Abstract
In cyberspace, as in today's real world, there seems to be confusion in regard to what privacy is and what it is not. One scholar, Ruth Granson highlights recent efforts to fully comprehend privacy: "the concept of privacy is a central one in most discussions of modern Western life, yet only recently have there been serious efforts to analyze just what is meant by privacy." Over the years, the conception of the nature and extent of privacy has been severely bent out of shape. The definitions and concepts of privacy are as varied as those in the legal and academic circles who explore privacy. Another scholar, Judith DeCew, examines the diversity of privacy conceptions: "the idea of privacy [which is] employed [by various legal scholars], is not always the same. Privacy may refer to the separation of spheres of activity, limits on governmental authority, forbidden knowledge and experience, limited access, and ideas of group membership...[c]onsequently ... privacy is commonly taken to incorporate different clusters of interest."
Recommended Citation
Robert A. Reilly,
Conceptual Foundations of Privacy: Looking Backward Before Stepping Forward,
6
Rich. J.L. & Tech
6
(1999).
Available at:
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/jolt/vol6/iss2/3