Does Society Have a Duty to Protect Privacy of an Individual

Does society have a duty to protect privacy of an individual?

The protection of privacy is far from being a new subject. This issue has been debated from the drafting of the Bill of Rights, to present day. There are numerous components to the issue of privacy protection and such is a concrete established feature in public debate.

The essential element of the issue is recognition that privacy is a fundamental human right, and that it's firmly established in law. Rotenberg, M. Electronic Privacy Information Center, Preserving Privacy in The Information Society, retrieved on (July 5, 2012)

It has been determined by philosophers and others that privacy is as indispensable character of freedom. Privacy is intertwined with autonomy, dignity, spirituality, trust and even liberty. References pursuant to this issue can be found even in the Bible, the history of Periclean Athens. Rotenberg, M.p.1

In 1890, there was a famous article published by jurist Louis Brandels, which described privacy as "the right to be let alone," and as "the most fundamental of all rights cherished by a free people." Further, the right to privacy is well established in international law, with the core privacy principle in modern law being found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 12 of the UDHR, which states, "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Thus, everyone has the right to protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Reference:

Rotenberg, M. Dir., Electronic Privacy Information Center of the United States of America, Preserving Privacy in the Information Society, retrieved on (July 5, 2012)

www.privacy.org/pil/sourcebook(Epic 1998); Law.umke.edu/faculty/projects/trials/conlaw/right of privacy/html.