Summary:This panel discussion dealt with three main themes:
- Privacy: What is it and what are the issues?
- Cyberworld: How has the cyberworld affected privacy?
- Potential solutions: how should this problem be addressed?
The panelists defined three types of privacy: territorial privacy, decisional privacy and information privacy. Information privacy was the focus of today′s discussion. According to Jason Catlett, " individuals have space into which others can′t intrude."
Why do we care about privacy? People want to preserve their space. "How do you maintain this space when you are not anonymous anymore?" asked Jay Gellert. We are moving from a two dimensional to a three dimensional privacy. People can′t control information that institutions have on them so the accuracy of the information is also an issue.
What is the right balance between information that should be disclosed and information that should be kept private? Some panelists felt that too much privacy will allow people to get away with things that society condemns.
How are concerns about privacy in the cyber world changing? What are the new privacy threats?
"The Internet is a super-recorder," says John McCarthy. Technology allows more accurate information gathering. There is a powerful debate around the fears we have. According to McCarthy, "We are getting a very clear picture of who you are." Nowadays, the more information a company has, the more valuable it is.
With the evolution of technology, our concerns have changed. In the past it was nearly impossible to record any information about people. Nowadays we can retrace every web site a customer has visited. According to David Sobel, the Internet acts like a massive deregulator. "Government has become a seller of information to the private sector," he said.
Is there a solution? One solution would be the self-regulating market approach. According to Jerry Kang "If the personal information is valuable, then the market has a price for it." For example, if Amazon.com values information, they can buy it by giving customer a coupon with a dollar value.
The issue of privacy in the cyber world also depends on the level of knowledge of the customer. Many Internet users are not aware of the amount of data institutions have on them. It was suggested that a potential solution would be encryption, already used for credit card transactions. A legal framework is also needed, the panelists noted. No one solution is the answer because of cyber crime.
Catlett would like to see more rights for individuals. People should have the right to stop institutions from selling personal information to other parties, he argued. People should also have the right to sue parties for improper use of personal information, although this would lead to an increase in lawsuits.
