Balancing privacy with freedom of speech

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At the age of technological progress, balancing privacy with freedom of speech seems no longer possible. On the one hand, individuals strive to protect themselves from technological and information intrusion; on the other hand, where Internet provides everyone with unlimited publishing opportunities, to be able to express thoughts freely becomes the major feature of a true democratic society. In the conflict between privacy and the free speech, primary attention needs to be paid to the element that is threatened the most.

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Here, Internet and computing technologies actively promote free speech but seriously threaten privacy, and that is why privacy should become the matter of the primary ethical discussion. Discussion Topic Essay At the age of technological progress, balancing privacy with freedom of speech seems no longer possible. On the one hand, individuals strive to protect themselves from technological and information intrusion; on the other hand, where Internet provides everyone with unlimited publishing opportunities, to be able to express thoughts freely becomes the major feature of a true democratic society.

From the viewpoint of legality and ethics, balancing free speech and privacy is necessary for the following reasons. First, free speech is the sign of one’s individual autonomy. “We want people to have the freedom to express themselves in all their uniqueness, eccentricity, and candor” (Solove, 2007). It is also understandable that the use of computing technology to distribute individual (private) information may restrict one’s individual autonomy.

For example, when trying to make one’s eccentricity public, eccentric individuals are more likely to restrain themselves in their behaviors, fearing public judgment and condemnation. It was also said that free speech is the indispensable element of democracy, and even when technologies change our political visions, free speech remains an important component of “a robust political discourse. What is essential is not that everyone shall speak, but that everything worth saying shall be said” (Solove, 2007).

At the same time, is it possible that computing technologies limit our privacy to the extent, where we are no longer able to express our true beliefs? Objectively, blogs and online discussion boards often become the sources of the most controversial ideas, but that they are the places of public expression often limits our ability to be truthful and open. In my opinion, much of the current ethics between free speech and privacy is justified by our persistent search for truth. We use computing technologies to intrude with individual privacy, and seek to use private information to satisfy the growing social needs.

The question is whether society is prepared to reveal the whole truth about its members? Moreover, in our search for truth about others, how prepared are we to reveal the truth about ourselves? I believe that free speech is certainly important for the continuous development of democracy, but privacy weights much more than one’s opportunity to express truth (or not truth) about specific issues of public concern. Privacy implies our ability to control the amount and the quality of information we deliver to the public. To the extent that technology threatens our ability to maintain compartmentalized lives, there are legitimate reasons to at least remain open to rethinking the way we balance First Amendment and privacy interests” (Hinchliff, 2009). In the conflict between privacy and the free speech, primary attention needs to be paid to the element that is threatened the most. Here, Internet and computing technologies actively promote free speech but seriously threaten privacy, and that is why privacy should become the matter of the primary ethical discussion.

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