Privacy

 

There are laws written to protect people’s privacy, but the law has not kept up with the technological advances and technology is continuing to progress and change. Organizations need to stay on top of the changes with technologies, so that they can protect the privacy of their employees and clients. Demitrius Klitou provides insight on the latest Privacy-Invading Technologies in his article; for example, he discusses full body scanning devices that show images of peoples bodies under clothes; an audio device that activates and will record any sound in a large area (i.e. public space, mall, etc.); and chips that can go into a person to locate them (similar to chips used in dogs, only it’s for human tracking) (2011, pgs.299-302). What are organizations going to do with these latest devices? How long will it be before employers are taping everything that goes on within the organization?

I don’t feel organizations have a handle on technology, and people are not fully aware of the dangers of technology. For example, the tracking device is currently being used in conjunction with medical devices. However, when an individual opts to have a medical device they are giving up their fourth amendment rights (and the device can be used to track them if the government feels there is sufficient evidence to do so). 

Statement 3 of the Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals states, “Human Service Professionals protect the client’s right to privacy…” but how will they protect themselves or their clients from the internet (2012, p.2)?  From Social Media Sites? Google has come up with a program that will provide a 360 degree view of a street address. Lauren Rakower feels that, “Google Street View technology presents particularly complicated questions, for it not only implicates the privacy rights and protections afforded domestically, but triggers the attention of the entire international community” (p.320). An individual was caught going into an adult video store, and his image was used without his consent, but the laws are not up-to-date, and he had no recourse. Do we have the right to use technology to check-up on our clients? For me, this issue raises the question- where will I draw the line between public and private information?

References

Council for Standards in Human Service Education adopted 1996. Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals. Retrieved September 4, 2012, from http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals.

Klitou, D. (2011). Privacy By Design And Privacy-Invading Technologies: Safeguarding Privacy, Liberty And Security In The 21st Century.

Rakower, L. H. (2011). Blurred Line: Zooming In On Google Street View And The Global Right To Privacy. Brooklyn Journal Of International Law, 37(1), Council for Standards in Human Service Education adopted 1996.