The Four Faces Modern of Privacy — #4 Will Surprise You
Who would be on the Mount Rushmore of privacy? After his recent court victory, would it include Hulk Hogan? Let’s take a moment to review.
#1 Estelle Griswold
Isn’t she the mom from National Lampoon’s Vacation? Isn’t she Clark Griswold’s wife?
No. [That was Beverly D’Angelo as “Ellen” Griswold]
Estelle Griswold is the “Griswold” in Griswold v. Connecticut, the 1965 United States Supreme Court case that recognized the existence of a constitutionally protected right to privacy. Federal and state law at one time made birth control illegal. Ms. Griswold challenged Connecticut’s version of the law, and gave birth [ugh — sorry for that — couldn’t resist] to a constitutionally protected right of privacy.
FUN FACT: The word “privacy” appears nowhere in the Constitution.
Justice William O. Douglas’ opinion concluded that:
[S]pecific guarantees in the Bill of Rights have penumbras, formed by emanations from those guarantees that help give them life and substance…[which] create zones of privacy.”
Estelle Griswold is the mother of privacy, and she is definitely on the mountain.
#2 Edward Snowden
Love him or hate him, Edward Snowden is synonymous with internet privacy. His disclosures about NSA’s collection programs have been hugely influential in the United States and around the world. Sure Amazon, Google, Yahoo, and lots and lots of internet businesses collect information about us all the time. Where we go. What we buy. What we look at. But Snowden’s leak of information about government surveillance came as a surprise. (Weird, right?)
FUN FACT: Snowden was The Guardian’s Person of the Year in 2013, and was beaten out for Time Magazine’s 2013 Person of the Year by Pope Francis
Did he break the law? Seems like it.
Did he open the public’s eyes to new privacy issues? Yes.
Did he endanger national security? Oh, yeah. (But who hasn’t right?)
Is he Newman of leakers? Snowden!
Is he a HUGE… (insert your own characterization here). YES.
Hero to some, villain to others, he changed how we think about the government, and privacy, and the internet. So he’s on the mountain.
#3 Apple
Ok, Apple doesn’t have a face. But corporations are people too. It’s the 21st Century!
(BTW, where’s my jetpack???)
Today, virtually all of our communications are digital. We communicate with family, friends, businesses, employers…everyone…digitally. We wan’t those communications to remain private, right? Well, privacy means encryption. Sure, encryption in some form or another has been around for thousands of years, but Apple and its iPhone changed our personal expectation of privacy in how we communicate and transact business.
FUN QUESTION: Do you think Apple has a secret back door into its own encryption?
In its highly publicized fight with the FBI, Apple demonstrated just how powerful privacy and encryption can be.
How powerful?
Even though the iPhone in question may have contained important information about a terrorist attack in the United States, and even though the owner of the phone consented to the FBI and Apple breaking the phone’s encryption, and even though Apple has helped law enforcement before, Apple was able to resist helping the FBI this time. Because if that iPhone’s privacy protections can be broken, so can mine and so can yours.
(Of course, the FBI broke the encryption anyway, without Apple, at a cost in excess of $1 Million.)
So Apple is on the mountain.
(And seriously, why don’t I have a jetpack?)
#4 Hulk Hogan???
In or around 2006, Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea, 5-time WWF heavyweight champion, master of the overhead gutwrench backbreaker, and star of 1993’s “Mr. Nanny,” unexpectedly found himself the star of a sex tape. It seems that while he was having sex with the wife of radio personality “Bubba the Love Sponge,” Bubba secretly filmed the event. In 2012, the tape was leaked to Gawker, which edited then published excerpts. Hogan, citing invasion of privacy, filed a lawsuit in Florida.
Who won? What do you think!
Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea…the man notorious for finishing opponents off with the “Atomic Leg Drop”…Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Most Inspirational Wrestler of 1999…won a verdict in excess of $100 million dollars. [Vince McMahon had nothing to do with scripting this victory.]
During the trial, Bollea successfully drew a distinction between himself and the character “Hulk Hogan.” Hulk Hogan bragged about his sexual prowess and even about the tape itself…publicly. But Terry Bollea was embarrassed and humiliated.
In our 21st century digital world, it isn’t just celebrities who adopt new identities. Regular folks do it all the time. Is it possible that Hulk Hogan gave our privacy rights a boost by connecting the privacy rights of Terry Bollea to the fictional persona “Hulk Hogan?”
Maybe.
Right now the Hulkster doesn’t quite get to Mount Rushmore. Gawker filed an appeal. It is unclear what if any long term privacy consequences will result. But watch this space. That bald pate, distinctive mustache, and fringe of fine blond doll’s hair may yet find its way onto the Mount Rushmore of privacy — but as Hulk Hogan or Terry Bollea?
Like Movies? Check out these other articles from PopLand Security:
Batman v. Superman — It’s Torture and We’re Cool With It!
Independence Day Resurgence, A Dose of Counterterrorism Kumbaya?
Like Sports? Check out PopLand’s coverage of the beautiful game:
ISIS to Field a Team in World Football?
Football Diplomacy — The Beautiful Hopeful Face of Iranian Soccer
