The Right to Privacy

More than 80 years ago, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis called the right to privacy "the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men." The idea of privacy includes the ability to control one's personal information, protection from intrusive law enforcement, and freedom from the prying eyes of others. Today, however, this right is being challenged in many ways. In addition to discussing the Fourth Amendment's guarantee of protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, The Right to Privacy examines issues pertaining to the media's need to gather news, the government's power to conduct surveillance, employers' ability to monitor and control the workplace, and the ways technology has challenged this fundamental American right.