Articles
A Socialist Theory of Privacy in the Internet Age: An Interdisciplinary Analysis
Authors:
Scott Confer ,
Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, US
About Scott
Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Kara Heuple
Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, US
About Kara
Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Abstract
In this essay, I examine the philosophical, political, and economic aspects of privacy in the Internet Age and argue that a socialist theory of privacy is the most suited for the contemporary privacy issues of the Internet. In section 2, I examine classic theories of privacy and argue that a Restricted Access/Limited Control theory offers the best framework and should be refined as a socialist theory of privacy. In section 3, I assess this theory in the context of the Internet Age, using Internet cookies and data mining as primary examples. In section 4, I describe the economic goals of a socialist theory of privacy and contrast them to liberal privacy notions. In Section 5, I review current and proposed privacy policies in the United States and give recommendations on revising them to support a socialist theory of privacy. In Section 6, I conclude that a socialist theory of privacy defines moral and economic goals that align with what is best for society as a whole and that, although our current policies are not working towards these goals, there is a glimmer of hope with the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights.
How to Cite:
Confer, S. and Heuple, K., 2017. A Socialist Theory of Privacy in the Internet Age: An Interdisciplinary Analysis. Philologia, 9. DOI: http://doi.org/10.21061/ph.v9i0.219
Published on
25 Apr 2017.
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