Hello, snorton-ga!
You have asked a very broad question regarding privacy issues.
Therefore, I have provided some references that touch upon the topic
as a whole, rather than "niche" areas. I am working under the
assumption that this question is focused on the United States
government. Because researchers are discouraged from writing personal
essays to answers that might be construed as homework, I have simply
provided links to pertinent articles.
Remember - these articles express "opinions" - as you requested! You
will have to read them over in order to formulate your own position on
this issue!
==
"Managing Technology: The Privacy Debate," by Anne A. Armstrong.
GovEX. November 1, 2000.
http://www.govexec.com/features/1100/1100managetech.htm
"Next to guns and free speech, few topics spark as much heartfelt
debate as the right to privacy. A natural distrust of powerful central
government was present when this country was founded, and privacy
quickly became one intended protection against unwanted government
intrusion."
read further...
==
From "In war on terror, personal privacy losing," By EUNICE MOSCOSO,
REBECCA CARR. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Published on: 04/10/04
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0404/10privacy.html
"Is the world such a different place since 9/11 that we should throw
out constitutional protections?" asked David Sobel, general counsel at
the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a nonpartisan research
center based in Washington. "To say that we are going to examine the
activities of everyone to look for something suspicious is a change in
the fundamental way our government has behaved in the past."
"In an era of companies monitoring employees on the Internet, cameras
zooming in at the nation's monuments and data mining, privacy appears
at stake, experts say."
"From small businesses to the federal courts, institutions are
struggling to balance the privacy rights of individuals with the
public's right to know and the government's fight against terrorism.
The struggle is being played out in hospitals, schools, city council
chambers, state houses and Web pages across America.
"Nadine Strossen, president of the American Civil Liberties Union,
said individual privacy is "under assault."
==
How do Americans feel about government intervention in their private affairs?
From "Just 1 in 5 Feels Rights Violated," Analysis By Dalia Sussman.
ABC News. Oct. 2002.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/liberties_poll021001.html
==
How much access should the government have to a patient's medical information?
Read "M.D. Confidential - The government is intruding on patients'
right to privacy," by Twila Brase, R.N., P.H.N.
http://www.cchconline.org/publications/mpppriv.php3
"Physicians are now in a difficult position. Their ethical obligation
to patient confidentiality runs in direct opposition to state and
federal laws demanding greater access to patient records. Clinics run
the risk of becoming government research laboratories. At this rate,
patients may soon find that they are research subjects under a
government-imposed obligation."
=
For a summary of public opinion polls and medical privacy, see:
"Medical Privacy Public Opinion Polls."
http://www.epic.org/privacy/medical/polls.html
Opinions concerning the Patriot Act
====================================
See "Let's examine Patriot Act closely before renewing it," by Tom
Teepen. The Daily Oakland Press. Web-posted Apr 3, 2005
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/040305/opi_20050403013.shtml
Excerpts:
"Slammed through Congress in panic and without serious hearings or
debate in just six weeks after 9/11, the act mowed down traditional
civil liberties, wholesale, and concentrated new, dangerous powers in
the executive branch. Key provisions, particularly those dealing with
surveillance, are scheduled to sunset at the end of this year unless
Congress extends them. Bush and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales are
pushing for a quick endorsement of the act as it is."
"Some of the innovations in the act are reasonable and probably were
overdue even before the terrorist attacks - roaming wiretaps under
judicial supervision, for instance, that focus on the subject and are
not limited to just this or that form or place of communication."
"But many provisions are way over the top."
Read further.....
==
Numerous links to opinions concerning the Patriot Act can be found on
the following site:
"The Patriot Act: What Is the Proper Balance Between National Security
and Individual Rights?" The Constitutional Rights Foundation.
http://www.crf-usa.org/bria/bria19_4a.htm
==
See "Patriot Act Continues to Spark Debate." Newshour. PBS. 9/17/2003
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec03/patriotact_9-17.html
"Supporters and critics of the law are constantly at odds over what
liberties Americans should have to sacrifice in exchange for their
safety."
Read entire article...
==
See "The USA PATRIOT Act Six Months Later: A Statement by Members of
the Free Expression Network.
http://www.freeexpression.org/patriotstmt.htm
==
See "In Defense of the Patriot Act," By Orrin Hatch. USA Today. May 14, 2003
http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=7805
Excerpt:
"The Patriot Act has not eroded any of the rights we hold dear as
Americans. I would be the first to call for corrective action, were
that the case. Yet not one of the civil liberties groups has cited one
instance of abuse of our constitutional rights, one decision by any
court that any part of the Patriot Act was unconstitutional or one
shred of evidence to contradict the fact that these tools protect what
is perhaps our most important civil liberty: the freedom from future
terrorist attacks...
read further...
===
What about baggage searches, etc?
Read "Balancing Security and Liberty," By Peter Moskos. Washington
Post. August 2, 2004.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33132-2004Aug1.html
==
A lengthy overview of government and privacy issues can be found in
the following paper:
Read "Public Opinion Surveys and the Formation of Privacy Policy," by
Oscar Gandy, Jr. Journal of Social Issues, Vol.59, No.2, 2003
http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/ogandy/JSIpublished.pdf
===
I hope these references help to provide an overview of opinions
regarding the federal government and privacy issues.
Sincerely,
umiat
Search Strategy
government intrusion on privacy
olls OR surveys on privacy from government
government access to private information AND intrusion
federal invasion of privace
opinions on the patriot act
in defense of the Patriot Act |
