Question

Discussion Questions

1. Supreme Court Judges Warren and Brandeis argued that it is a violation of a person's privacy to take their photograph without their consent.

a. Do you agree with their position? Why or why not?
b. If someone takes your photo, should you just assume it's going to be posted on the Web?

2. If you voluntarily have your body scanned at a department store, who should own that information, you or the store? Should the store have the right to sell your body measurements to other businesses? Explain your reasoning.

3. What special responsibilities do computer professionals have with respect to understanding and protecting the privacy rights of their fellow citizens? Address this from legal perspectives (i.e., laws, acts, etc.)

Answer 1

1.a)According to the law review article titled “The Right to Privacy” by Supreme Court judges Warren and Brandeis, the individual’s freedom to protect his/her life and property are essential part of the US society. In their aessay, They argued in favour of extending this right to include a clause of the right to privacy. Their consideration was a much favourable development as it was informed by the changing dynamics of society and politics. In their essay, they addressed the negative consequences of recent inventions and business methods of the 1800s namely, the advent of instantaneous photography and the widespread circulation of newspapers, both of which had led to the invasion of an individual’s privacy not merely in the public domain but also with respect to the intimate personal lives. According to me, their argument becomes more relevant in the present age of smartphones and people’s obsession with visual self projections and the ever increasing celebrity cults which has led to a great deal of fluidity in the practices of journalists to the extent of blurring the boundaries between socially appropriate coverage of someone’s life versus a pathological surveillance of a popular person merely on the basis of his or her identity as a social model. The review even if a century old is very forward looking and it provides a constructive way to particularly deal with the skirmishes that may be left behind by society gossip pages in a citizen’s life, irrespective of his/her social status.