Difference between revisions of "Privacy in the Online Environment"

Revision as of 01:43, 11 September 2011

(Not) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Privacy in the Online Environment (also referred to as information privacy) refers to a user's rights and control over his personal information in the digital realm. It allows for the many tiers of privacy (expressed in three theories), while simultaneously letting the users freely express themselves in whichever manner they choose, without jeopardizing their real identities (refer to Anonymous Behavior in Virtual Environments). Privacy in the Online Environment is related to the fields of information privacy and anonymity in cyberspace.

The Complexity of Privacy in Virtual Environments

Because there are various types of environments in the web, we must distinguish the need for privacy in each kind of environment. For example, the amount of information one would give to other users when playing a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), such as World of Warcraft, is probably not the same as the content one might share with friends when playing Halo 3 or interacting on Facebook. The dynamics of privacy become increasingly complex as the number of users increases. If other users in the environment are exclusively friends, one may not want to hide their real name, phone number and home address. However, if the environment is occupied by millions of unknown people, an individual may not want to share as much of their personal information. One may choose to remain completely anonymous or could configure privacy settings to ensure greater protection over such information.

Privacy, or information privacy, has been directly linked to personal identity. According to David Shoemaker, "a threat to informational privacy is a threat to our personal identity". [1] There are several connections between information offered on the internet and personal identity, which participants should recognize and choose as most integral to their virtual environment.

Limitations and cases to where a user's privacy is just and necessary are under constant development. Any breaches of a user's privacy is subject to penalization.

Theories

Information privacy is categorized by three theories: Control Theory, Limitation Theory, Restricted Access/Limited Control Theory.

Control Theory

Developed by Peter Burke, states that informational privacy exists only when the user has control over some domains of unrevealed personal information. This theory does not specify what constitutes as a zone of personal information, and why, and the extent of the user's control over said information.

Limitation Theory

Created by Herman T. Tavani in response to vagueness in Control Theory. This theory states that informational privacy exists when personal information is limited or restricted in certain contexts. Does not specify how the user's zone of privacy is constructed (i.e. the ability to grant or deny access to viewers).

Restricted Access/Limited Control Theory (RALC)

Developed by James Moor and Herman T. Tavani, RALC is a hybrid of the two aforementioned theories. It states that the user has privacy to his personal information depending on the context of the situation.

1. The distinction from the Control and Limited Theory is the case of 'condition of privacy' versus 'the right of privacy'.
2. The 'condition of privacy' states that if the user exposes his personal information, he has lost his privacy. In contrast, if the user did not choose to reveal certain information yet said information is used without permission, 'the right of privacy' recognizes this as a violation of privacy.
   • The latter case occurs when there is a violation of privacy in the normative sense (i.e. conventional, legal, ethical). An example of this is the unsolicited sharing of one's medical information.
   • The Limited Control Theory is more appropriate in defining the boundaries of a normative zone of privacy (i.e. one can share medical information with certain persons).

It is therefore context sensitive; and it is not the information itself, but the circumstance or the zone of privacy that is analyzed to decide whether said information should be normatively protected.

Protecting Privacy

How far will YOU go to protect your privacy?

There exists a dichotomy in the sharing of information, that is, publicly available information and partially available information. There has been an ongoing controversy stemming from the former case. Data Mining, the collection and use of publicly shared pieces of information (via databases, television, records, etc), has been alleged to be a blatant violation of one's information privacy. Specifically, the term "use" is vague, but can extend to a company using personal information and observed behavioral patterns to develop a profitable algorithm and/or enterprise. This issue of data mining and violation of privacy comes into conflict with all three theories (i.e. Control, Limitation, RALC).

Helen Nissenbaum points out the unethical aspects of data mining:

• data mined is collected in one context, and used in another context. For example, manipulation of information and negative portrayal of character.
• certain collections or patterns of information may expose the identity of a person in an unexpected way

Users are therefore vulnerable to identity theft per se by merely cooperating in any kind of environment, especially virtual. One's real identity can be put at risk if the right amount of the correctly collected bits of information fall into the hands of an unauthorized viewer. Information revealed over the online environment lends itself to four self-identities: Self-determination, Narrative, Social, and Self-esteem. These four categories possess a subset of qualities that will contribute to the understanding of a person.
For example, one's beliefs, emotional dispositions, religious values, etc.

Self-Identities in an Online Environment

Self-determination

Created by Harry Frankfurt, states that psychological elements that govern one are only truly authorized by himself. 'Psychological elements' such as hope, theoretical beliefs, motivations, etc evidently lend to self-identity.

Narrative

This identity was developed by Marya Schechtman, and states that an identity is conceived through one's decision to impart importance on certain psychological features and by giving said features an intelligible place in his life.

Social Identity

Developed by Charles Taylor and Anthony Appiah, this identity joins collective and personal properties of persons that are seen as important for social life (i.e. race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation).

Self-Esteem Identity

David Copp asserts that there are clear properties a part of self-identity if there are positive or negative emotions consistently associated with certain situations.
For example, an aspiring student will almost always feel disappointment when receiving a lower grade on an exam.

Notes

Shoemaker, David W, "Springer Science+Business Media B.V.", 2009, 28 NOV 2009

External References

1. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=534622
2. http://philpapers.org/rec/COPTNO
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taylor_(philosopher)