Privacy and the Government - Ethics for the Information Age - page 309

In-Class Exercises

49. The Code of Fair Information Practices applies only to government databases. Divide
the class into two groups to debate the advantages and disadvantages of extending the
Code of Fair Information Practices to private databases managed by corporations.
50. A database containing the DNA information of every citizen of a country could be a
valuable resource to medical researchers. It could also help police solve crimes. Divide
the class into two groups (pro and con) to debate the following proposition: It would be
in the best interests of society if the government constructed a DNA database of every
resident and made the database available to medical researchers and police agencies.
51. Divide the class into two groups (pro and con) to debate the proposition that every
citizen of the United States ought to carry a national identification card.
52. Debate the following proposition: By creating the Threat and Local Observation Notices
(TALON) database, which enabled citizens to report on each other's activities, the US
government effectively reduced freedom of speech.

Further Reading and Viewing

James Bamford. “The Black Box.” Wired , April 2012.
Dan Boylan. “Is the Notion of Privacy Outdated?” Insights on PBS Hawaii , July 11, 2013.
56:49. video.pbs.org.
Patrick A. Hafner. “Naked Citizens.” Journeyman Pictures, May 2013. 32:41. topdocumentary
films.com/naked-citizens.
George Orwell. 1984 . Knopf, New York, NY, 1992.
Daniel J. Solove. “Why Privacy Matters Even If You Have 'Nothing to Hide.' ” Chronicle of
Higher Education , May 15, 2011.
Hari Sreenivasan. “Rise of Domestic Drones Draws Questions about Privacy.” PBS News-
Hour , April 18, 2013. 7:30. video.pbs.org.
Margaret Warner. “Surveillance Court Can't Stop NSA from Violating Privacy.” PBS News-
Hour , August 16, 2013. 6:33. video.pbs.org.

References

[1] Aaron Nicodemus. “Agents' Visit Chills UMass Dartmouth Senior.” Standard-Times

( MA ) , December 20, 2005.

[2] Jamie Prime. “Privacy vs. Openness.” Quill 82(8), October 1994.

[3] Marisol Bello. “Questions Arise on Monitoring of Sex Offenders.” USA Today ,Sep-

tember 1, 2009. www.usatoday.com.

[4] “Majority of Americans Support Increased Surveillance, Poll Shows.” Wall Street Jour-

nal , August 17, 2006.

[5] Daniel J. Solove. Understanding Privacy . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA,

2008.