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Privacy Framing

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Lauren's HS Journalists

Group – High School Journalism Class (Seniors) Privacy is extremely, extremely important to all of them.

What is important about privacy to you?

Everything about privacy is important. As journalists, high school students, and future voters, they overall felt that US citizens have a right to have an expectation of the right of privacy.

What information about yourself are you comfortable giving out?

I take it on a case by case basis. It depends on whose asking. If I don’t know you at all, I may not even give my real name. If I want to know you, I will. Phone numbers, email addresses, myspace info, where I’m going to college, where I work.

Where do you draw the line and say “That’s none of your business!”

Sex questions from jerks. Anything that’s asked with a tone of voice I decide I don’t like. Personal information that I chose not to give out. Questions about money that I don’t feel comfortable answering.

What do you think of when I ask you about privacy?

As a future journalism major and journalist, I would never give up or reveal my source. My right to exercise my rights, all of my rights, as a citizen who deserves protection from a government that wishes to NOT allow me to exercise my rights in the first place. Libraries have always been a source of information for me, and when I think about privacy, I think about what I need to know to write the article or story I need to write. I expect that my library would provide information on all sides of the issue that I am researching.

What influences in our society are changing how we think about privacy?

Identity theft, myspace, facebook, pedophiles, cameras in school and everywhere else, cameras in dressing rooms, those SPY shops that sell surveillance gear, that everywhere everything feeling I get sometimes just when I’m walking down the street or in the mall, online banking, online everything, all that financial info my parents had to put online to fill out forms for financial aid for college, 24-hour news, the media in general, newspapers – fact checkers, credit card fraud, just being bombarded with information and wondering what of it is true and what of it is spun for the benefit of those in power.

How do you feel about privacy?

I feel about privacy the way that it is just personal. It’s private and if I want someone to know something I will tell them, if not, then go away. Another student wondered if even asking questions about how he felt about privacy was an invasion of his privacy, but then stated that he didn’t really feel that it way , it was just a comment. The students felt that seeing things in print about people that are lies or slanderous was very pernicious. They hated the tabloids and all those celebrity shows that tell us more than we want to know about them. They felt that they had a right to keep their lives private. They discussed Prince William and Prince Harry, and the children of royalty, the children of families in the spotlight in any way, and thought they had probably should have more privacy than they do. All the students felt that libraries had an obligation to protect their information for them. They felt that allowing information about them given out to the FBI would be illegal.

What concerns do you have about privacy?

The One ID issue that the government would have us have. They will create a need for this and make fearful that if we don’t have this ID then we won’t be able to do anything, or get anything, or buy anything, or go anywhere at all. The new chips in the passports, the differences in my new driver’s license compared to my parent’s driver’s license. Mine looks different. The RFID chips will all be carrying around in us one day. They are already putting them in dogs and cats and old people with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Scary, very scary.

What types of information could hurt a person if made public?

If the information about the person in untrue, then that would be damaging to the person. Being identified as a criminal when you are not, and then even if you are cleared, you still have that information on record that you were allegedly guilty of something. I once saw someone’s personal check marked “insufficient funds” stamped across it on display at the locksmiths shop. On it was their name, address, and bank info. I thought that was pretty terrible. I told him he should at least take a black magic marker to the account info on the bottom, and maybe the address too. I mean, he was obviously doing it as a ‘wall of shame’ thing, and in that case only the name mattered. When I went back though, the check had been removed from the wall.

What information about others do you feel you need to know?

I would like to know if they are honest, or at least as honest as possible. I would like to know if I can count on them to be my friend.

What decisions have you made about your privacy?

I’m more cautious than when I was only in middle school or younger. We all read and listen much more than probably your average teenager to these kinds of issues. I’m cautious about giving out my credit card over the phone, but do it anyway.

What tradeoffs or compromises would you be willing to make with your privacy?

None really. I think I need more protection from the government than from any terrorist out there.

Are you surprised at any of that that you have heard today?

Well, I learned a few things, and it was fun too.

ccaywood	Latest page update: made by ccaywood , Dec 19 2007, 5:12 PM EST (about this update About This Update Moved from: Lauren's Senior Citizens - ccaywood No content added or deleted. - complete history)
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