Privacy and its Importance - Essay Example

Privacy and its Importance Privacy can be described as the ability to keep information about one’s self or something pertaining to them from others. Therefore, they are allowed to reveal information selectively and decide what they want to reveal according to their desires. The issue of privacy has been widely discussed by the public with questions such as what level of privacy exactly should be accommodated and when is it ok for one to breach another individual’s privacy (Quinn, 2012). Privacy is also related to a number of other subjects such as anonymity which is an individual’s wish to remain obscured or relatively unnoticed from the public and security which can also be achieved by privacy in reference to the protection of information. Its importance has also been an issue that has been discussed on a large scale with relevance to how important it is for the existence of privacy within the society (Wack, 2010). An invasion of privacy refers to the intrusion of ones personal matters or the revelation of information to the public that an individual would have rather kept secret or away from the public eye. This invasion of privacy is the main opponent that individuals face in the fight to withhold information that they may not want others to know. Types of Privacy There are a number of scenarios where privacy is upheld and it does not just deal with an individual on a personal level. There are different types of privacy that ca n be considered according to the particular situation that is being faced at that particular time. The types of privacy include: Personal Privacy – This type of privacy refers to an individual on a personal level where it is one person is involved. This usually has to do with the exposure of a person’s body to others. For example, a person usually prefers to be alone in certain situations such as taking a bath or changing their clothes because they would not like a person to see them in a state of undress (Solove, 2009). This can also be referred to as personal modesty. There is also the issue of privacy in terms of living conditions and relationships with those who may live next to you. This can be seen in the walls and fences that are erected around an individual’s personal property in a bid to maintain their coming and goings private (Wack, 2010). There is also the concept of curtains that are erected on windows to prevent people from being able to see inside a house. Personal privacy has always been in existence since the formation of societies as individuals have always wanted to keep certain aspects of their lives from the public, this is not because they may be doing something wrong but simply due to the fact that very few people are comfortable with having every part of their lives exposed for all and sundry to see (Quinn, 2012). This type of privacy is important as it ensures that people are able to keep parts of their lives that they would not want exposed to themselves. It is also important as it keeps those who may not have good intentions such as thieves from having easy access to information that they may require to effectively carry out their plan such as being able to see what goods are in the house. Informational Privacy –This refers to the type of privacy that has to do with information concerning an individual. This type of privacy became prominent with the rise of technology that has enabled one to easily share data with others with the click of a button and has also changed the way that people collect, distribute and share information. This has brought about the necessity to bring about the terms and conditions that one is allowed to share certain information with others in a bid to ensure that information they give out is not divulged to third parties (Wack, 2010). For example, an individual’s finances can now be seen through electronic means thus it is essential that inst6itutions that get hold of this information take up precautions to ensure that an individual’s data does not fall into the wrong hands. Subjects such as an individual’s personal finances are not issues that should be advertised to the public and thus such information should be kept private. There are also other types of information such as individual’s medical history that may be kept by hospitals and personal physicians that require to be kept between the two parties involved (Solove, 2009). It is important to keep such information private as they can be used to hurt the individual it pertains to if it falls into the wrong hands. For example, one’s information on their finances may reveal a way that a person is able to gain access to their funds and thus steal from them. This has occurred in crimes such as credit fraud where an individual has the information pertaining to their credit card stolen giving the perpetrator access to the funds within that card. Organizational Privacy – This type of privacy is in reference to companies and government agencies among others and their internal information about various subjects. Organizational privacy does not have to do with an individual in particular but an organization as a whole therefore the information that is protected in this type of privacy has to do with the company including issues such as its activities, processes and finances (Quinn, 2012). This type of privacy is also specific to the type of company as well, for example, a public company is expected to divulge certain information such as their finances to the public while private companies are not (Wack, 2010). This means that the level of privacy that a company is able to enjoy will depend on the type of company it is thus the laws that it is governed by. There is also privacy within these organizations that protect information from certain employees within its establishment, for example, a company may reveal information to their employees on a need to know basis therefore individuals who are lower down the ranking order may not be cleared to have certain information (Quinn, 2012). This is usually done to prevent the organization’s secrets from leaking out. This type of privacy is essential in ensuring that an organization is able to protect certain information that may have a negative impact should it be revealed to its competitors. This may include information such as secret ingredients that may be used in the making of their products or the processes that may be used in a manufacturing company. The right to privacy can be described as an individual’s access to the privacy that they may seek in all the above mentioned scenarios. This means that that a person has the right to enforce the amount of privacy that they may desire for themselves or the organization that they are dealing with (Solove, 2009). The right to privacy has been enforced by government laws and regulations that ensure that these rights are not violated and can even be found in sections of the constitution such as the right not to divulge any information that may be self incriminatory when testifying in the court of law otherwise known as the Fifth amendment in the United States Constitution. An individual is also able to take legal action against a person or an organization that invades their right to privacy and one is able to take the perpetrator to court for financial or other types of compensation should they feel that their right has been violated (Wack, 2010). Privacy is essential in ensuring that an individual’s/organization’s information is protected from those who would want to use it for their own benefit or to hurt the owner of that information and has become an important part of the society. It is always important to ensure that the right to privacy is never violated (Solove, 2009). However there are situations whereby the courts of law may rule against one’s right to privacy such as when this privacy hinders an on-going criminal investigation for example, in such a case, a court is allowed to issue items such as search warrants that allow the police to enter and search your home without your permission. References Solove, D. 2009. Understanding Privacy, Harvard University Press, Harvard. Quin, M. J. 2012. Ethics for the Information age, Pearson/Addison-Wesley, New York. Wack, R .2010. Privacy a Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Read More