The Death of Privacy: The Battle for Personal Privacy in the Courts, the Media, and Society

Today, personal privacy is becoming a thing of the past due to the information revolution, the intrusive gossip hungry media, and other social and technological developments making everyone's life an open book. As a result, individuals and organized groups have been fighting to create more privacy protections from those seeking to invade their privacy and learn information about them, which can quickly be spread worldwide due to the power of the Internet. The Death of Privacy raises intriguing questions about an individual's desire for the right to privacy versus Big Brother's "right to know." For example: May an employer inquire about an employee's personal history beyond details that may affect job performance? Just how far can the press go in revealing anything about anyone? Can the police demand to search your home or car as part of an official investigation in your neighborhood? What privacy protection exists if your name and address are obtained by marketers and mailing list companies? How do the "new technologies"-cellular phones, faxes, e-mail, computer bulletin boards-influence the overall future of privacy? Dr. Gini Graham Scott, a nationally recognized expert on personal privacy and other related issues, gives a thoughtful overview of privacy battles in and out of the courtroom that have directly influenced what can remain private. In addition, this book shows the growing impact of print and broadcast media from the early privacy skirmishes generated by the press back in the late 1800s through the mid1990s, which turned today's media into tabloid journalism. The Death of Privacy steers an objective course in explaining the varying views on both sides of the battles, while advocating the right of individuals to maintain as much personal privacy protection of possible. This book will be of importance to anyone who wants to understand the decline of personal privacy today, and will be of special interest to sociologists, legal and medical professionals, politicians, historians, and individual rights' advocates, still fighting for personal privacy today.