QotW6: Do Not Disturb. Privacy Please!

What is “Privacy”?


“[1] Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to keep their lives and personal affairs out of public view, or to control the flow of information about themselves.
[2] Privacy is sometimes related to anonymity although it is often most highly valued by people who are publicly known.
[3] 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,” 2007).

As defined by an anonymous person, “Privacy is to be left alone” (Sullivan, 2006).

To me, privacy is something that people provide each other out of respect. As individuals, we are entitled to our private lives that can be defined by what we choose to do, where we choose to go and the space around us. Speaking of personal space, a closely related term called “proxemics” introduced by Edward Hall describes the physical distances between people that can be categorized as public, social, personal and intimate as the distance gets shorter (“Proxemics,” 2007).


Proxemics explains that when people you are not comfortable with attempt to invade into your personal space, you feel offended and react to it. Similarly, when another person invades your privacy, you may feel offended too. In addition, privacy is not just about physical space; it consists of private information and personal issues. However, the extent to which we draw the line to define our personal “private space” depends on the individual - “To each his own.”

Negotiating My Own Privacy

Due to this assignment, I have attempted to create a brief list of things, regarding privacy, that I value.

The Dos...
Do ask me directly if there’s anything you want to know about me/my personal life.
Do request if you need to take a look at my notebook/computer files/copy homework.
Do respect my decision if I choose not to fulfill your requests.

And Don’ts...
Don’t peek at my e-mails/conversation windows/files.
Don’t try to check my SMS inbox.
Don’t use my accounts without my permission (identity theft).

After making this list, I feel like a total fusspot. However, I think that everyone should take a few minutes to make a similar list. It is through this that you clearly understand your tolerance for privacy issues. Never let anyone take advantage of you. If you feel like your privacy is being invaded, speak up!

Privacy in School

Spending 5 days a week in school surrounded by hundreds of other students, it is without a doubt that we may run into unpleasant privacy issues.

In secondary school, my classmate used to borrow my cell phone to “play games.” It was not long after that I found out she had been reading my text messages (because she carelessly told my best friend about it). I felt really horrible then. After knowing about it, I never did let her touch my cell phone again. From this, we can see that there are precautions that can be taken to protect your own privacy before mishaps occur.

On the more serious note, schools collect a lot of data and personal information regarding not only the students but their parents too. In an article by David Shi (2006), he discussed about protecting parents' and students' fundamental privacy rights including the “right of students to control their academic records - a federally protected right since 1972.”

As the class representative in junior college, I was given the task to collect the total family income of every student in my class to see who needed financial subsidy from the school. It seemed like a really easy task at first. Knowing that such information is very private, I approached each classmate instead of passing the list around. Some were very open about it while others openly requested those around them to look away before they wrote their family income down. Also, some even waited for everyone to leave the class.

“Privacy” – A Word Unknown to the Paparazzi

When it comes to privacy, it is inevitable to not think of its top invaders: The paparazzi.

Although this affects probably only the rich and famous, it is a clear example of the invasion of privacy. With the advent of the Internet, photographs and videos are easily available online. “The internet has vastly increased the opportunities for individuals to subject themselves to the demands of the personality market, resulting in ever increasing confusion and anxiety about how much of ourselves to reveal to strangers” (Rosen, 2004).

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Recent hot gossip articles discuss the unglamorous shots of celebrities such Ashlee Simpson and Britney Spears. It seems as though the paparazzi have shifted from racing for pictures of scandal celebrity dates to horrible up-skirt photographs. With that, comes the hype over which female celebrity wears panties and which ones do not. Isn’t this way overboard?

Conclusion

Be it whether you are online or offline, you should learn to take precautions to secure your very own privacy. Privacy is yours to keep and protect. And, if you don’t wear panties, don’t become a celebrity.

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References:

Privacy. (2007). In: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 9, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Privacy&oldid=113024808

Proxemics. (2007). In: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 9, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Proxemics&oldid=112973774

Rosen, J. (2004). The Naked Crowd. Retrieved March 9, 2007, from http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CA5FF.htm

Shi, D. (2006). Don’t Invade Student Privacy. Retrieved March 9, 2007, from http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-10-17-opinion-three_x.htm

Sullivan, B. (2006). Privacy Lost: Does Anybody Care? Retrieved March 9, 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221095/print/1/displaymode/1098/