Thursday, February 18, 2010
"Less Privacy is Good for Us (and You)" Question number two.
Etzioni's article helps readers to see the complexity of privacy issues by pointing out issues we may not have known existed. For example the HIV testing of new born babies. I see how this could be an issue if a mother was to find out she has the HIV virus and passed it on to her child because the mother would be very upset. The mother may feel that her privacy was violated because doctors would automatically know that she is the cause of her childs HIV virus .However without early detection of HIV the new born babies virus will not be treated right away and can lead to the virus getting worse or other health problems. I believe this is, as Etzioni says " the other half of the equation that defines a good society".(pg. 131) We need these concerns for public health and it is a " justifiable diminution of privacy."(pg. 131) The complexity of this privacy issue is that although the HIV testing could be a good thing for society, various civil libertarians and some gay activists oppose the testing because the mother of the new born will find out she is a carrier of HIV and her privacy will be violated. Etzioni tells us about the plan to use driver's licenses to curb illegal immigration. The coalition believes that "this plan pushes us to the brink of tyranny, where citizens will not be allowed to travel, open bank acconts, obtain health care, get a job, or purchase firearms without first presenting the proper government papers."(pg. 132) There can be alot of complexity with this issue. People may begin to feel like they are being tracked by the government and that if they ever get into trouble with the law , the government will already know all about them. With the development of biometrics, people will no longer be able to make new identities for themselves and they will never be able to hide their past. People with minor criminal records will not be able to start over. If biometrics continue to develop , people will feel like they have no privacy and can never hide from the government.
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Kathleen let me start off by saying that I chose the same topic. I like how you used direst quotes from the article. And the examples where explained clearly. In the case of biometrics I also believe, as you said, that people with minor criminal backgrounds will have lesser chances at getting jobs or making a better life for themselves. And everyone has a past so why shouldn’t people be able to start over? This just brings up even more controversy on the topic of privacy which is an ongoing argument that has many different exceptions and opposing views.
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