Now it’s time to start on the module itself. All seven modules begin with a Case Study discussion to start you thinking about the topic for the module so that you can approach the module readings with some questions, and an initial position on some related ethical questions. This module is about privacy, and so is the Case Study!
First, read this article: Williams, Mary Elizabeth. “Even cheating dirtbags deserve privacy.”
Your question to answer is: Why do people deserve privacy—what is it good for? Do people who use privacy to act immorally (but not illegally) still deserve their privacy? Why or why not?
People deserve to have privacy due to it being a fundamental aspect of society. From how what we do on our own, to the information about us, many things about life are given privacy because not everything needs to be seen by everyone.
Privacy allows people to express themselves without the knowledge of being seen. If people were only allowed to exist by being seen by others, then it would restrict people from being able to do things on their own or have private experiences with personal figures that don’t need to be made public. Privacy is also necessary for protecting personal information like an address or social security number that could have a large negative impact on someone’s life if it were to get out.
In the case of the Ashley Madison hack, while there is complexity in what is considered immoral, privacy is still something that should be a given regardless. People are entitled to do what they want to on the Internet, even if it’s a frowned-upon subject. While I don’t like the idea of a site like Ashley Madison, and The Impact Team that hacked the site didn’t, it isn’t grounds for people’s information to be out in the open for everyone to see. Privacy isn’t allowed for some and not for others, it’s given to everyone.