The Growing Privacy Problem

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It is not easy to define privacy because the word's meaning may differ from one person to another. However, the common definition is that privacy is the act of being free from any form of surveillance, or refers to a state of being in seclusion or a private place free from unauthorized or unlawful intrusions from others. In today’s ever advancing society, it seems that this definition may soon need to be revised. Unfortunately as we continue to embrace technology along with our growing need for stronger security, we are finding ourselves at the mercy of privacy invasion. This is not something that anyone is happy about. No one would openly agree to have their privacy invaded as long as they get better security in exchange. I would assume that all of us who opt for keeping our privacy in-tact while also obtaining better security. In this light, as privacy is becoming more of an exception rather than a norm, we should make it our duty to demand from authorities to do more in regards of protecting our basic rights to privacy.
In the United States today, the privacy protection is facilitated by the state, not federal law, and these laws seems to vary from state to state. Whatever the laws in Pennsylvania protect, for example, may not be protected in the same way in the state of California. However, I think we will agree that our privacy should not matter less or more because we reside in different places. According to the United States Supreme Court, the constitution protects the expectation of privacy to the point it deems reasonable. Therefore, it is reasonable for one to expect what is done in the confines of the home to remain private? Isn’t it reasonable to expect our phone conversations, our online browsing, and our shopping t...

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...dn’t democracy translate to equal treatment? If the Government has access to citizens’ private information, shouldn’t the citizens in turn have access to Government secrets? Sadly, democracy is a means to rule not equality.

Works Cited

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Morozov, Evgeny. "The Real Privacy Problem." MIT Technology Review 116.6. (2013): 33-44. Web. 09 Nov. 2013
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