Amitai Etzioni

Amitai Etzioni is a professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is the editor of the Responsive Community, a quarterly communitarian journal. In the following viewpoint, Etzioni argues that with the development of new technology, it will be increasingly more difficult to protect people’s right to privacy. However, Etzioni contends, a loss of privacy actually benefits society by exposing criminals to public scrutiny.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Etzioni, what is the only way that old-fashioned privacy can be restored?
2. How does the author counter charges that fingerprinting welfare recipients will stigmatize them?
3. What guidelines does Etzioni suggest for additional limits on the right to privacy?

At first you are horrified. Your remaining shreds of privacy are being peeled off of you as if you are...