Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
agents would agree to recognize some privacy rights because granting these rights is to
the benefit of society [20].
While many people complain about threats to privacy, it is clear upon reflection that
we have more privacy than our ancestors did [21]. Only a couple of centuries ago,
our society was agrarian. People lived with their extended families in small homes.
The nearest community center was the village, where everyone knew everyone else
and people took a keen interest in each other's business. Organized religion played an
important role in everyday life. In this kind of society, there was a strong pressure to
conform [11]. There was greater emphasis on the community and lesser emphasis on
the individual.
Modern culture fosters much greater privacy. Prosperity, the single-family home,
the automobile, television, and computers have contributed to our privacy. The single-
family home gives us physical separation from other people. The automobile allows us
to travel alone instead of on a bus or train in the presence of others. The television brings
entertainment to us inside the comfort of our homes, taking us out of the neighborhood
movie theater. With a computer and an Internet connection, we can access information
at home rather than visit the public library [10]. These are just a few examples of ways
in which modern conveniences allow us to spend time by ourselves or in the company
of a few family members or friends.
In the past, young people typically lived at home with their parents until they were
married. Today many young unmarried adults live autonomously. This lifestyle provides
them with previously unthought-of freedom and privacy [21].
The consequence of all this privacy is that we live among strangers. Many people
know little more about their neighbors than their names (if that). Yet when we live in a
society with others, we must be able to trust them to some extent. How do we know that
the taxi driver will get us where we want to go without hurting us or overcharging us?
How do parents know that their children's teachers are not child molesters? How does
the bank know that if it loans someone money, it will be repaid?
In order to trust others, we must rely on their reputations. This was easier in the
past, when people didn't move around so much and everyone knew everyone else's
history. Today society must get information out of people to establish reputations. One
way of getting information from a person is through an
ordeal
, such as a lie detector
test or a drug test. The other way to learn more about individuals is to issue (and
request)
credentials
, such as a driver's license, key, employee badge, credit card, or
college degree [21].
Jim and Peggy Sullivan are the proud parents of a baby girl. As soon as Peggy became
pregnant, they had begun exploring options for child care because both of them have
full-time and highly satisfying careers in the computer field. They visited numerous
day care facilities, but the ones they liked the best had no openings. For this reason
