DOCSLIB.ORG

Geo-Immersive Surveillance & Canadian Privacy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Geo-Immersive Surveillance & Canadian Privacy Geo-Immersive Surveillance & Canadian Privacy Law By Stuart Andrew Hargreaves A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science. Faculty of Law University of Toronto © Copyright by Stuart Hargreaves (2013) Geo-Immersive Surveillance & Canadian Privacy Law Stuart Andrew Hargreaves Doctor of Juridical Science Faculty of Law, University of Toronto 2013 Abstract Geo-immersive technologies digitally map public space for the purposes of creating online maps that can be explored by anyone with an Internet connection. This thesis considers the implications of their growth and argues that if deployed on a wide enough scale they would pose a threat to the autonomy of Canadians. I therefore consider legal means of regulating their growth and operation, whilst still seeking to preserve them as an innovative tool. I first consider the possibility of bringing ‘invasion of privacy’ actions against geo-immersive providers, but my analysis suggests that the jurisprudence relies on a ‘reasonable expectation of privacy’ approach that makes it virtually impossible for claims to privacy ‘in public’ to succeed. I conclude that this can be traced to an underlying philosophy that ties privacy rights to an idea of autonomy based on shielding the individual from the collective. I argue instead considering autonomy as ‘relational’ can inform a dialectical approach to privacy that seeks to protect the ability of the individual to control their exposure in a way that can better account for privacy claims made in public. I suggest that while it is still challenging to craft a private law remedy based on such ideas, Canada’s data protection legislation may be a more suitable vehicle. I criticize the Canadian Privacy Commissioner’s current approach to geo-immersive technologies as inadequate, however, and instead propose an enhanced application of the substantive requirements under Schedule 1 of PIPEDA that is consistent with a relational approach to privacy. I suggest this would serve to adequately curtail the growth of geo-immersive technologies while preserving them as an innovative tool. I conclude that despite criticisms that ‘privacy’ is an inadequate remedy for the harms of surveillance, in certain commercial contexts the fair information principles can, if implemented robustly, serve to regulate the collection of personal information ‘at source’ in a fashion that greatly restricts the potential for those harms. ii Acknowledgements I am indebted to countless individuals and organizations who have supported me in various ways over the years it has taken me to write this thesis, but I must draw special attention and give thanks to the following: To the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto, who graciously provided the funding that allowed me to complete this project. To my supervisor, Lisa Austin, and the members of my committee, Trudo Lemmens and Ariel Katz, whose comments and feedback made this thesis a dramatically better piece of work than it would otherwise have been. To my colleagues in the SJD programme, with whom I have had the immense privilege of sharing the many highs and lows of life as a graduate student. I expect big things from all of you. To the incomparable Julia Hall, who was tirelessly helpful in aiding myself and the other graduate students as we navigated the maze of the University of Toronto bureaucracy and tried to seek out free food. To the students, faculty, and staff at Osgoode Hall Law School, who provided me with the wonderful experience of teaching many bright minds over the last four years and helped remind me of the reason I originally wanted to study law. To Laura, who I did not know when I began writing this thesis, but now with whom I cannot imagine life without. Most of all to my parents, who have loved, supported, encouraged, criticized, and cajoled me in all the right amounts since the moment I was born, and in so doing have provided me with the platform from which everything good in my life flows. Stuart Hargreaves Toronto, Canada May 26, 2013. iii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................................................... vi List of Appendices ................................................................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1 The Link Between Autonomy, Privacy, & Surveillance ........................................................................................... 9 Autonomy, Privacy, & the Metaphor of the Boundary ............................................................................................... 9 Control-based Accounts of Privacy, Data Protection Regimes, & Surveillance ........................................... 19 Summary .................................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Chapter 2: What are Geo-Immersive Technologies? ............................................................. 25 Origins, Development, & Major Service Providers .................................................................................................. 26 Usage Cases & Consumer Response ............................................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 3: Understanding Geo-Immersive Technologies as a Surveillance Practice .............. 49 Surveillance Theories: Scrutiny for the Purpose of Influence ............................................................................ 49 The Bifurcation of the Surveillance Architecture .................................................................................................... 57 Unleashing the Human Flesh Search Engine .............................................................................................................. 62 The Power to Identify ........................................................................................................................................................... 62 The Viral Spread of Imagery ............................................................................................................................................. 67 Summary .................................................................................................................................................................................... 74 Chapter 4: The Potential Harms of Widespread Geo-Immersive Surveillance ....................... 76 Digital Shaming for the Violation of Real-World Norms ....................................................................................... 76 Why Do Online Communities Seek to Enforce Norms Against Others? ........................................................... 85 The Online Disinhibition Effect ......................................................................................................................................... 91 Sanctions Without Norm Transgression ...................................................................................................................... 98 Is Geo-Immersive Surveillance Leading to Increased Social Sanctions? ..................................................... 103 The Possibility of Positive Norm Reinforcement .................................................................................................... 105 The Potential Effects on Behaviour & Norm Transmission .............................................................................. 107 Anticipatory Conformity .................................................................................................................................................. 109 The Potential for Panopticism & the Internalization of Norms ...................................................................... 119 The Public Harm of Norm Internalization ............................................................................................................... 126 Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................. 131 A Legal Response: When, and Against Whom? ...................................................................................................... 132 Chapter 5: Rethinking Autonomy & Privacy ......................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Internet Economy 25 Years After .Com
    THE INTERNET ECONOMY 25 YEARS AFTER .COM TRANSFORMING COMMERCE & LIFE March 2010 25Robert D. Atkinson, Stephen J. Ezell, Scott M. Andes, Daniel D. Castro, and Richard Bennett THE INTERNET ECONOMY 25 YEARS AFTER .COM TRANSFORMING COMMERCE & LIFE March 2010 Robert D. Atkinson, Stephen J. Ezell, Scott M. Andes, Daniel D. Castro, and Richard Bennett The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation I Ac KNOW L EDGEMEN T S The authors would like to thank the following individuals for providing input to the report: Monique Martineau, Lisa Mendelow, and Stephen Norton. Any errors or omissions are the authors’ alone. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Dr. Robert D. Atkinson is President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Stephen J. Ezell is a Senior Analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Scott M. Andes is a Research Analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Daniel D. Castro is a Senior Analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Richard Bennett is a Research Fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. ABOUT THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION FOUNDATION The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is a Washington, DC-based think tank at the cutting edge of designing innovation policies and exploring how advances in technology will create new economic opportunities to improve the quality of life. Non-profit, and non-partisan, we offer pragmatic ideas that break free of economic philosophies born in eras long before the first punch card computer and well before the rise of modern China and pervasive globalization. ITIF, founded in 2006, is dedicated to conceiving and promoting the new ways of thinking about technology-driven productivity, competitiveness, and globalization that the 21st century demands.
    [Show full text]
  • THE TAKE-OFF of DRONES Developing the New Zealand Torts
    ASHLEY M VARNEY THE TAKE-OFF OF DRONES Developing the New Zealand torts of privacy to meet the rise in civilian drone technology Submitted for the LLB (Honours) Degree Faculty of Law Victoria University of Wellington 2016 Abstract This paper assesses the privacy ramifications associated with the rise in the use of civilian drone technology. It discusses the capabilities of drones to take photographs, record videos and undertake ongoing surveillance, and distinguishes these capabilities from previous similar technologies such as CCTV and standard cameras. It is argued that the current approach to the New Zealand privacy torts is not adequate to allow for effective claims when breaches of privacy occur by drone operators. It is advocated that the theoretical premise of the torts, and the overall protection of privacy, is best served by emphasis on both a normative and multifaceted approach to the test of a reasonable expectation of privacy where drones are concerned. Moreover, privacy breaches by drones may be undermined by the highly offensive requirement found within both torts, as well as the mental element of intention found within the C v Holland tort. Keywords: "Drones", "Privacy", "Tort", "Wrongful Publication of Private Facts", "Intrusion into Seclusion". 2 Contents I INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 4 II UNDERSTANDING PRIVACY ...................................................................... 5 A What is ‘Privacy’? .............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Canadian Privacy Law: the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
    International In-house Counsel Journal Vol. 2, No. 7, Spring 2009, 1135–1146 Canadian Privacy Law: The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) DOMINIC JAAR PATRICK E. ZELLER Legal Counsel Vice President & Deputy General Counsel Ledjit Consulting, Inc. Guidance Software, Inc. Canada United States This white paper provides a general overview of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”), and discusses both the privacy requirements imposed by that Act as well as the rules governing the use of electronic documents that it sets out. Overview Introduction to PIPEDA PIPEDA is the federal legislative response to growing concerns over the protection and use of personal information that is accumulated by both public and private organizations in the course of their day-to-day operations.1 The Act sets out rules governing how such information should be handled by the organizations that collect it, and under what circumstances it may be disclosed, either to third parties or to the individual who is the subject of the information. The Act contains two main parts. The first part sets out the rules governing the collection, retention and disclosure of personal information, as well as the remedies available in the event of a suspected breach. In essence, this part of the Act establishes a framework which attempts to balance the privacy rights of individuals with the needs of organizations to collect, use, and disclose personal information in the course of commercial activities. This part of the Act is discussed in sections I and II of this document. The second part of the Act describes the circumstances in which electronic alternatives may be used to fulfill legal obligations, which, under federal laws, require the use of paper documents to record or communicate information or transactions.
    [Show full text]
  • Off the Grid: Pinpointing Location-Based Technologies and the Law
    Off the Grid: Pinpointing Location-based Technologies and the Law Written By: Geoffrey White, Barrister & Solicitor External Counsel The Public Interest Advocacy Centre 1204 - ONE Nicholas St. Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7B7 June 2015 Copyright 2015 PIAC Contents may not be commercially reproduced. Any other reproduction with acknowledgment is encouraged. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) Suite 1204 ONE Nicholas Street Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7 Tel: (613) 562-4002 Fax: (613) 562-0007 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.piac.ca Canadian Cataloguing and Publication Data ISBN 978-1-927707-03-6 Off the Grid? Pinpointing Location-Based Technologies and the Law Off the Grid? Pinpointing Location-Based Technologies and the Law Page 2 of 109 Acknowledgement Financial support from Industry Canada to conduct the research on which this report is based is gratefully acknowledged. The views expressed in this report are not necessarily those of Industry Canada or of the Government of Canada. The author would also like to thank Kent Sebastian, PIAC Student-at-Law 2014-15, Sarah Mavula, PIAC Summer Student 2014, and Jonathan Bishop, PIAC’s Research & Parliamentary Affairs Analyst, for their research and contributions. Any mistakes are solely the author’s. Off the Grid? Pinpointing Location-Based Technologies and the Law Page 3 of 109 Executive Summary Knowledge of the whereabouts of a person, and of a person’s movement patterns, can be very valuable, from a marketing perspective. Indeed, the scale and scope of the business opportunities associated with so-called location-based behavioural marketing and location- based services (collectively, location-based technologies) have been well-documented in the business literature.
    [Show full text]
  • Privacy in the 21St Century Studies in Intercultural Human Rights
    Privacy in the 21st Century Studies in Intercultural Human Rights Editor-in-Chief Siegfried Wiessner St. Thomas University Board of Editors W. Michael Reisman, Yale University • Mahnoush H. Arsanjani, United Nations • Nora Demleitner, Hofstra University • Christof Heyns, University of Pretoria • Eckart Klein, University of Potsdam • Kalliopi Koufa, University of Thessaloniki • Makau Mutua, State University of New York at Buff alo • Martin Nettesheim, University of Tübingen; University of California at Berkeley • Thomas Oppermann, University 0f Tübingen • Roza Pati, St. Thomas University • Herbert Petzold, Former Registrar, European Court of Human Rights • Martin Scheinin, European University Institute, Florence VOLUME 5 This series off ers pathbreaking studies in the dynamic fi eld of intercultural hu- man rights. Its primary aim is to publish volumes which off er interdisciplinary analysis of global societal problems, review past legal responses, and develop solutions which maximize access by all to the realization of universal human as- pirations. Other original studies in the fi eld of human rights are also considered for inclusion. The titles published in this series are listed at Brill.com/sihr Privacy in the 21st Century By Alexandra Rengel LEIDEN • BOSTON 2013 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rengel, Alexandra, author. Privacy in the 21st century / By Alexandra Rengel. p. cm. -- (Studies in intercultural human rights) Includes index. ISBN 978-90-04-19112-9 (hardback : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-90-04-19219-5 (e-book) 1. Privacy, Right of. 2. International law. I. Title. II. Title: Privacy in the twenty-first century. K3263.R46 2013 342.08’58--dc23 2013037396 issn 1876-9861 isbn 978-90-04-19112-9 (hardback) isbn 978-90-04-19219-5 (e-book) Copyright 2013 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands.
    [Show full text]
  • Searching for Privacy in a Mixed Jurisdiction
    Searching for Privacy in a Mixed Jurisdiction Hector L. MacQueen* I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 73 II. PROTECTING PRIVACY IN SCOTS LAW TO 2000 .................................. 74 III. THE IMPACT OF DOMESTICATED HUMAN RIGHTS LAW ..................... 77 IV. SCOTS LAW: MAKING CHOICES......................................................... 83 A. Breach of Confidence............................................................... 84 B. The Actio Iniuriarum ................................................................ 88 V. ANALYSIS AND QUESTIONS................................................................. 94 VI. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................... 97 I. INTRODUCTION Reviewing A History of Private Law in Scotland in the Tulane Law Review in 2004, Shael Herman explained how the collection (published in 2000) left him with an impression of the “eclectic, open-textured character of Scots legal evolution”, even if sometimes he had a “a sense of having toured a juridical Australia or Galapagos Islands inhabited by exotic flora and fauna not found elsewhere”.1 He noted the complexity of the relationship between Scots and English law, and observed: To be sure, between Scotland and England there are striking political and cultural commonalities too numerous to detail. It could hardly be otherwise for two island nations that share a language, a currency, and a border. Yet, as the collection under review shows,
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliography
    Bibliography [1] M Aamir Ali, B Arief, M Emms, A van Moorsel, “Does the Online Card Payment Landscape Unwittingly Facilitate Fraud?” IEEE Security & Pri- vacy Magazine (2017) [2] M Abadi, RM Needham, “Prudent Engineering Practice for Cryptographic Protocols”, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering v 22 no 1 (Jan 96) pp 6–15; also as DEC SRC Research Report no 125 (June 1 1994) [3] A Abbasi, HC Chen, “Visualizing Authorship for Identification”, in ISI 2006, LNCS 3975 pp 60–71 [4] H Abelson, RJ Anderson, SM Bellovin, J Benaloh, M Blaze, W Diffie, J Gilmore, PG Neumann, RL Rivest, JI Schiller, B Schneier, “The Risks of Key Recovery, Key Escrow, and Trusted Third-Party Encryption”, in World Wide Web Journal v 2 no 3 (Summer 1997) pp 241–257 [5] H Abelson, RJ Anderson, SM Bellovin, J Benaloh, M Blaze, W Diffie, J Gilmore, M Green, PG Neumann, RL Rivest, JI Schiller, B Schneier, M Specter, D Weizmann, “Keys Under Doormats: Mandating insecurity by requiring government access to all data and communications”, MIT CSAIL Tech Report 2015-026 (July 6, 2015); abridged version in Communications of the ACM v 58 no 10 (Oct 2015) [6] M Abrahms, “What Terrorists Really Want”,International Security v 32 no 4 (2008) pp 78–105 [7] M Abrahms, J Weiss, “Malicious Control System Cyber Security Attack Case Study – Maroochy Water Services, Australia”, ACSAC 2008 [8] A Abulafia, S Brown, S Abramovich-Bar, “A Fraudulent Case Involving Novel Ink Eradication Methods”, in Journal of Forensic Sciences v41(1996) pp 300-302 [9] DG Abraham, GM Dolan, GP Double, JV Stevens,
    [Show full text]
  • Report of Findings: Joint Investigation of Clearview AI, Inc
    REPORT OF FINDINGS Joint investigation of Clearview AI, Inc. by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec, the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, and the Information Privacy Commissioner of Alberta OPC PIPEDA-039525/CAI QC-1023158/OIPC BC P20- 81997/OIPC AB-015017 Joint Investigation by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec (CAI), the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC BC), and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (OIPC AB) into Clearview AI, Inc.’s compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector, the Act to Establish a Legal Framework for Information Technology (LCCJTI), the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA BC), and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA AB) Page 1 / 29 Contents Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Background ............................................................................................................................................... 5 Issues .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Methodology .............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • En Studie Av Trafikproblemen Kring Ursvikskolan I Sundbyberg
    Självständigt arbete, vid LTJ-fakulteten 30hp avancerad nivå E Landskapsarkitektprogrammet, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, Alnarp, 2010. Barns skolvägar -en studie av trafi kproblemen kring Ursvikskolan i Sundbyberg Therese Sjöholm 1 Omslagsbild: Therese Sjöholm © Therese Sjöholm 2 Författare: Therese Sjöholm Titel: Barns skolvägar- en studie av trafi kproblemet kring Ursvikskolan i Sundbyberg English title: Children’s school routes- a survey of the traffi c problem around Ursvikskolan in Sundbyberg. Nyckelord: skolbarn, skolvägar, trafi kproblem, rutiner, beteende Handledare: Maria Kylin, Landskapsarkitektur, LTJ- fakulteten, SLU Huvudexaminator: Mats Lieberg, Landskapsarkitektur, LTJ- fakulteten, SLU Biträdande examinator: Eva Gustavsson, Landskapsarkitektur, LTJ- fakulteten, SLU Serietitel: Självständigt arbete vid LTJ-fakulteten, SLU Kurstitel: Självständigt arbete i landskapsplanering Kurskod: EX0545 Program/Utbildning: Landskapsarkitektprogrammet Fakultet: LTJ- landskapsplanering, trädgårds- och jordbruksvetenskap Universitet: SLU, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet Nivå och fördjupning: Avancerad E Omfattning: 30 hp Utgivningsort: Alnarp Utgivningsår: 2010 3 SammanfaƩ ning I dagens samhälle blir många barn skjutsade med bil både till och från skolan på grund av att föräldrar känner oro när barnen rör sig själva i trafi ken (Gummesson, 2005). Detta innebär en större trafi kbelastning utanför skolorna vid hämtnings- och lämningstider. Syftet med examensarbetet är att beskriva de brister som fi nns i den fysiska miljön kring Ursviksskolan i Sundbyberg samt vilka problem som kan uppstå i kopplingen mellan dessa brister och vanor samt beteenden hos människor som nyttjar platsen. För att ta reda på detta krävs inte bara en inventering av den fysiska miljön kring skolan. Problemet måste även ses i ett större sammanhang, vilka vanor och rutiner har familjer och hur dessa påverkar trafi kproblemet. Metoder som används för att identifi era problem och brister är bland annat områdes- och platsanalyser.
    [Show full text]
  • Race, Surveillance, Resistance
    Race, Surveillance, Resistance CHAZ ARNETT The increasing capability of surveillance technology in the hands of law enforcement is radically changing the power, size, and depth of the surveillance state. More daily activities are being captured and scrutinized, larger quantities of personal and biometric data are being extracted and analyzed, in what is becoming a deeply intensified and pervasive surveillance society. This reality is particularly troubling for Black communities, as they shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden and harm associated with these powerful surveillance measures, at a time when traditional mechanisms for accountability have grown weaker. These harms include the maintenance of legacies of state sponsored, racialized surveillance that uphold systemic criminalization, dispossession, and exploitation of Black communities. This Article highlights Baltimore City, Maryland as an example of an urban area facing extraordinary challenges posed by an expanding police surveillance apparatus, fueled in part by corruption and limited channels of formal constraint. As Black residents experience the creep of total surveillance and its attendant aims of control and subordination, the need for avenues of effective resistance becomes apparent. This Article argues that these communities may draw hope and inspiration from another period in American history where Black people were subjected to seemingly complete surveillance with limited legal recourse: chattel slavery. People enslaved in or passing through Maryland used a variety of means to resist surveillance practices, demonstrating creativity, bravery, and resourcefulness as they escaped to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Internalizing and building upon these lessons of agency and resistance will be critical for Black communities in Baltimore and other similarly situated places across America that are seeking relief from the repressive effects of pervasive police surveillance.
    [Show full text]
  • Right of Privacy and Rights of the Personality
    AGTA Instituti Upsaliensis Iurisprudentiae Gomparativae VIII RIGHT OF PRIVACY AND RIGHTS OF THE PERSONALITY A COMPARATIVE SURVEY Working paper prepared for the Nordic Conferen.ee on privacy organized by the International Commission of Jurists, Stockholm M ay 1967 BY STIG STRÜMHOLM STOCKHOLM P. A. NORSTEDT & SÜNERS FÜRLAG ACTA Institut! Upsaliensis Iurisprudentiae Oomparativae AGTA Instituti Upsaliensis Iurisprudentiae Comjmrativae Edidit ÂKE MALMSTROM VIII RIGHT OF PRIVACY AND RIGHTS OF THE PERSONALITY A COMPARATIVE SURVEY (Working Paper prepared for the Nordic Conférence on Privacy organized by the International Commission of Jurists, Stockholm May 1967) By STIG STRÜMHOLM S T O C K H O L M P. A. N O RSTEDT & S ONE R S FÜRLAG © P. A. Norstedt & Sôners fôrlag 1967 Boktryckeri AB Thule, Stockholm 1967 PREFACE One of the author’s most eminent teachers in private law in the Uppsala Faculty of Law once claimed that an action in tort ought to lie against those légal writers who take up a subject to treat it broadly enough to deter others from writing about it but not deeply enough to give any final answers to the questions discussed. Were the law so severe, the present author would undoubtedly have to face a lawsuit for venturing to publish this short study on a topic which demands lengthy and careful considération on almost every point and which has already given rise to an extensive body of case law and of légal writing. This préfacé can be considered as the au­ thor’s plaidoyer in that action, fortunately imaginary. The present study was prepared at the request, and with the most active personal and material support, of the International Commis­ sion of Jurists as a working paper for the Nordic Conférence of Jurists, organized by the Commission in Stockholm in May, 1967.
    [Show full text]
  • Lord Neuberger at the UK Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists' Lecture
    Lord Neuberger at the UK Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists' Lecture Privacy in the 21st Century 28 November 2012 (1) Introduction1 1. Good evening. It is a pleasure to have been asked to give tonight’s lecture. Privacy is a subject which seems to be forever topical. It excites (in both senses of the word) public discussion, while demanding considered reflection. And it raises many difficult and, often, controversial questions. Is privacy a value which society should protect? If so, to what extent? Is protection of privacy a fetter on freedom of expression? If so, can and should a balance be struck between them? And if so, what type of balance? Should, for instance, freedom of expression always trump privacy, as it is sometimes suggested is the position in the United States? A suggestion, I may add, which ignores a variety of US statutes and constitutional provisions which protect certain aspects of privacy to varying degrees, subject to the First Amendment protection of freedom of speech and expression2. 2. And is privacy a value which is, on deeper analysis, not inimical to or a fetter on freedom of expression: is it actually a necessary and vital aspect of 1 I wish to thank John Sorabji for all his help in preparing this lecture. 2 For a discussion see D. Anderson, The Failure of American Privacy Law, in B. Markesinis (ed), Protecting Privacy (OUP) (1999). 1 freedom of expression? Or should we maintain the straightforward and generally held view that the two are wholly distinct, indeed often in conflict? 3.
    [Show full text]