A Hegelian Basis for Privacy as an Economic Right
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Feature Article: Theory and Practice
A Hegelian Basis for Privacy as an Economic Right Marco De Bonia and Martyn Prigmoreb a Unilever Corporate Research, Colworth House, Sharnbrook, Bedford MK44 1LQ, UK. E-mail: [email protected] b Department of Multimedia and Information Systems, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
The role of information systems and technology in stimulating interest in privacy is discussed, with an emphasis on the move towards regarding privacy as an economic right. Current proposals are shown to derive from pragmatic, problem-driven analyses, rather than clear philosophical foundations: they are therefore inflexible and limited in scope, and advances in technology are likely to render them obsolete. The need for a clear philosophical basis for privacy as an economic rather than a social/human right is therefore identified and the Hegelian concept of privacy is shown to provide such a basis. Contemporary Political Theory (2004) 3, 168–187. doi:10.1057/palgrave.cpt.9300107 Keywords: privacy; Hegel; economic right
Introduction The development of information systems has rekindled an interest in the problem of individual privacy, with a number of information systems researchers and practitioners making important contributions to the current debate. Here, we examine these contributions, paying particular attention to those information systems researchers who seek to establish privacy as an economic, rather than a social/human, right. Current proposals are shown to derive from pragmatic, problem-driven analyses of existing systems and current technologies lacking a clear philosophical foundation, and therefore inflexible and limited in scope. We therefore identify the need for a clear philosophical basis in order to consider privacy as an economic right, and in particular show that such a foundation can be given through a new reading of the Hegelian concepts of freedom and private property.
Approaches to Privacy The advent of electronic information systems, and more recently of Internet technologies and electronic commerce, has led to growing interest in the issue of
Marco De Boni and Martyn Prigmore A Hegelian Right to Privacy
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personal privacy. Much has been written about the nature of privacy, the extent to which it should be protected, and the mechanisms we might use to protect it. Some authors have considered privacy from a legal point of view (e.g. Gavison, 1980; Wacks, 1989; Michael, 1994; Henry, 2001) while others have examined the problem from an Information Systems perspective (e.g. Westin, 1967; Ellis, 1972; Cavoukian, 1998; Clarke, 1999) and others still have been primarily concerned with the economic dimension of the problem (e.g. Laudon, 1996; NTIA, 1997; Rule, 1998). The variety of these writings on privacy illustrates the depth of the concept and its importance. In this paper, our main concern is with economic aspects of privacy and privacy protection, but a brief review of the major strands within the three a
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