Invasion of Privacy: Entertaining or Despicable?

Paparazzi are notorious for invading privacy. These days, the world is so desperate for some sort of entertainment, that magazines and celebrity gossip sites pay people to invade celebrities’ privacy and document their private lives for the world to see. The question, though, is why nothing has happened to change this. Why don’t celebrities get to have their privacy? It’s a human right, and just because they’re famous and known world wide, doesn’t mean that their privacy should be sacrificed.

Stephen Price, a lawyer from New Zealand, writes on his website about the invasion of privacy of celebrities. He states, “Public figures have lower expectations of privacy, especially if they are exercising public power.” Because of this, the public figures’ families and known associates also need to lower their expectations, “But this cannot be taken too far.” Price explains how stating a celebrity as a ‘role model’ does not mean that their confidentiality should be compromised, unless they have done something truly serious or deceptive.

Elizabeth Knight-Hassell, an 8th grade student, says, “People are so needy for gossip and knowing about other people’s lives and it’s not right, because on the other side, what do the other people feel?” Her opinion on this matter indicates that while it can be entertaining to see celebrities living their lives, invading their privacy is taking it too far. 

People look to magazines to entertain themselves, because why else would they enjoy looking at pictures of bewildered celebrities, trying to hide themselves from the cameras which would document whatever embarrassing deed they were doing? This is a sick form of entertainment, as you are basically amusing yourself by laughing at someone else’s mess.

Kate Middleton, wife to Prince William, Duchess of Cambridge, was a victim of the invading cameras while sunbathing topless in a family holiday home in France. She was on private property when the picture was taken, from the nearby highway with a long lens camera. The Royal couple were forced to take legal action against the French magazine which had the photos.

By not supporting gossip/rumour sites, you can send out a message to all the paparazzi: stop. When you see an image plastered on the front of multiple magazines and tabloids, put yourself in the subject’s place - what if that was you, your name in the headlines, caught in an embarrassing moment, shielding your face from the world? Encourage others to not purchase magazines that display images of celebrities trying to hide themselves, because that means that the picture was taken without the person’s consent, and by buying it, you would be telling the paparazzi to continue. So, in an effort to end this, say no to the websites and tabloids publishing embarrassing photos, and find another way to entertain yourself, instead of looking at humiliating pictures of other people.

By Kelly

Mutual Friends Don’t Mean You Should Be-Friend

A young girl of about eight sat hunched over the family laptop, creating a skype account. After faking her age and forgetting to apply privacy settings, she received a call from a user called “SexyT11” and due to the excitement of it all, accepted the call. The man on the other end was not only greatly over 13 (the fake age the girl had set) but also stark naked. As surprising as this may seem, this girl is not the only one to have had such an experience.

This website suggests that such horrifying experiences can be linked to lack of overall awareness and something called over-friending. Underlying the words “over friending” is the idea of adding those you wouldn’t normally trust with the information that is posted on most social media sites. According to this source, adding everyone you have ever come in contact with and their mutual friends leaves you vulnerable to dangerous people and possible predators. When a select group of 8th grade students from the english class 8-4JRa, 6 out of 11 people reveal that they have made the mistake of adding someone they don’t know or over-friending. ”

Shaleigh Harrington, another Grade 8 student, has also had many experiences with this issue. She is often friended by people she doesn’t know who then continue to message her until she is forced to block or report them. “I always just assume it’s someone I don’t know in the grade above or below, because of the number of contacts we share.” This evidence is significant because it reveals how very few people are aware of this issue and how serious it can become. Over friending can lead to strangers discovering all sorts of information they couldn’t have accessed previously.

Another source illustrates that a teenagers lack of privacy can also lead to objectionable advances. “One in five U.S. teenagers who regularly log on to the Internet says they have received an unwanted sexual solicitation on social media,” says the source. This shows that four people in each of your classes have possibly been exposed to something they might not cognitively been ready for. According to research, early exposure to crude content could increase the risk of a child becoming a victim of sexual violence or the probability of them acting out sexually against another child. Both of which are extremely dangerous and harmful for the well being of the person as well as their classmates.

Furthermore, this resource offers evidence that 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the offender uses the victim's social networking site to gain information. When over friending is added into the mix, this leaves a teenager’s private information in a vulnerable position. “The offenders can use flattery and sympathy to get the teenager to oblige with what they request, ” states David Finkelhor from the Crimes against Children Research Center. “Their requests can range from provocative pictures to meeting in deserted locations, both of which can harm the youth’s well being” continued another source. This information suggests, that a predator targets a person’s hormones and insecurity are both at a peak in their teen years which makes the predator’s methods more effective.

Social media has now become such a constant in most young lives that finding a way to ensure privacy seems nearly impossible. Finding a safe space to be able to share parts of your life without having to deal with unwanted attention becomes a necessity in protection from harassment and content that is too mature for some people’s comfort. According to unnamed sources, “(in) large parts this lack of privacy can be tracked down to not further investigating when you don’t recognize someone’s name or picture.” Other steps that can be taken to ensure protection would include only befriending those that can be trusted with all details you reveal on your social media websites. If an invasive or bothersome person does gain access to your information and starts harassing you, the next best step is to let someone in a position of authority or maturity know. “Of all those teenagers targeted by predators, only 25% then report back to an adult,” reports this source. Mature adults can be essential in restoring privacy and dealing with a dangerous individual, especially for vulnerable underage people. The final step in ensuring that your profile isn’t the target of crude comments and disturbing acts is to report and block all individuals that make you uncomfortable or invade your privacy.

Written by Akanksha Shukla.