Privacy and Anonymity

Privacy is a human right that gives

the ability to individuals and groups
to control the flow of their personal
information and so to determine for
themselves when, how and which
personal information should be
shared with others.
Private Information

For some businesses information is

money and for this reason they buy and
sell information derived from personal
data, while for some governmental and
military organisations information is
security and for this reason they
manipulate personal data in the name
of safety and public security.
Sensitive Data

Today information technologies are used as

instruments of surveillance selecting different
kinds of sensitive personal data for
 identification reasons in case of emergency;
 security reasons in case of criminal actions;
 information reasons in case of national
statistics
The Right of Privacy

Privacy is a human value consisting of four

rights: (1) solitude: the right to be alone
without disturbances; (2) anonymity: the right
to have no public personal identity; (3)
intimacy: the right to do something privately;
(4) reserve: the right to control personal
information about oneself as well as the
methods of dissemination of that information
Forms of Privacy

 TerritorialPrivacy
 Location Privacy
 Bodily Privacy
 Personal Privacy
 Communication
privacy
 Information privacy
The Question of Privacy

John Locke argued that

the most fundamental
human rights were life,
liberty and property. Any
threat to an individual’s
private property is a
potential threat to that
individual’s personal life
and so liberty and
privacy have to be
undeniably protected.
The Question of Privacy

Emmanuel Kant argued that

rationality and autonomy
are essential prerequisites
in the freedom of a moral
agent. Privacy is
intrinsically good and
invaluable for a free
person to be autonomous
and therefore to act
responsibly.
Threats of Privacy: Dionysus’ Cave

Dionysius (432-367 BC) was

the tyrant of Syracuse who
carved an artificial limestone
cave with excellent
accoustics in the form of a
human ear (measured 80
feet in height and 250 in
length) in order to hear the
secret plans of his political
dissidents.
Threats of Privacy: Panopticon

The problem of a
surveillance society
has been firstly
portrayed in the
concept of panopticon
(‘all-seeing’)
proposed by Jeremy
Bentham (1748-1832)
as a model prison.
Big Brother Is Watching You

George Orwell in his dystopian

novel 1984 (written in 1948)
describes a surveillance
society where privacy and
human rights are violated
under the telescreen eyes of
Big Brother and controlled by
the agencies of the big-
brotherhood party such the
Thought Police and the
Ministry of Truth.
Anonymity

The problem of
anonymity has been
firstly portrayed in
Plato’s Republic in
which describes the
Myth of Gyges the
Lydian who had
found a ring that
made him invisible.
The Ring of Gyges

Under the cover of invisibility,

Gyges could act immorally
and unjust without the fear of
punishment: Humans are just
because they are forced to
be. Humans are by nature
selfish beings that act unjust
given the opportunity. If
humans could remain
invisible they would perform
unjust actions: ‘those who
practice justice do so against
their will because they lack
the power to do wrong’.
Critics of Privacy

Some critics of personal

privacy maintain that
privacy in the form of
anonymity protects the
guilty, covers deception
and fraud and so it is
harmful to social stability.
If you are not guilty, what
do you have to hide?
Privacy Right

The desire for

privacy does
not mean that
the individual
has something
to hide.
Privacy vs. Security

Privacy protection is a
fundamental human
right and its desire
should not be justified
nor negotiated. The
right of privacy should
involve a balancing
act with security.
Balance Acts

 Safeguarding personal and group privacy,

in order to protect individuality and freedom
against unjustified intrusions by authorities.
 Collecting relevant personal information
essential for rational decision-making in
social, commercial, and governmental life.
 Conducting the constitutionally limited
government surveillance of people and
activities to protect public order and safety.
Methods of Privacy Violation

 Intrusion
 Misuse of
information
 Interception of
information
 Data Matching
 Data Mining
Database Surveillance

The centralization of data in network databases (known

as distributed databases) offers easy and quick
access to large amount of information. Databases help
governmental security agencies (FBI, IRS) to create
computer profiles of potential criminals and function
against computer crime, cyberterrorism and computer
fraud. Marketing databases help commercial
companies to retrieve invaluable statistical information
about consumers’ preferences and purchases.
 Black list databases
 Database mismanagement
 Data theft
Internet Surveillance

Many websites lack efficient security procedures

and so make it possible for personal information
to be collected and transmitted to other sources
and databases. Some other websites track the
users’ information and remember their identity by
using cookies. Cookies are small files placed on
the visitor’s hard disk in order to gather
information about the visitor’s activities,
preferences and shopping habits. They are used
particularly for e-commerce and on-line shopping.
Video Surveillance

Closed Circuit Television

(CCTV) cameras are
used in public areas
(airports, banks, streets
and schools) to track
individuals in order to
dissuade criminals and
terrorists.
Satellite Surveillance

Satellites can be used not

only to take detailed
photographs of the
earth for scientific
purposes, but also to
take images of our
personal life. The most
relevant technology in
satellite surveillance is
Global Positioning
System (GPS).
Mobile Surveillance

3G phones are subject both

to surveillance
technologies (satellites,
GPS) as well as to
unauthorised sharing of
information (video,
pictures) without the
knowledge of the person.
3G phones may record
video and pictures of
individuals without their
permission and approval.
ID Cards Surveillance

Authentication is crucial both

in public and private areas.
Information technology helps
towards this direction with the
introduction of identification
cards such as smart cards,
laser cards, e-passports and
Radio Frequency IDs. These
identification cards include a
microchip with personal and
biometric information for the
user’s authentication.
Protecting Privacy

Two concepts relate to the protection

of the privacy of personal data:
(1) protection of data concerning an
individual and
(2) protection of data owned by an
individual.
Protect Your Privacy

With regard to the storage

of personal data individuals
or groups should be aware
about:
 Collection of Data
 Integrity of Data
 Access to Data
 Protection of Data