Are we hearing the death rattle of personal privacy or is privacy already dead?
Will drones, ubiquitous video cameras, automatic license plate readers, GPS enabled mobile devices, Stingrays, and the internet of things usher in a new era of around the clock surveillance where our everyday movements and activities are tracked by government, businesses and our neighbors alike?
Will facial recognition, DNA databases and other biometric technologies render anonymity a thing of the past?
Will data aggregators become so proficient at mining personal information that our lives become an open book for anyone to peruse with 15 minutes of online research or $4.99 to buy a personal profile?
Has our infatuation with sharing, as embodied by Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Instagram and other social networking sites fundamentally altered our definition of privacy?
Are we willing to trade off whatever privacy we may have in exchange for safety, convenience, discounts or free services?
Are the legal underpinnings of privacy, painstakingly developed over decades through a case by case judicial process, no longer suitable for the fast moving information age?
Will Congress or the states weigh in on what promises over the next few years to be an epic clash between the values of privacy and transparency?
These and other questions are becoming front and center in our national debate and will be our focus in class as we address the challenges of protecting privacy in an age of information abundance.
Get ready for a fun ride!
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