Noting that while much has been said about privacy and the defense of newsworthiness in legal cases involving the unauthorized publication of true but embarrassing facts, this paper points out that there appear to be only three broadly distinguishable--and largely disparate--theories of privacy and newsworthiness, none of them in circulation long…

Privacy is an issue that arises from the intersection of a demand for improved recordkeeping processes, and computing technology as the response to the demand. Recordkeeping in the United States centers on information about people. Modern day computing technology has the ability to maintain, store, and retrieve records quickly; however, this…

Computer technology ought to be among the most helpful and useful of any technology, but if it is not treated with care, the society will be worse off for it. The Federal Privacy Act of 1974 established the Privacy Protection Study Commission whose business started in June, 1975. In examination of the private sector, the commission's…

This paper presented as part of a symposium on Issues in the Design and Implementation of Computer-Based Student Information Systems focuses on the ethical and legal aspects of these systems. It provides an update of the Buckley Amendment or Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and a reminder of related codes of ethics. Four…

This discussion of the ethics of the information process provides a brief review of the process of information supply and flow, primarily in science and technology; looks at various points in the flow of information; and highlights particular ethical concerns. Facets of the process discussed in more detail include ways in which some scientists…

Two hundred fourteen journalism students responded to a questionnaire designed to test the extent of the disparity between journalistic attitudes toward law and ethics in the area of invasion of privacy by photography in both print and broadcast media. The survey instrument presented eight cases in which allegations of media invasion of privacy…

Whether individuals should be allowed to see and correct their health records evokes controversy that revolves about citizens' rights to know what information is kept on them, society's duty to protect individuals' and doctors' rights, and the rights of employers and other parties to maintain the confidentiality of their files. A review of the…

A national sample of journalists, consisting of 700 television news photographers, newspaper photographers, television news directors, newspaper editors, and journalism educators, was asked to evaluate the ethical conduct in eight situations involving alleged invasion of privacy by photography. The respondents found journalistic conduct to be…

This Task Force on Privacy and Confidentiality is intended to call attention to the central role of the right to privacy in the maintenance and enrichment of a free society. The psychological implications of the changing views of privacy as reflected in political, social, and technological developments are discussed, and recommendations relating…

Argues that the existing rules governing a physician's liability for treating a child without parental consent merit reconsideration because the minor possesses a fundamental constitutional right, stemming from the right of privacy, to consent to medical care. Proposes guidelines for the development of a legislative program implementing these…

These aspects of maintaining the security of computer-processed information concerning mental health patients are discussed: legal protection, technological safeguards, and managerial responsibility. (CTM)

Raises several policy issues concerning interactive cable television, including the role of government and the regulation powers, and the implications of telecommunication/social service system concerning privacy and confidentiality, approaches to electronic opinion polling, and the potential widening of the information gap between rich and poor.…

It is proposed that the current norm of privacy surrounding child-rearing practices should be shifted toward greater openness and freer communication. The rationale for this proposal is considered in terms of society's responsibility toward the child and in terms of current psychological and legal views of the function of privacy. (Author/AM)

Today's privacy/disclosure issues have been defined by a series of court decisions that illustrate adaptation to social change. Development of surveillance technology, increased use of individual testing, and interconnected computers have allowed abuses of individual privacy rights to which the law has recently responded. (Editor/LBH)

Examines court cases dealing with charges of harassment, trespass, and invasion of privacy against reporters who ventured onto private property to gather news; proposes a test for such cases that would weigh the public interest in the particular information obtained against the nature of the intrusion. (GW)