Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Privacy, like the weather, is much discussed, little understood, and difficult to control. It is a multidimensional concept with fluid and often ill-defined, contested, and negotiated borders, depending on the context and the culture. Along with its opposite publicity , it is nonetheless a cornerstone of modern society's ideas of the person and of democracy. As the impacts of computerization on society (and the reverse) become ever more apparent, issues of privacy and publicity are vital for understanding society and for the creation of the good society. Privacy and publicity are nouns. For purposes of explanation, they can be seen as polar ends of a continuum. This perspective draws attention to the moral or normative aspects of withholding and disclosing of information and asking or not asking for information. Depending on the context, social roles, and culture, individuals or groups may be required, find it optional, or be prohibited from engaging in these activities. These in turn involve a broader area called the sociology of information. Governing rules here vary from situations where information must be kept private to those where it must be made public (or perhaps better, must be revealed – whether as part of a confidential relationship or to the public at large). There is considerable subjectivity with respect to expectations about how information is to be treated. ... log in or subscribe to read full text