Is Privacy Dead?

Abstract

People value their privacy. According to a survey conducted in the U.S., 90% of respondents viewed it important to control the information about them collected. Yet, it seems very little control is possible. With the many advances in technology, collecting, monitoring, and transferring personal information (PI) can be done with ease. Making a discussion regarding privacy urgent. Privacy is an ethical issue. The ACM addressed privacy in their Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct in Section 1.6 titled Respect Privacy by stating, “computing professionals should only use information for legitimate ends and without violating the rights of the individuals and groups.” In addition, the implications of PI data collection are often not explained to the user, as such, the IEEE Code of Ethics addressed this topic by stating to “improve the understanding by individuals and society of the capabilities and societal implications of conventional and emerging technologies, including intelligent systems.” Nevertheless, powerful entities such as governments and big companies have been aggressively collecting personal data in an unprecedented scale in legal as well as deceptive and illegal ways. Misuse, breach and leak of such information have become an even bigger concern. This creates a data market based on an ethically questionable foundation.