1. How is
Whitepages.com able to produce a map to a person’s home, given only that person’s
phone number?
Whitepages.com
combines information contained in two databases. The first database ties phone
numbers to addresses. The second database ties addresses to locations on a map.
By combining information in these databases, Whitepages.com can show the map
location associated with a phone number.
2. Is privacy a
negative right or a positive right?
Privacy is a
negative right because all I have to do to give you privacy is leave you alone.
3. What right is
guaranteed by the Third Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
The Third Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives
people the right to refuse to let the government quarter soldiers in their
homes in peacetime.
4. What does it
mean when we say that privacy is a prudential right?
When we say privacy is a prudential right, we mean that
granting people this right provides a net benefit to society. Hence it is
prudent for a society to choose to give its members some privacy.
5.
Give three examples of ways in which an inhabitant of New York City in 2003 has
more privacy than an inhabitant of New York City in 1903.
With the invention of air conditioning and
television, people spend more time in their own apartments than they did 100
years ago. Automobiles and taxicabs give people more privacy than subway cars.
Young adults are more likely to live away from their parents than they were 100
years ago. Other examples are possible, of course.
6.
What is a public record?
A public record contains information reported to a
government agency for the purpose of informing the public.
7.
List five pieces of information about a
person that are public records.
Here are a few examples of public records that may
exist about a person: legal name, address, list of real estate owned, property
tax records, political party, date of birth, date of marriage, date of divorce,
and date of death.
8.
Provide an example (not already given in the book) of a situation where people
must disclose personal information to a private organization in order to get
something they want.
Here are a couple of possible answers. In order to
get a job, many people are required to take a drug test; i.e., submit a urine
sample. People routinely submit urine and blood samples and hand over medical
records in order to get a life insurance policy.
9.
What objections were raised to Facebook’s introduction of the Tag Suggestions
feature?
The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a complaint
about Facebook Tag Suggestions because Facebook apparently used photos posted
on its site to develop its facial recognition technology, but it never received
consent from Facebook users to use their photos for this purpose.
10.
Why do enhanced 911 services raise new concerns about privacy?
Enhanced 911 service raises new concerns about
privacy because in order to implement this service, cell phone companies must
install technology that enables them to track the positions of all active cell
phones.
11.
How do companies use loyalty cards to improve their sales?
By keeping track of a consumer's purchases using a
loyalty card, a company can predict which other products that consumer may be interested
in purchasing and generate coupons for those products to stimulate a sale
12.
What privacy concerns have been raised with the increasing use of RFID tags?
If consumers cannot detach or disable the RFID tags associated
with items they have purchased, then information about their possessions may be
collected by other people with RFID scanners.
13.
How are RFID tags being used to return pets to owners?
If every pet has an embedded RFID tag with the address
and phone number of the owner, then authorities who recover a stray pet can use
an RFID scanner to read this information and quickly return the pet to her
owner.
14.
What safety and security features are provided by the OnStar system?
A two-way communication system allows drivers who
need help to contact an OnStar representative. If the vehicle's airbags deploy,
the system automatically communicates the location of the vehicle to an OnStar
center. OnStar can be used to help owners recover stolen vehicles. OnStar
representatives also have the power to disable the gas pedal on OnStar-equipped
vehicles.
15.
What are the advantages of consolidating a patient’s medical records into a
single database accessible by many? What are the risks associated with this
consolidation?
Consolidating a patient's medical records into a single
database can make it easier for multiple health care professionals to provide
quality service to that patient. For example, having all of a person's
prescriptions in a single database makes it easier to identify potentially
dangerous drug interactions. The risk of consolidation is that if someone
should gain access to the database without authorization, that person would get
access to all of that patient's medical information.
16.
In what way do digital video recorders provide viewers with less privacy than
videotape recorders?
Digital video recorders provide viewers with less
privacy that videotape recorders because they report information about the
viewing history back to the subscription service providing the DVR.
17.
How could “cookies” created by a Web server affect a computer user’s privacy?
Cookies created by a Web server can affect your
privacy because if someone else should steal your cookie, that person can
impersonate you.
18.
What is data mining?
Data mining means searching through multiple
databases looking for patterns or relationships in the records.
19.
What are we referring to when we talk about a secondary use of data?
Secondary use of data is when information captured
for one purpose is put to another purpose.
20.
What is collaborative filtering? Who uses it?
Collaborative filtering is a way of helping an
individual wade through a large amount of choices and focus in on the best
ones. It uses information about the preferences of a large number of people to
predict those items an individual is more likely to like. On-line retailers and
movie-rental sites use collaborative filtering to make recommendations.
21.
How are some political campaigns using data mining?
Some campaigns are using data mining because it
enables them to target their direct mailings and home visits to the people most
likely to support their candidates.
22.
Explain the difference between an opt-in policy and an opt-out policy.
An opt-in policy requires a consumer to explicitly
give permission before an organization can share information it has collected
about the individual. An opt-out policy allows an organization to share
information it has collected about a consumer unless the individual explicitly
forbids it.
23.
What about Facebook Beacon made it so unpopular with Facebook users?
Facebook's decision to make their Beacon system opt-out
infuriated many Facebook users, who didn't even know Beacon existed until it
had revealed information they thought was private.
24.
Give three examples of how data mining is being used on information collected
from social networks.
