Essay on Right to Privacy

The digital age has resulted in various issues associated with privacy. Humanity has, in general, become obsessed with celebrities. Cover stories involving celebrities have become headlines in newspapers, and this has resulted in celebrities losing their right to privacy. Stories about celebrities have flooded the internet. Celebrities cannot date in secret, and their life is constantly being monitored by both the media and the general public. While every individual has a right to privacy, the right seems to be limited to ordinary people who are not celebrities. When an individual becomes famous, the general public becomes obsessed with their private life. People are always in constant pursuit of information about their favorite celebrities. However, celebrities are just ordinary people who have become famous. Just like any other person, celebrities deserve to have their right to privacy respected. Invasion of their privacy by the media and social media users is unethical. The right to privacy is one of the fundamental rights that individuals have fought hard to have. Various policies have been dropped due to privacy issues. Celebrities should hence enjoy their right to privacy as enshrined in the Constitution.

The right to privacy that is accorded to every citizen should not be lost through acquiring celebrity status. The right to privacy restricts the government and private individuals from intrusion into their privacy (Tang & Baumeister, 1984). The right to privacy also seeks to prevent the public from scrutinizing one’s personal information. While the right has not been expressly stated in the constitution, the right to privacy is protected by various laws. Laws that have been made in the United States have been made with respect to the citizens’ right to privacy. An example is the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The law seeks to protect an individual’s health information (Kiss, 2017). Celebrities are citizens too, and hence their right to privacy should be obeyed. In intruding into a celebrity’s personal life, one ignores the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. The intrusion of one’s privacy cannot be condoned, and as a result, the celebrity should have the right to be left alone and to undertake their normal lives without constant interruption and surveillance.

A breach of privacy can have serious consequences for an individual. A privacy breach alludes to the act of individuals accessing one’s personal information. Personal information may have different definitions. However, one thing that stands out is the fact that the act of a privacy breach can have serious effects (Tang & Baumeister, 1984). Privacy information mainly relates to information such as an individual’s home address, location, age, and marital status. Deliberate actions of privacy breaches such as hacking and manipulation of software have been criminalized (Kiss, 2017). Anyone who engages in the vices can find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Private information can be used in aiding various criminal activities. Privacy breaches can also be unintentional but could also equally have damaging effects (Acquisti et al., 2006). Breaching the privacy of celebrities can also have seriously damaging effects. Celebrities are always at risk of physical injuries that could be a result of privacy breaches. The death of Princess Diana presents a classic case of how the lack of privacy can have damaging effects (Hindman, 2003). Diana’s death was caused by the wrong use of paparazzi techniques. Further, the fact that celebrities do not have the right to privacy also makes them exposed to criminal activities such as identity theft and financial losses. Most fraudulent activities that criminals engage in are the result of privacy breaches (Kiss, 2017). Towards this end, celebrities should have their right to privacy.

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The lack of privacy has potentially damaging psychological effects on the lives of celebrities and their families. The fact that celebrities live a life of continuous surveillance makes them paranoid. Celebrities live in constant fear of the public and the government. When people live a life without privacy, they often develop mistrust (Hassan, 2011). Loss of privacy is associated with an increase in stress. A sense of privacy helps individuals to have a grip on their lives. When a person’s right to privacy is respected, they are likely to control how they live their lives. The right to privacy ensures sanity as well as the ability of an individual to lead a quiet life. Every individual has behaviors and aspects that they would like to keep private. However, an increase in surveillance makes it challenging for an individual to maintain a private life. The fact that celebrities have to live a life that is constantly being monitored by the public results in anxiety (Harvard Health Publishing, 2018). In England, Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle reported individuals who were attempting to track him down. He reported feeling of being anxious knowing that someone was tracking him down (Davies, 2019). Anxiety has several health implications and can result in an increase in blood pressure as well as various respiratory problems. Lack of privacy has serious effects on personal relationships. When people lose privacy, they may fail to foster intimacy, and this may result in personal relationships being ruined (Harvard Health Publishing, 2018). For celebrities to lead normal and healthy lives, they need to have a right to privacy. The right to privacy must be respected and must not be breached under all circumstances. Celebrities have children who are constantly exposed to negative information about their parents. The government should, therefore, move with speed to enforce celebrities’ right to privacy.

On the other hand, celebrities should not have a right to privacy owing to the fact that their status changes when they become celebrities. Unlike private citizens, the act of becoming a celeb involves attracting media attention (Hassan, 2011). There is a tradeoff between being a celebrity and having a right to privacy. Celebrities have to give up their right to privacy in exchange for the privileges that accompany celebrity status. The media attention that celebrities get is beneficial since it helps them to become influential members of society. They also reap various gains from the media attention that they get. Celebrities should, therefore, learn to cope with media attention instead of criticizing media attention (Hassan, 2011). Even though they reap benefits from media coverage, it does not take away their right to privacy. The media should hence learn to limit its intrusion on the private lives of celebrities. The limit should include not publishing photos without permission.

Overall, the right to privacy should be respected regardless of one’s status in society. The right to privacy is a fundamental right that should not be taken away from any individual. Celebrities are human beings that get a lot of media and public recognition. As a result, they deserve to have some private space. The lack of privacy puts them in danger and exposes them to various risks. Famous comedians such as Lenny Henry and John Cleese have reported cases of people tracking them and thus exposing them to physical danger (Davies, 2019). The fact that they live in the limelight does not equate to a total disregard for their right to privacy. The public should hence reduce its obsession with the lives of celebrities. The public does not have a right to be informed about all the fine details of a celebrity’s life. Instead, a celebrity should share what they feel is appropriate without fearing that they are constantly being monitored.

References

1. Acquisti, A., Friedman, A., & Telang, R. (2006). Is there a cost to privacy breaches? An event study. ICIS 2006 Proceedings, 94.
2. Tang, T. L., & Baumeister, R. F. (1984). Effects of personal values, perceived surveillance, and task labels on task preference: The ideology of turning the play into work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69(1), 99.
3. Hindman, E. B. (2003). The princess and the paparazzi: Blame, responsibility, and the media's role in the death of Diana. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80(3), 666-688.
4. Davies, N. (2019). How the private lives of famous were invaded. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/aug/31/data-protection-privacy-ico-celebrities
5. Hassan, G. (2011, July 15). Can celebrities expect privacy? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-14151678
6. Kiss, J. (2017, February 21). Does technology pose a threat to our private life? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/aug/21/facebook-places-google
7. Harvard Health Publishing. (2018, May 16). Anxiety and physical illness - Harvard Health. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/anxiety_and_physical_illness