The Information Age: An Explotation Of Privacy

9 Pages 2150 Words

personal privacy should not exist in the United States. Another reason for denying the individual right to privacy to American citizens is to battle against “’drugs,’ ‘terrorism,’ and ‘money laundering’” (Goldsmith “Current State”). It is believed that by removing privacy these aspects of American culture will also be removed and the United States will be a safer place to live. There are also those who “see dangers that justify stretching the boundaries of what is permitted” as far as the invasion of privacy is concerned (Gottfried 11). The people who hold this opinion are concerned with the safety of national security but are over looking the personal safety of Americans.
Although the Constitution does not specifically state that every U.S. citizen has the “right to privacy,” it does imply that the right to privacy is held by every citizen. There are several amendments in the Constitution which “create ‘zones of privacy’ which, taken together, add up to a Constitutional right to privacy” (Christopher 12). The amendments that suggest this right to privacy include the first, fourth and fifth amendments. According to Ted Gottfried in his book Privacy, the Fourth Amendment is the one used most often in support of personal privacy (10). The Fourth Amendment “refers to the right of the people to be secure in their…houses papers and effects” as well as providing a safeguard against unreasonable searches of these items (Kronenwetter 203). By guaranteeing the security of private houses and papers, the Constitution is saying that these items belong to the individual and cannot be taken or searched through with out a reasonable cause.
Along with the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment also implies a protection of privacy. The Fifth Amendment “prevents individuals from being forced to incriminate themselves” (Gottfried 10). Although the Fifth Amendment is often time used in court cases...