International Journal of Communications Law & Policy

THE INTERNET PRIVACY DEBATE
By Kenneth Brown

Download the Paper in PDF Format: IJCLP Web-Doc 11-6-2001

Abstract

Privacy advocates insist on a wide range of remedies. Recommendations range from web-safety notices to strict "policing" to monitor the exchange of personal information on the net. Although all parties agree on the need for privacy on the net, the difficulty rests in how to effectively regulate the net to achieve privacy. Unfortunately, differences among experts about how to regulate the net are as contentious as the concern about privacy.

Privacy itself is particularly complicated in the U.S. because historically it is not referenced nor mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, nor its Amendments. Privacy and the "right to privacy" are loosely defined. The Internet is a new technology with infinite capabilities for information exchange. Privacy and the Internet combined easily become a hydra of issues, including disagreement over regulatory effectiveness, anonymity and uncertainty over the adverse impact of regulations on the Internet economy. Closely reviewing the issues reveals the complexity of the privacy debate.

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