Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Fitzgerald, Keith
Keywords
Constitutional Theory, Fourth Amendment, Civil Liberties, Privacy, Communications Technology
Area of Concentration
Political Science, History
Abstract
Technological innovation in communications has been a major spark in shifting conceptions of privacy away from the idea that privacy stems from ownership of materials one wishes to be kept private, to a more individualized explanation of privacy that stems from the production of materials and intent of said materials when they were produced. This thesis examines four distinct periods of communications technology: the development of a modern postal system, the telegraph, the telephone, and the Internet. By tracing how Supreme Court interpretation of the Fourth Amendment has evolved with the development of these new technologies, it becomes clear that the Supreme Court has slowly changed the very foundation upon which communications privacy is based. This thesis analyzes case law from each of these distinct periods to examine and attempt to explain this complicated interpretative evolution.
Recommended Citation
Swain, Andrew, "Digitizing Privacy: Evolving Fourth Amendment Interpretation" (2013). Theses & ETDs. 6821.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/6821
Rights
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