The Importance of Privacy: Confusion About the Civil Right of the Twenty-First Century
Open, Nr. 19 (Beyond Privacy. New Notions of the Private and Public Domains), NAi Uitgevers, 2010
Amsterdam Law School Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2012-37
Institute for Information Law Research Paper No. 2012-31
3 Pages Posted: 16 Aug 2012 Last revised: 26 Aug 2012
Date Written: August 15, 2012
Abstract
One of the most interesting aspects of privacy is that it remains a burning issue around the world, even though it has already been declared dead a number of times. The debate on the penchant of governments and businesses to collect personal information, along with the introduction of more and more new technologies, attracts broad public interest in the Netherlands as well. Unfortunately, it is still not clear what the debate actually revolves around. The fact of the matter is, a great deal of confusion exists about what privacy really means. This confusion sometimes makes us forget what privacy has to offer as an ideal – also, and perhaps especially, for people in the twenty-first century.
In academic circles, theorists agree that it is a hopeless task to define privacy unequivocally. Privacy, so goes the conclusion, can better be seen as a hodgepodge of related values in different contexts. For instance, privacy safeguards physical integrity, control over personal information, the inviolability of the home and the confidentiality of communications. In turn, these principles can be based on the fundamental principle of the autonomy of the individual at the personal, intellectual and social levels.
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