EAST LIVERPOOL -- In celebration of the 220th anniversary of the signing of the U. S. Constitution, Youngstown State University’s Dr. Jim Conser gave a presentation Monday at the KSU East Liverpool campus titled “Privacy, The Constitution, and Computer Crimes.”
Conser discussed the evolution of privacy rights in America and the pressures computer technology and the Internet have added to the debate. Indicating that the Constitution does not contain the word “privacy,” he noted that rights to privacy for U.S. citizens are covered by penumbral (implied) rights. As well, Conser pointed out that the Constitution was designed to protect citizens from the government, not from individuals, the press, or businesses.Explaining how the legal definition of privacy has always been tied to context, Conser showed how the concept evolved throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and into the post-9/11 world. In the context of contemporary terrorism and the U.S. Patriot Act, the issues of civil liberties and privacy are balanced by national security interests.
Conser discussed how computer technology has been used both to diminish and enhance privacy, particularly in terms of the increase in cyber crime and the ways privacy rights are applied and examined in relation to it. He spoke too about the relationship of privacy rights to government interests as well as the phrase “reasonable expectation of privacy” and the ways in which reasonable expectations are determined or viewed by society.
Conser is part of the Criminal Justice Department at Youngstown State University. He has also given presentations at the FBI Academy Conference, Ohio Attorney General’s Conference, and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.
