Final English 122
The Possibilities of Privacy in the 21st Century
Eileen Cordova
ENG 122
Instructor Nikkele Shelton
January 7, 2013
Privacy is perhaps one of the most personal issues in today’s society. Privacy is an intensely personal issue, and perhaps not only to the right of the individual to dress the way he or she desires, worship in any way he chooses, but also to expect that those rights be protected by the government that upholds them. At one point or another, every individual in our society has asked the question, “Is privacy in the 21st Century possible?” The answer lies in the exploration of what privacy really means, and what privacy issues society faces in today’s modern, informational, and digital age of what we call the 21st Century. Individuals should have the right to privacy, and the right to expect the government to uphold that right. The government should hold no explicit view on privacy as a separate issue, but uphold for each individual person, such as the right to freedom of speech, the right to vote, the right to hold assembly, the right to bear arms, and the right to worship in the way in which he chooses imply, and demand that each individuals privacy be upheld and respected. Protecting your personal information both on your personal computer and in other places such as your bank, or your job, has become more difficult with the massive growth of the internet and the expertise of some unsavory characters called hackers, crackers, and phreakers. Whatever they choose to call themselves, they are all thieves, plan and simple. Some people still question whether or not hacking should be illegal. It’s obvious that what hackers do is illegal. A personal computer is personal, and the information on it private. When a hacker invades that privacy, he is trespassing, and when they take your personal information, their committing a form of thievery. In addition to hackers, we now have marketers invading our privacy through the use of cookies.
Eileen Cordova
ENG 122
Instructor Nikkele Shelton
January 7, 2013
Privacy is perhaps one of the most personal issues in today’s society. Privacy is an intensely personal issue, and perhaps not only to the right of the individual to dress the way he or she desires, worship in any way he chooses, but also to expect that those rights be protected by the government that upholds them. At one point or another, every individual in our society has asked the question, “Is privacy in the 21st Century possible?” The answer lies in the exploration of what privacy really means, and what privacy issues society faces in today’s modern, informational, and digital age of what we call the 21st Century. Individuals should have the right to privacy, and the right to expect the government to uphold that right. The government should hold no explicit view on privacy as a separate issue, but uphold for each individual person, such as the right to freedom of speech, the right to vote, the right to hold assembly, the right to bear arms, and the right to worship in the way in which he chooses imply, and demand that each individuals privacy be upheld and respected. Protecting your personal information both on your personal computer and in other places such as your bank, or your job, has become more difficult with the massive growth of the internet and the expertise of some unsavory characters called hackers, crackers, and phreakers. Whatever they choose to call themselves, they are all thieves, plan and simple. Some people still question whether or not hacking should be illegal. It’s obvious that what hackers do is illegal. A personal computer is personal, and the information on it private. When a hacker invades that privacy, he is trespassing, and when they take your personal information, their committing a form of thievery. In addition to hackers, we now have marketers invading our privacy through the use of cookies.
References: Alderman, E. & Kennedy, C. (1997). The Right to Privacy: New York: Vintage Books. Retrieved from: http://www.yale.edu/hnhti/curriculum/units/html.