Privacy and Obscenity

The ease with which information may be exchanged digitally has raised new concerns about how people will be able to protect their privacy. Privacy issue may be broadly divided into two types of concerns: 1) preventing private information from being accessed by others, a problem typified by e-mail and credit card number privacy; and 2) preventing publicly accessible information from reaching one's own computer, a problem typified by the concerns of parents who wish to prevent their children from accessing obscene or pornographic material by computer.

Some issues which are likely to arise include:

Public Disclosure of Private Facts: Individuals may post true but highly embarrassing information concerning acquaintances. As yet, no cases have been reported on this topic.

Issues related to protection of credit card numbers and other credit information collected in the course of on-line commercial transactions.

Interception of e-mail, both by hackers and by employers.

Authentication of on-line transmissions, in the absence of a traditional signature.

The Clipper Chip: To what extent should the government have the right to access individuals' and corporations' computer files?

Encryption and Access Control: Will many of the problems find technical, rather than legal solutions, as encryption schemes such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and software solutions that allow users to "lock out" certain areas of cyberspace much like cable channels become more widespread?

The Pornography Problem: Does the use of on-line services to distribute pornography and solicit sex create new legal challenges? Or can existing laws be extended to apply to cyberspace?

LINKS:

Email Concerns

Obscenity and Pornography on the Net