8: The Scale of Machine Learning and The Value of Privacy

What is constitutional privacy? What is an example?

Constitutional privacy is defined as the ability to make important personal decisions about one's family, life, and lifestyle, such as the constitutional right to privacy recognized in Roe v. Wade.

What is informational privacy?

Informational privacy is the ability to determine when, how, and to what extent information about ourselves is communicated to others, or to control who has access to private information about us.

What is private information?

Private information is potentially sensitive information about a person that is "no one else's business" unless they choose to share it, typically shared only with trusted friends or family.

What is the difference between a negative right and a positive right? What is an example of each kind of right?

A negative right is a right not to be interfered with by others (e.g., the right not to be harmed or imprisoned), whereas a positive right is a right to be provided with assistance or resources by others (e.g., the right to healthcare or education).

What obligations correspond to negative rights and positive rights?

A negative right corresponds to an obligation for others not to do something to you, whereas a positive right corresponds to an obligation for others to provide you with something.

What are universal moral rights (human rights)?

Universal moral rights (human rights) are moral rights that every person possesses simply in virtue of being human.

What are two kinds of reasons that privacy might matter (Hint: self-interested reasons and reasons of public interest)? What is an example (not related to privacy) of each kind of reason and why is it an example of that kind of reason?

Self-interested reasons concern an individual's personal benefit (e.g., saving money for retirement to secure one's own future), whereas reasons of public interest concern societal well-being (e.g., reducing carbon emissions to protect environmental health for everyone).

Why does Rachels think that our “sense of privacy” cannot be explained merely in terms of our fear of being embarrassed or disadvantaged? How does Rachels’ example of a woman whose credit rating is affected by a report about her sexual behavior illustrate this?

Rachels argues that our sense of privacy is violated even when we do not fear being embarrassed or disadvantaged, because we feel our private lives are simply nobody else's business. In his example, a woman whose credit rating is affected by a report on her sex life objects not just to the financial unfairness, but to the fact that her intimate life was reported on at all.

According to Rachels, what is the connection between our ability to control who has access to information about us and our ability to create and maintain different social relationships?

According to Rachels, controlling access to information about ourselves allows us to selectively share details, which is necessary to create and maintain different kinds of social relationships (such as with friends, employers, or doctors).

What are Moxie Marlinspike’s two main claims about why privacy matters?

Marlinspike's self-interested claim is that almost everyone has unknowingly violated an obscure law and thus has something to hide from prosecution, while his public interest claim is that strong privacy protections serve as a vital safeguard against state oppression.

What is the difference between proximate surveillance and oblique surveillance, according to Marlinspike?

Proximate surveillance involves the government directly using technology to monitor communications, whereas oblique surveillance involves the government accessing centralized locations (like email providers or social networks) where private data accumulates on its own.

Why does Marlinspike think you probably do have something to hide?

Marlinspike argues you likely have something to hide because legal codes are so vast and complex that virtually every citizen routinely violates obscure laws without realizing it.

How does the example of same-sex relationships in violation of sodomy laws illustrate Marlinspike’s point about the relationship between privacy and social progress?

Marlinspike uses this example to show that privacy allowed individuals to break unjust sodomy laws in private, which enabled them to experience alternative ways of living and build the community momentum necessary to drive social progress like marriage equality.