Privacy In Peril: How We Are Sacrificing A Fundamental Right In Exchange For Security And Convenience: How We Are Sacrificing A Fundamental Right In Exchange For Security And Convenience

We are all accustomed to privacy horror stories, like identity theft, where stored personal data gets misdirected for criminal purposes. But we should worry less about the illegal uses of personal data, James B. Rule argues, and worry a lot more about the perfectly legal uses of our data by the government and private industry, uses which are far more widespread and far more dangerous to our interests than we'd ever suspect. This provocative book takes readers on a probing, far-reaching tour of the erosion of privacy in American society, showing that we are often unwitting accomplices, providing personal data in exchange for security or convenience. The author reveals that in today's "information society," the personal data that we make available to virtually any organization for virtually any purpose is apt to surface elsewhere, applied to utterly different purposes. The mass collection and processing of personal information produces such tremendous efficiencies that both the public and private sector feel justified in pushing as far as they can into our private lives. And there is no easy cure. Indeed, there are many cases where privacy invasion is both hurtful to the individual and indispensable to an organization's quest for efficiency. Unrestricted snooping into citizens' personal finances really does boost the profitability of the consumer credit industry. Insurance companies really can and do make more money by using intimate private data to decide whom to insure, and what to charge. And as long as we willingly accept the pursuit of profit, or the reduction of crime, or cutting government costs as sufficient reason for intensified scrutiny over private citizens' lives, then privacy values will remain endangered. Rule offers no simple answers to this modern conundrum. Rather, he provides a sophisticated and often troubling account that promises to fundamentally alter the privacy debate. "This book takes readers on a probing, far-reaching tour of the erosion of privacy in American society, showing that we are often unwitting accomplices, providing personal data in exchange for security or convenience. The author reveals that in today's "information society," the personal data that we make available to virtually any organization for virtually any purpose is apt to surface elsewhere, applied to utterly different purposes. The mass collection and processing of personal information produces such tremendous efficiencies that both the public and private sector feel justified in pushing as far as they can into our private lives. And there is no easy cure. Indeed, there are many cases where privacy invasion is both hurtful to the individual and indispensable to an organization's quest for efficiency. Unrestricted snooping into citizens' personal finances really does boost the profitability of the consumer credit industry. Insurance companies really can and do make more money by using intimate private data to decided whom to insure, and what to charge. And as long as we willingly accept the pursuit of profit, or the reduction of crime, or cutting government costs as sufficient reason for intensified scrutiny over private citizens' lives, then privacy values will remain endangered."--Jacket 'privacy In Peril' Is The First Book To Look At The Big Picture Of Privacy-eroding Trends, Analyze Their Common Roots, And Anticipate Their Consequences. The Making Of An Issue -- The Tensions Of Privacy And Disclosure -- Privacy Regimes In Turmoil -- Blaming Technology -- The Idea Of Privacy Protection -- Legislating Privacy Protection -- Spreading Shadows -- Constraints And Countercurrents -- Government Surveillance -- Government Surveillance In America -- Parallels Abroad -- The Coalescence Of Government Surveillance -- Conclusion -- Personal Data In The Marketplace: Credit, Insurance And Advertising -- The United States : A Virtually Free Market For Personal Information -- Markets Abroad : The American Model Versus Privacy Constraints -- Surveillance In Motion -- Safe Harbor -- Some Rare Privacy Victories -- Conclusion -- The Future Of Privacy -- Privacy Protection : The Official Response -- Privacy Codes : A Balance Sheet -- Origins Of The Conflict -- The Destination -- Collapsing Resistance? -- Needs, Purposes, And Consent -- Some Uncomfortable Futures -- Ground To Stand On -- Conclusion: Where Do We Go From Here? James B. Rule. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [211]-216) And Index. This provocative book offers a probing account of the erosion of privacy in American society, that shows that we are often unwitting, if willing, accomplices, providing personal data in exchange for security or convenience. The author reveals that in today's "information society," the personal data that we make available to virtually any organization for virtually any purpose is apt to surface elsewhere, applied to utterly different purposes. The mass collection and processing of personal information produces such tremendous efficiencies that both the public and private sector feel justified in pushing as far as they can into our private lives. And there is no easy cure. Indeed, there are many cases where privacy invasion is both hurtful to the individual and indispensable to an organization's quest for efficiency. And as long as we willingly accept the pursuit of profit, or the reduction of crime, or cutting government costs as sufficient reason for intensified scrutiny over our lives, then privacy will remain endangered. This probing account of the erosion of privacy in America shows that we are often unwitting, if willing, accomplices, providing personal data in exchange for security or convenience. The author shows that the personal data that we make available to virtually any organization for virtually any purpose is apt to surface elsewhere, applied to utterly different purposes. As long as we willingly accept the pursuit of profit or cutting government costs as sufficient reason for intensified scrutiny over our lives, then privacy will remain endangered. Privacy in Peril is the first book to look at the big picture of privacy-eroding trends, analyze their common roots, and anticipate their consequences. It looks at the conflicts within organizations to balance demands for efficiency against the more intensive use of personal data, and examines the choices society must make to enact barriers against this troublesome trend. 'Privacy in Peril' investigates privacy-eroding trends in our modern society, analyzing their common roots and anticipating their consequences. It looks at the conflicts within organizations to balance demands for efficiency against the more intensive uses of personal data