People argue over the importance of openness and privacy in society. Some argue that openness is more important than privacy and others prefer privacy over openness. In reality, they are actually equally essential in a strong society. There needs to be an equal partnership between openness and privacy in order to keep the citizens safe and informed.…
The book Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, is about a boy named Brian who lives in New York. One day he is sent to visit his dad in the summer on a one passenger plane. On his way there, he suddenly realizes that the pilot is having a heart-attack. So Brian does what he thinks he should do and crash lands the plane in the middle of a lake. So from then on into the book, Brian is stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a hatchet he had gotten from his mother a few years back.…
People tell me their secrets. My friends and family; they all have secrets to share. The secrets are often about them doing bad things or people they dislike. Whatever the secret is, it requires privacy. According to the Macquarie English Concise Dictionary 5th Edition, privacy means: “the state of being confined to or intended only for the person or persons immediately concerned; confidentiality” This means the secret must only be known to one or a few people. But what if the secret gets spilled, and is open for everyone to see? This has unfortunately happened a lot to me and during the course of history. For example: I once told my brother a secret to keep away from my sister, but it turned out that he was just about as unreliable as a jelly pickaxe, he told my sister, and this led to my siblings and I getting into trouble with my parents, also; the secret method of how to break the enigma code was spilled during World War II and this lead to many deaths. If secrets are not well guarded, it can lead to a lot of danger and distress. Claire Carmichael saw all of this in the world and has decided to write a novel in the genre of science fiction to respond to the past in terms of understanding the future: Incognito. In the novel, it raises the issues and concerns of society like privacy, power and corruption and teaches us about it using a variety of literature techniques…
“…society has come to realize that privacy is at the heart of liberty in modern state…Grounded in man’s physical and moral autonomy privacy is essential for the well being of the individual. For this reason alone, it is worthy of constitutional protection, but it also has profound significance for the public order. The restraints imposed on government to pry into the lives of the citizen go to the essence of a democratic state” (pg. 427-428).…
The article “Visible Man” written by Peter Singer discusses the issues that are involved with the topic of privacy. Many people feel that they are comfortable with the actions they are taking but they do not realize the information they are putting out into the real world. Singer explains how government officials use cell phone providers to gain insight on certain individuals. The idea that is stressed in this article is that too much privacy is never good, especially with government officials because the confidential information that gets leaked informs society on what it going on behind the scenes. The more information one can gather about a topic, the more informed they will be; furthermore, being well educated on a topic will allow one…
A Child Called “It” is a very tragic book that tells an amazingly true story about a real life little boy in California. Written by Dave Pelzer, the story reveals an extreme case of child abuse, one of the worst ever report in California history. A Child Called “It” tells the unbearable story of a boy who gets beaten day after day by his alcoholic mother. This story is an autobiography communicating very informative information of the severity of child abuse and how important school officials are in spotting this epidemic. Dave came from a typically good family. Dave’s parents loved him deeply, especially on holidays and special trips into town while his father was working a twenty-four hour shift. However, things began to change drastically in a negative way. A Child Called “It” focuses mainly on abuse in…
The article, “Too Much Privacy is a Health Hazard,” by Thomas Lee, discusses the role of privacy in…
Dear Gary Paulsen: The first time I read Hatchet was when I was in the fourth grade. I have always liked survival stories and Hatchet made me really about how fast our world can be turned upside down. I really appreciate the section when Brian tells how his teacher, Perpich, told him to "stay positive and stay on top of things" and "You are your most valuable asset. Don't forget that. You are the best thing you have.…
One of the most well known dystopian novels is 1984 by George Orwell. 1984 demonstrates the perfect examples of how unpleasant a dystopian world is. One of the main issues in 1984 is the lack of privacy…
Privacy is Utterly Dead Peter Singer is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor at Princeton University and the University of Melbourne that studies Bioethics, Philosophy and Public Ethics. His essay “Visible Man: Ethics in a World without Secrets” focuses on transparency and personal privacy. One can see after reading this essay, Singer is in favor of openness, but he also notes that the government misuses these technologies by having sousveillance and surveillance cameras. A person needs to understand how privacy, surveillance and sousveillance is defined to understand why he was in favor of openness.…
In The Circle by Dave Eggers, it is shown in the beginning that working at The Circle is a dream come true. It is an innovative company that produces new and improving technology. The company improves the daily lives of people with the new technology they create. They believe in “transparency”, meaning everything should be known and nothing should be kept hidden. Everyone at work is required to participate in the company’s social media and social events, so that employees within the company are able to get along and connect with each other on common interests. As we read further into the story, we see The Circle isn’t the perfect place to work at. What Dave Eggers has written seems like a possible utopian society, but what he is actually trying…
Privacy – Privacy is a basic human need. We all need to do some things alone and to have time to ourselves to do as we please. Our need for privacy depends on our personality, interests and circumstances. We can respect peoples’ privacy by ensuring that their dignity is safeguarded, and by protecting them from situations that might cause them distress.…
In the book, Terms of Service, written by Jacob Silverman, published author and recognized literary critic, deals with the implications of privacy and a variety of different ideas that impact people globally. Silverman’s interpretation of terms of service insists that we, as people, are highly influenced and controlled by the owners of social media and search engines because we are influenced to not critically think for ourselves. The public may not be aware of and might not even care to acknowledge these issues. Terms of Service explains the themes of privacy, Self-esteem, and Addiction. The book uses themes to demonstrate to the audience important topics. The major argument this book deals with is the lack of privacy in the modern world because of the dependence we have on technology. Social media and the internet have become an essential part of everyone’s…
References: Solove, D. (2011). “Why Privacy Matters even if You Have ‘Nothing to Hide’”. The Chronicle Review.…
can and cannot do in the privacy of their own homes. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) along…