Privacy

Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to stop information about themselves from becoming known to people other than those they choose to give the information to. Privacy is sometimes related to anonymity although it is often most highly valued by people who are publicly known. Privacy can be seen as an aspect of security—one in which trade-offs between the interests of one group and another can become particularly clear.

Privacy laws

:Main article: Civil liberties

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in article 12, states:

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:No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

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Most countries have laws protecting privacy. In some countries this is part of their constitution, such as France's Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. If the privacy of an individual is breached, the individual may bring a lawsuit asking for monetary damages. However, in the United Kingdom, recent cases involving celebrities such as David Beckham, however, have resulted in defeat as the information has been determined in the courts to be in the public interest{{ref|uk_privacy}}.

Related Topics:
France - Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen - David Beckham - Public interest

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In various civil cases, the Supreme Court of the United States has found that the Constitution contains "penumbras" that implicitly grant a right to privacy against government intrusion; such cases include Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) (which allowed parents/guardians to educate their children), Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) (which explicitly recognised the right to privacy), Roe v. Wade (1973) (which prevented states from legislating against abortion), and Lawrence v. Texas (2003) (which prevented states from legislating against sodomy). On the other hand, the Supreme Court, in California v. Greenwood (1988), decided that trash does not carry a privacy expectation. The penumbral privacy right has also not been found to apply to government intrusion into individuals' financial data as it applies to the income tax, their residency data as it applies to the Census, or age data as once applied to conscription and now applies to registration for the non-existent draft.

Related Topics:
Supreme Court of the United States - Pierce v. Society of Sisters - 1925 - Griswold v. Connecticut - 1965 - Roe v. Wade - 1973 - Abortion - Lawrence v. Texas - 2003 - Sodomy - California v. Greenwood - 1988 - Trash

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As the U.S. constitution does not explicitly grant a right to privacy, its application by the Court to privacy cases seems quite arbitrary and the right to privacy is a hotly debated issue — strict constructionists argue that there is no such right and civil libertarians argue that the right invalidates many types of surveillance, such as CCTV cameras and wiretaps.

Related Topics:
Strict constructionists - Civil libertarians

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Most states in the U.S. grant a right to privacy and recognise four torts:

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• Intrusion upon seclusion or solitude, or into private affairs;
• Public disclosure of embarrassing private facts;
• Publicity which places a person in a false light in the public eye; and
• Appropriation of name or likeness.

Organisations such as Privacy International, a London-based non-governmental organisation formed in 1990, exist as a watchdog on surveillance and privacy invasions by governments and corporations. On the flip side organizations such as ARTICLE 19 a UK based non-governmental organization exist as a watchdog on governments using privacy as a tool for censorship and restrictions on free speech.

Related Topics:
Privacy International - London - Non-governmental organisation - 1990

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