Closing Case Study Two Google

CLOSING CASE STUDY TWO

GOOGLE

QUESTIONS

1. What do you think about privacy for user searches? Is it invasion of privacy or just good business? Does it bother you that companies collect and sell information about you?

The right to privacy in Internet activity is a serious issue facing society. Some users of the net wish to shield their identities while participating in frank discussions of sensitive topics. Others fulfill fantasies and harmlessly role play under the cover of a false identity in chat rooms, MUDs or the IRC. But there are the eternal bad apples and on the Internet, they are the people who use anonymous servers as more than a way to avoid responsibility for controversial remarks. Cases of harassment and abuse have become increasingly frequent, aided by a cloak of anonymity. There are also problems with frauds and scam artists who elude law enforcement authorities through anonymous mailings and postings. Other users are concerned about the proliferation of information on the Internet. Databases of court records are now available for free over the World Wide Web.

The legal term "invasion of privacy" refers primarily to a person's right to keep his or her life private and free from the intrusion of others. It is often associated with a public figure's right to be left alone by the media, although many public aspects of a celebrity's life are not protected. Invasion of privacy charges are usually presented in a civil lawsuit against an organization that has crossed a perceived line into a celebrity or other person's private life, or have used his or her likeness or name in an unauthorized public manner. It would be more likely that a national tabloid would face an invasion of privacy lawsuit than a private citizen.

Without a reasonable expectation of privacy, however, there is no privacy right to protect. Files stored on disk or tape in the home is protected, but the rule becomes less clear when applied to files stored on an Internet access...