Reading Assignment

• Read Chapter 5 of Quinn (Privacy). Pay special attention to sections involving the government.
• Read NSA Program Further Blurs Line on Privacy
• Review Sections 2.2-2.8 of Quinn (Ethical Theories).

Discussion Questions

1. What is privacy? What are the benefits and disadvantages of the modern perspective to privacy?
2. Is privacy a right? Does the government need to create laws to protect it?
3. Advantages and disadvantages of government surveillance. When is it ethical? When is it not?
4. Advantages and disadvantages of government data mining. Is it ethical?
5. Using each of the four ethical theories that Quinn labels as workable (Kantianism, act utilitarianism, rule utilitarianism, and social contract theory), analyze the morality of the Patriot Act.
6. Using each of the four ethical theories that Quinn labels as workable, analyze the morality of a National Identification Card.
7. Using each of the four ethical theories that Quinn labels as workable, analyze the morality of the NSA article.
8. Question 53 on page 267 in Quinn.
9. "In a recent study, people in subway stations were offered a cheap pen in return for disclosing their passwords. About 90 percent offered their passwords in return for the pen [110]. Do people really value privacy?" pg. 268, Question 59, Quinn.