Choose an online activity for which there is a clear offline equivalent

Written Assignment 4 – Context and Online Privacy CS 391 – Due on Canvas by 11:59pm on Tuesday, 5/28/2019

In her paper “​A Contextual Approach to Privacy Online​”, Helen Nissenbaum argues that we should resist the notion that a single set of privacy rules can be crafted to cover the vast, multifaceted, and “radically heterogeneous” totality of the internet. Instead, she argues, we should utilize ​existing​ privacy norms for ​offline​ social contexts to shape our approach to privacy within equivalent ​online​ contexts. For example, she writes:

Whether you transact with your bank online, on the phone, or person-to-person in a branch office, it is not unreasonable to expect that rules governing information will not vary according to medium. In the United States, banks and other financial institutions are governed by privacy rules formulated by the FTC, which was given this authority by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Auxiliary information (for example IP address or clickstream), the artifacts of online transaction, should not simply be deemed “up for grabs” just because that information was not explicitly considered in rules formulated before online banking became common. Instead, it should be held to the same standards that guided financial privacy in the first place.

In this assignment, you will explore Nissenbaum’s arguments and apply her approach to evaluate current online privacy practices. Follow the steps below, which describe the assignment in more detail.

1. Choose an online activity for which there is a clear offline equivalent First, choose an online activity for which you can easily identify an offline equivalent. The online banking example described above is a good one here, since in-person or over-the-phone banking are easily-identifiable offline equivalents. However, since online banking has already been covered here, you may not write about it and must choose a ​different​ online activity. Please talk to me if you need help identifying an appropriate online activity to analyze here.

2. Describe existing privacy norms for the offline equivalent to your chosen online activity Now, describe existing norms related to privacy of personal information for the offline activity that’s equivalent to your chosen online activity. Note in particular whether there are specific laws pertaining to privacy of personal information in this offline contexts, and give examples of restrictions made by those laws on the sharing of personal information. Make sure to find sources that support your description of privacy norms in the offline context, so you can cite them when you begin writing.

3. Compare offline privacy norms to online privacy practices Next, compare privacy practices for your chosen ​online​ activity to the existing privacy norms you identified above for the equivalent ​offline​ context. Note specifically where online privacy practices do or do not adhere to existing offline norms. Again, make sure to find sources to help you figure out what privacy practices are for your chosen online activities. For example, website privacy policies may be a valuable resource here.

4. Assess Nissenbaum’s approach to online privacy Finally, assess Nissenbaum’s approach to online privacy. In particular, describe whether you think Nissenbaum’s approach provides a good model for assessing privacy practices in the specific online context you explored above. Make sure to justify your assessment of why Nissenbaum’s model is or is not appropriate in your chosen context. In addition, weigh the strengths and weaknesses of Nissenbaum’s approach generally. Is her contextual approach a valid way to think of privacy online? Why or why not? Can you identify strong arguments against Nissenbaum’s view? As always, justify your reasoning here, and remember sources, when relevant, so you can cite them later.

Paper requirements The work you did in the steps above should be synthesized into a paper, which should be typed and around 1000-1500 words long (4-6 pages, double spaced, not including the list of references). It should put all of the information outlined in the steps above into a cohesive narrative. Specifically, it should accomplish the following:

● Briefly describe your chosen online activity and its offline equivalent, and justify why the online activity and the offline activity should be considered equivalent.

● Describe existing privacy norms for the offline equivalent of your chosen online activity, making particular note of relevant laws pertaining to privacy in this offline context, and citing all of your sources.

● Compare privacy practices for your chosen online activity to the norms described above from its offline equivalent, noting specifically where online practices do and do not follow offline norms, and again citing all of your sources.

● Assess Nissenbaum’s approach to online privacy, arguing why it does or does not provide a good model for privacy in your chosen online context, and weighing the strengths and weaknesses of her approach generally. Make sure to justify your reasoning here, and cite all sources.

In addition, your paper should meet the following requirements:

● Your writing should use correct grammar and spelling. ● Your writing should follow a cohesive narrative, including an introduction, arguments,

and a conclusion. It should be well organized and well structured. You should use full sentences and break your writing into paragraphs. You are encouraged to break your paper into titled sections, as appropriate.

● You must include in-text citations for all of your sources in a recognized citation format (e.g. APA, MLA, or IEEE).

● All cited sources should be listed in a reference list at the end of the paper. This should be in a recognized format (e.g. APA, MLA, or IEEE).

○ Do not include the reference list in the word count when gauging the length of your paper.

● All cited sources should be high-quality, relevant, credible sources. ○ Use ​the tools we discussed in class​ to assess the quality of your sources.

● Your writing must be free of plagiarism. ○ If you’re not sure what constitutes plagiarism, you should review ​the lecture notes

on writing for this course​ as well as ​the course syllabus​.

Grading criteria This assignment is worth 30 total points, broken down as follows:

● 5 points – Your chosen online activity and its offline equivalent are adequately described, and valid justification is given for why the two should be considered equivalent.

● 5 points – Existing privacy norms for the offline context are thoroughly described. Relevant laws are noted along with examples of the restrictions they put in place with respect to sharing of personal information.

● 5 points – Privacy practices for the chosen online activity are effectively compared to norms from the equivalent offline context. Good examples of where online practices do and do not follow offline norms are given.

● 5 points – Nissenbaum’s approach to online privacy is assessed. A well-justified argument is given about why Nissenbaum’s approach does or does not provide a good privacy model for the chosen specific online context. The strengths and weaknesses of Nissenbaum’s general approach are effectively weighed.

● 5 points – All facts, figures, definitions, laws, etc. have appropriate in-text citations in a recognized format (e.g. APA, MLA, IEEE). Full references for all citations are listed at the end of the paper in a recognized format. All sources are high-quality, relevant, and credible.

● 5 points – Your writing is free of grammatical and spelling errors. It is well organized, well structured, and logically cohesive. It is free of plagiarism.

Submitting your paper Once you’re done writing and are ready to submit your paper, save it as a PDF and submit it under the appropriate assignment on Canvas before the deadline specified above.