This paper will discuss the concept of informational privacy with the mention of the different attitude toward privacy motivated by the various factors, including age and gender, based on the work by Priscilla M. Regan, Gerald FitzGerald and Peter Balint “Generational views of information privacy?” and Anita L. Allen’s “Gender and Privacy in Cyberspace”.
For me, privacy is an attempt to set the average norm for a group of strikingly different individuals; in this case, the citizens of the United States. It is a limiting line that we cannot cross under any circumstances. In fact, it can be defined in a single word, respect. In the modern world, the definition of privacy has been diminished to the informational privacy on the Internet. Fair enough, our life without the World Wide Web, the constant connection to people, enabling to keep abreast of the events, is hardly thinkable. Checking private messages and scrolling through photos is the most popular attraction nowadays. And not just personal photos.
It is out of curiosity that we look through the pictures of a stranger. There is information that people are willing to share, for example, a picture of someone’s newborn baby, or a car someone has recently bought. But then, there are some things that we prefer to keep private. Like the charge card balance. In many aspects, the breach of privacy often happens as a result of the prenamed curiosity. The government is curious about the financial situation of its citizens; moreover, it is one of its main concerns.
So, by accepting the blessings of civilization represented by the Internet, be sure to give something in return. In this case, the privacy. Anita L. Allen compares the cyberspace to a vast sea into which spills the private data of those who navigate its swelling waters (Allen 1176).
But what exactly is so dangerous about the private information getting disclosed and who intrudes into our personal space? First and foremost are the law enforcement bodies and the intelligence agencies. Their unaccountability and the absolutization of the state and public interest goes without saying. However, with the emergence of the new technologies that enhance monitoring, information gathering and surveillance capabilities, the consolidation of measures aimed at strengthening the public security and the empowerment of law enforcement and intelligence as one of the priorities of the state policy makes the law enforcement agencies and special services the main and the most serious threat to privacy.
Another actor jeopardizing the information security is commercial companies and corporations breaching the privacy in the interests of business and profit. It involves the collection of personal files for sale, the use of personal information for marketing purposes, tracking the behavior of consumers of goods and users of the Internet, as well as exchange of data on the creditworthiness of citizens with the financial institutions.
Strange though it may seem, in many cases we do not even notice that we are being watched. In fact, there are individuals for whom the breach of their privacy, be it in the cyberspace or real life, does not seem as dramatic. Such people are accustomed to being monitored. For some, the issue is not significant due to the concentration on maintaining acceptable living conditions. Regan et al articulate it by saying “people of higher socio-economic status are less concerned and threatened by new technologies than those lower in socio-economic status.” There is also a connection between privacy concern and age.
The following categories pay less attention to the security of their personal information: the so-called ‘‘digital natives’’ (Palfrey and Gasser 1) and the elder generation (over 60 years old). As Regan et al explain it, the former category, that is, the younger generation, is more trusting of the technology and less concerned about privacy due to the fact they “have grown up with technology” (89). It may also imply that they are aware of the ways to avoid tracking, since they have a good command of the computer systems.
As to the latter, the people from the elder generation “came of age during times of high levels of trust in organizations, including government, and little social and political unrest” (84). Unlike it is today, when many people are willing to sacrifice their privacy when it comes to the security threat. In particular, the threat of terrorism seems far more real. It leads to policy tightening and further intrusion into citizens’ private space; the new surveillance technologies are introduced and applied.
When it comes to gender differences in treating personal information, men and women are equal. Although according to Regan et al “women are somewhat more likely to be concerned about privacy and civil liberty threats from new technologies than are men” (88). The Internet privacy of women is open to the same threats as is their privacy in real life, so they tend to be more cautious and unwilling to disclose their information. After all, the anonymity, confidentiality, identity, seclusion, and personal autonomy are conditional in both real and the virtual domain (Allen 1179).
To conclude, it must be said that the general political and economic climate is critical in defining one’s attitude towards privacy. There are people, for whom winning the daily bread is the main concern, so they do not have much time to worry about the breaching of the privacy. Other people percept it as a guarantee of safety and gladly assist the government in providing personal information. To all effects and purposes, we should maintain our inner level of personal security and keep the delicate idea of privacy intact.
Works Cited
Allen, Anita L. “Gender And Privacy In Cyberspace”. Stanford Law Review 52.5 (2000): 1175. Web.
Palfrey, John G, and Urs Gasser. (2013). Born Digital, New York, NY: Basic Books. Print.
Regan, Priscilla M., Gerald FitzGerald, and Peter Balint. “Generational Views Of Information Privacy?”. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research 26.1-2 (2013): 81-99. Web.