4 - Why privacy is important - Rachels

Question 1

What is privacy for Rachels?

Answer 1

Special interest in being free from some types of intrusions

Question 2

Why privacy is COMMONLY considered important and which are the shortcomings of this point of view?

Answer 2

Important because:
1. protect interest in competitions
2. keep embarrassing secrets
3. keep sensitive info personal (eg: medical conditions)
4. avoid unfair judgment base on irrelevant info (eg: medical records for job interview)

It lacks of
1. generalization for ordinary situations
2. concept of “nobody else’s business”

Question 3

Why privacy is considered important by RACHELS?

Answer 3

Since based on control over personal info access allow variety of relationships (central in social life of humans)

Question 4

How personal info access and relationships are linked?
Make an example

Answer 4

Each relationship characterized by specific behavioural pattern (which defines relationship itself)
No involvement of hypocrisy (no “real” one) : just appropriateness to context (may vary between cultures and ages) + degrees & kinds of shared knowledge

Examples:
1. Best friends != friends: different kind/degree of shared knowledge
2. Friends != office: different context
3. Group therapy = example of evolving relationship (change shared knowledge)

Question 5

What is considerable violation of privacy?

Answer 5

POTENTIAL interference with relationships and control over them
Sufficient to be perceived (from a moral point of view != legal one)

Question 6

When information can be considered “someone else’s business”?

Answer 6

When exists an appropriate relationship (both context and knowledge): usually freely chosen + based on our preferences

Question 7

How does Thomson define privacy and what are relevant aspects of his definition?

Answer 7

As overlapping cluster of rights among
1. Rights over person
2. Rights of owning property

Rights over person more linked with relationships with other people (eg: physical intimacy, gossip)