Controlling Knowledge: Freedom Of Information And Privacy Protection In A Networked World

265 Pages·2011·2.986 MB·English

by  Lorna Stefanick

Controlling knowledge
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Controlli ng
Knowledge
Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection
in a Networked World
_ Lorna Stefanick _
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Copyright © 2011 lorna Stefanick
Published by AU Press, Athabasca University
1200, 10011 – 109 Street, edmonton, AB T5J 3S6
ISBN 978-1-926836-26-3 (print)
ISBN 978-1-926836-27-0 (PdF)
ISBN 978-1-926836-61-4 (epub)
library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Stefanick, lorna, 1961–
Controlling knowledge : freedom of information and privacy
protection in a networked world / by lorna Stefanick.
includes bibliographical references.
issued also in electronic format.
ISBN 978-1-926836-26-3
1. Freedom of information.
2. Privacy, right of.
i. title.
K3255.S74 2011 342.08’53 C2011-904732-2
Cover and interior design by natalie olsen, kisscut design.
Printed and bound in Canada by Marquis Book Printers.
we acknowledge the financial support of the government of Canada
through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for our publishing activities.
this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons license,
Attribution-noncommercial-no derivative works 2.5 Canada: see
www.creativecommons.org. the text may be reproduced for non-
commercial purposes, provided that credit is given to the original
author.
to obtain permission for uses beyond those outlined in the Creative
Commons license, please contact AU Press, Athabasca University,
at [email protected].
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To my father, George,
who taught me the importance
of integrity and accountability
and
to my mother, Millie,
who taught me the importance
of respecting personal space
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contentS
Preface and Acknowledgements
_ ix
ch_1
An Introduction to Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection
_ 1
Accessing and Protecting electronic data _ 1
Accountability and Autonomy _ 5
Unpacking the Concepts _ 8
transparency, Privacy, and good governance _ 13
overview of the Book _ 23
ch_2
Privacy Protection
_ 29
the Many dimensions of Privacy _ 29
the March toward regulation _ 37
data Flow, the thirst for information, and the Problems of
Privacy Protection _ 46
Privacy Protection, Personal Autonomy, and Control _ 59
ch_3
Freedom of Information (FOI)
_ 63
transparency for the Public good _ 63
the March toward regulation _ 71
Administrative Practice: Challenges to the Culture of openness _ 79
information Access, equity, and Fairness _ 93
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ch_4
Sharing Medical Information: Antidote or Bitter Pill?
_ 97
the Special Case of Health information _ 97
electronic Health records _ 99
Privacy and Confidentiality _ 103
Secondary Uses of Medical information _ 111
Managing Health information _ 122
ch_5
Surveillance in the Digital Age
_ 125
Surveillance as a Form of Social Control _ 125
Modern Forms of watching _ 128
whither watching? _ 155
ch_6
Social Networking: The Case of Facebook
_ 157
the Creation of online Personalities _ 157
the Power and Perils of Virtual Communities _ 162
digital identities, the Commodification of Personality,
and the Backlash _ 172
the Future of Facebook _ 182
ch_7
Balancing Freedom of Information and the Protection of Privacy
_ 187
Questions for Discussion _ 197
Notes _ 205
Selected Bibliography _ 231
Index _ 243
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Preface and acknowLedgementS
i was first introduced to issues of information access and
privacy protection when i joined the University of Alberta’s
Faculty of extension in 1999, where i served initially as
chief editor and subsequently as associate director of the
programs in the government Studies unit. with fears of
Y2k circulating like wildfire, the eve of the new millennium
was a fitting time to discover what seemed to me then to
be the obscure field of data management. A senior public
servant in the Alberta government, Alec Campbell, asked
the director of the government Studies unit, Professor edd
leSage, to develop a course on freedom of information and
protection of privacy (FoiP) for administrators who were
confronted with the FoiP legislation enacted several years
earlier. And so began my involvement in the field.
Under the stewardship of wayne Macdonald, the course
rapidly expanded into Canada’s only program dedicated to in-
formation rights. the popularity of this program underscores
ix
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