A National Discussion on Privacy: Statement of Purpose from the International Freedom Roundtable

As the library profession protects privacy and confidentiality, we have found that the public does not always appreciate our principles. That is, although American citizens learn through daily news reports that government agencies and corporate entities are observing, monitoring, collecting, recording, and mining private and confidential information about them without their consent, many persons appear to be willing to trade their privacy for a greater sense of security or even convenience.

We want to educate the general public about “the eternal value of privacy,” as Schneier terms this essential freedom. http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,70886-0.html And we need to understand how the public views privacy and related issues of security and transparency.

A special ad hoc IFRT task force, chaired by Carolyn Caywood, will organize to begin framing the issue for a national deliberation on privacy. This group will meet at the 2007 Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. WA on Friday afternoon. Anyone with an interest in either privacy issues or civic engagement is invited to join! Contact Carolyn for more information.

Framing the issue of privacy will be the most important and difficult step. How an issue is framed can illuminate or bias deliberation as well as make it boring or stimulating. It is critically important that all points of view, values, and concerns be brought to the table before framing begins. Typically a fully framed issue will not meet the expectations of the people who began the process.

Framing begins, not with information, but with feelings. We need to ask:
What concerns you when you think of privacy?
How do you feel about it? What values are affected by too much privacy or too little?

And we need to ask people with every imaginable point of view until we hear nothing new any more. Then the issues and concerns and feelings and values are grouped by similarity. The groups are consolidated until 3 to 5 choices appear.

Once we have arrived at the choices that reflect what really matters to the public we have framed the issue. Then we will assemble a discussion guide and encourage libraries to hold forums.

The IFRT task force will partner with the ALA Fostering Civic Engagement Membership Initiative Group co-founded by Nancy Kranich and Taylor Willingham.