|
|
|
|
|
|
by john_b
4531 days ago
|
|
|
> "Like invasions of privacy, rape, murder, bank robberies and traffic accidents will inevitably occur, no matter how hard we and our communities establish defenses against them." The crucial difference between invasions of privacy and the rest of your list is that strong deterrents exist for the latter part of your list. Even if you ignore the legal consequences of rape, murder, and bank robberies, all expose you to the risk of violence in response to your actions. Traffic accidents are by definition both unintentional and unexpected, whereas most invasions of privacy are not. These things have all been minimized to soceitally acceptable levels because of specific deterrents that are in play. Presently, there are few deterrents to both public and private invasions of privacy by large companies or institutions. Until strong deterrents exist, the violations will continue. This is why a few changed rules at the NSA and a slap on the wrist for senior intelligence officials won't prevent privacy violations in the long term. Until jail sentences start getting handed out that are comparable to those for robbing banks, large institutions will continue collecting troves of data and using it to rob people of their privacy. |
|
|
A look back in time reveals that the deterrents against these violent crimes have been established gradually, through education, civil organizing and political lobbying. For example, contrast the perceived consequences of rape in the 1940s with those in 2014.
The United States has also made considerable strides toward the right to privacy. For example:
- Weeks vs. United States, establishing Americans' right against unreasonable search and seizure - Lawrence vs. Virginia, which reinforced couples' rights to privacy concerning sexual conduct - Griswold vs. Connecticut, which solidified the right to marital privacy.
I don't dispute that protecting personal privacy is hard. Nor do I dispute the fact that agencies such as the NSA have cast an ominous shadow on the United States' hard-won victories in the privacy arena.
But American history is full of victories concerning privacy, some of which seemed far-fetched in their times. The silver lining of the NSA scandal is that it made everyday Americans more aware of privacy issues. That awareness should be leveraged in a positive way, to demand accountability and build on deterrents against snooping.