Personal Privacy In The United States

Words: 926
Pages: 4

At the core privacy is the ability to live a life without the interference of others. Yet, government frequently infringes upon the private lives of citizens. Libertarian activists are in opposition to almost any government involvement in personal life. Those who insist on person freedom are frequently also supporters of government transparency. This may appear to be hypocritical view but supporters will insist that in order for individuals to have freedom they must be aware of what the government and other large organizations, such as massive corporations, are doing. This means that average citizens are better able to understand the role of the government in their everyday lives. Yet a time comes when most agree that personal privacy must …show more content…
As Singer points out in his essay over time our society has developed to demand more and more privacy. More primitive cultures frequently lived communally with little regard for individual privacy. As cultures developed, the multigenerational family remained present along with very large family sizes. But moving towards the present day, family size has decreased while homes have expanded. Singer mentions that the American Dream now includes a home with a bedroom for every family member and a bathroom just for guests as to allow additional privacy for the family. Similarly it is very common for every family member to have their own tablet or computer or to have multiple accounts on a shared device as to allow everyone their own space. From a young age children have begun to expect independence online. They have their own forums, games, websites, and apps that are marketed and designed for children and preteens. This has created an unruly web space, with adults infiltrating these spaces with malicious intent and children using their comfort with technology to springboard into more inappropriate …show more content…
While we are obsessed with maintaining our physical privacy we have little issue sharing intimate details of our lives. From a young age it is expected to have a Facebook account, Twitter, Instagram, and possibly a blog. Through all of these social networks it is easy to share the many facets of daily life, photos, thoughts, status updates, and often-personal information. Our culture promotes the ideal of becoming famous for being yourself. Vloggers or online video bloggers, and reality stars are the offshoot of this culture. This pursuit leaves many posting obsessively on social media in an attempt to forward their personal ‘brand’. It is also common to give out email addresses to websites without much or to link new accounts to preexisting ones on Facebook or Google. Linking these accounts allow for the technology to know more about you and your