SOME CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE PRIVACY DEBATE IN THE INFORMATION AGE

This paper aims to rethink longstanding notions of privacy to grapple with the consequences of living in an Information Age. The old conceptions of privacy are not up to the task. Much of the law pertaining to privacy is based on these conceptions, and as a result it has failed to resolve the emerging privacy problems created by digital dossiers. The growing collection and use of personal information in digital form has long been viewed as problematic - a fear typically raised under the banner of "privacy". Although the problems of personal information are understood as concerns over privacy, beyond this, they are often not well defined. How much weight should our vague apprehensions given, especially considering the tremendous utility, profit, and efficiency of using personal information?