreseeable.
When devices like cellphones entered the scene in the 1980s I noticed that my
whereabouts in the neighborhood were reported to my mother no matter where she was. My
mother happened to work for Pacific Bell and was given a portable cellphone by the company.
Suddenly things like going to the park and playing caroms for a couple of hours was something
to be concerned about. I think that because cellphones were a relatively new technology that
others in the neighborhood used my whereabouts as an excuse to call my mother on the
cellphone. The first time the person working at the park came out to the tennis court to tell me
my mother was on the phone in the office felt me feeling naked right then and there. How could
it be possible for her to know where I was, I felt violated. It took months for me to realize that
people we knew that lived next the park with a view of the park grounds from their Livingroom

Ciampa 3
Richard Ciampa
My Concepts of Privacy
8/17/16

window had my mothers cellphone number. Even when she was in another state I lost the
freedom to hang out at the park.
Needless to say that when I think of privacy and technology these two things are
mutually exclusive unless steps are taken to make the two work together. When it comes to the
state of the art of modern communications via computer, mobile phone or IoT device I do have
privacy concerns, but really, I am not too worried about the government watching my every
move. I dont feel that anything I do could be interpreted as dangerous to the public. I do
concede that devices like my cellphone, are I believe, akin to items in my personal safe. Since
most personal information is digital, allowing law enforcement officers access without
accountability is a violation of my civil rights I feel. When I comes to the rights and privacy of
things like firearms, I believe in a system more like what has been implemented in England. I
have personally worked in or traversed areas of Los Angeles California that are notoriously gang
affiliated at all times of day and night, I have never felt the need for a weapon. Purchasing a
weapon, I believe should have privacy implications.
With todays computerized instantaneous communications, I believe that government has
more of a responsibility to capture and analyze data and communications of others that could be
seen as a threat to public safety. Really, as citizens and voters we are responsible for obtaining
the government we see fit, or something close to that. When it comes to laws that are enacted we
are often times unaware of what a law may mean in sprit or the actual letter of the law. This
means who we elect as voters matters and privacy of decades past is really only for those that
forego technology altogether or that possess the skills to secure their technology.

Ciampa 4
Richard Ciampa
My Concepts of Privacy
8/17/16

I see technology and privacy as two mutually exclusive entities, achieving an intersection
between the two entities requires an amount of education and reasoning. Achieving total privacy
or near total privacy is as simple as letting go of technology. In the end, there exists a tradeoff
between an amount and quality of privacy and convenience. To me that is the natural order of
things in the world, humans are born with intrinsic cognitive abilities. Privacy is there for the
keeping. it is as simple as using human reasoning.