Misguided In High School's Privacy Narrative

In the article “College Kids Have Too Much Privacy,” Michele Willins explains how FERPA, a program that means parents have no right to know how their children are doing in school, is not only hurting college students’ future but also how frightening it can be to oblivious parents who have no idea about this privacy policy. Even the best students can be academically challenged when they go to college. Parents would have no idea that their child is struggling because he or she has succeeded in school thus far. Even if college students are not the best in a school setting, the parents would have no idea if he or she is failing out of classes because officials are not allowed to let the parents know. This marks a major flaw in the FERPA organization.

Today, individuals are sacrificing privacy in order to feel safe. These sacrifices have made a significant impact on the current meaning of privacy, but may have greater consequences in the future. According to Debbie Kasper in her journal, “The Evolution (Or Devolution) of Privacy,” privacy is a struggling dilemma in America. Kasper asks, “If it is gone, when did it disappear, and why?”(Kasper 69). Our past generation has experienced the baby boom, and the world today is witnessing a technological boom. Technology is growing at an exponential rate, thus making information easier to access and share than ever before. The rapid diminishing of privacy is leaving Americans desperate for change.

In his essay “Why Privacy Matters” from The Wilson Quarterly, Jeffrey Rosen offers a compelling account of the harmful effects of eradicating our privacy. Rosen ventures into several different fields affected by the ever-growing intrusion of our privacy, offering a rich compendium of illustrations from the real world. From Monica Lewinsky’s fate under her investigation, to a Charles Schwab employee, Rosen offers a prolific arsenal of incidents where the dignity of privacy is challenged. In his descriptive examples, Rosen demonstrates a broad expertise within the field by taking his time to describe a careful characterization of each case by both implying his own personal experience

The First Earl of Chatham, William Pitt, in his Speech on the Excise Bill, claimed that “The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the force of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storms may enter, the rain may enter,—but the King of England cannot enter; all his forces dare not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement!”

Most Americans feel trapped by the government. They believe that the government is spying on them just to do so and that there is absolutely no reason for it. However this is wrong because the government has several reasons to spy on us Americans. Even though this may seem outrageous, it is needed and there are ways the United States’ citizens have privacy. With all of these false accusations it is simple to see why people would be supportive of our right to privacy. On the other hand, the government eavesdropping on the people of the United States has helped save many lives and justice being served. The United States of America is a free country, so we should have the option to be spied on by the government; however, as citizens we do

In 1787, the constitution was born. The constitution has been America’s guideline to the American way of life. Our US constitution has many points in it to protect America and it’s people from an overpowered government, our economy, and ourselves. The only thing the constitution doesn’t directly give us, is our right to privacy, and our right to privacy has been a big concern lately courtesy of the National Security Agency (NSA).(#7) Although our constitution doesn’t necessarily cover the privacy topic, it does suggest that privacy is a given right. Some people say that the right to privacy was so obvious, that our founding fathers didn’t even feel the need to make a point about it.(#9) It also didn’t help

No teens shouldn’t have privacy because if their kids have something to hide then they should not have a phone. Kids should be trusted but only to a certain extent. Parents should regularly check their child’s phone to make sure they are being responsible. Some kids might start hanging out with the wrong people so if their parents check their phones then they could stop them from making some bad choices. Kids can say very mean stuff so if parents go through their child's phone the might catch them and make then stop. Some children get bullied so if their parents find the texts then they could report the kids and then they will stop being hateful. Most kids with a phone have social media and there can be some vulgar stuff on these sites and

Girls perch on the tables like exotic birds gossiping and giggling, a football fly’s above their heads between two jocks in varsity jackets parading their toned muscles. Groups of high schoolers sit around the room laughing. Weekend has arrived and the hallways of the school were filled with tons of kids ready to go home. Every ear filled with the sound of multiple conversations going off at once, lockers opening and closing, music blasting without. I had managed to push past the constant stream of children and to the school field. The grass was damp and covered in a thin layer of frost. As I walked my footprints were embedded, leaving a piece of me in the cold ground. I saw my friends faraway chattering and fooling around. I was stuck in the wrong crowd; they are nothing like me but somehow I am still friends with them. I slowly made my way up to my “so called friends”.

Many schools across the nation now conduct targeted searches of student lockers and backpacks. Although the Supreme Court has ruled that public school officials have the right to search students’ persons and property when they have reasonable cause to suspect weapons or drugs many people feel this is a gross violation of students’ rights and privacy. And others feel that since school officials are responsible for the well being of students while they are in the building, they have the right to search for drugs or weapons at any time. Well in my opinion I can agree on both sides of the argument mostly because it makes sense and its logic shows that other people can feel much invaded of their privacy when the school searches people down for drugs or weapons.

As I walked through my school’s then not-so-familiar halls, I couldn’t think. I felt empty. People’s inquisitive eyes were lingering on mine as if I had some hidden treasure they fiercely wanted to discover, they didn’t understand that was the day that a new me would be born. The old me, the one that felt invincible would be left behind forever.

Is it possible to have privacy in this day in age? Is somebody watching every move we make? These questions have been running through my mind ever since I got my iPhone. It’s terrifying to believe that someone could be watching me all the time. Although this isn’t on my mind every second of the day, it is something major to think about. Unfortunately this is an issue that we deal with today. Whenever we expose ourselves to the public, ninety percent of the time we are being watched. I do understand the need for surveillance but privacy is a must. Boundaries need to be set in order to have some sort of rights. The Circle, however, does not understand this concept. These characters don’t believe in privacy, they live life differently. In todays digital age we need to have privacy to live our lives to the fullest, keep secretes, and to have control of our actions.

2.54 The city of Philadelphia requires GPS system in all taxicabs. Is a government requirement for a tracking system for private taxicabs a reasonable public safety measures or an unreasonable intrusion on the privacy of drivers and passengers? Identify several differences between such a government requirement and a taxicabs company choosing to install GPS system in its cabs? It’s more objectionable than other? Why?

The alarm clock buzzed loudly beside my ear. Feeling like a gong that was being hit repeatedly was placed right beside my head. I sluggishly pulled myself out of my bed and dragged myself to my closet. The words, first day of school moaned ghastly in my head. Summer was uneventful and school was just going to be hell. I picked out an old, worn out flannel and a pair of jeans to wear. Not rushing at all, I struggled to put the raggedy clothes on. They smelt like horrendous lies and rumors. Exactly what this state and my school are built on.

Privacy laws are established because people have a right to privacy, to an extent. For many years people have argued over their privacy rights, from online videos, to people spying on them, even people stealing internet. People think that they should be completely secluded from others seeing what they’re doing, but in all reality, there’s no stopping people from seeing what you are doing. With more people using the flaws within our media and lives, we as a society must come to accept the fact that people are watching us.

We were a group of eighth graders, blind to the darkened surrounding areas. We didn’t know the difference from right and wrong, for so we are all too young. There was a week left of school, trying to get our heads around of what we were becoming. The ruling high schoolers. It felt so close, but the entire summer was beginning. So close we could nearly graze it.