The article focuses on the issue of how some of the Transport Security Administration (TSA) guidelines on security impede people’s privacy. The article notes that security becomes more important than privacy following the 9/11 attacks. New technologies have continued to blur the line between security and privacy (Wilkinson, 2020). Increasing security checks further enhances the views held by many critics that TSA is invading the privacy of people. The author uses a description of his encounter with security checks as an example to illustrate the privacy concerns (Wilkinson, 2020). It is worth noting that human safety is important, and, in some cases, privacy can take a back seat.
Summary of Steps leading to Conclusions
The theoretical background applied by the author is based on the interplay of privacy and security. The article argues for the definition of privacy in a way that assists security agents in performing their work. The author notes that showing passengers’ dignity should be an important step. However, the author also indicates that security checks are important in safeguarding people due to the numerous threats. The TSA can exempt passengers from many security checks through the Redress Control Number issued by the Department of Homeland Security (Wilkinson, 2020). The author aims to provide an analysis of various privacy infringements that are necessitated by the TSA-mandated security checks.
The deficit in literature is identified as a lack of a proper definition of privacy which creates confusion when enforcing certain TSA regulations. The author notes that even though privacy may be less important than security in some cases, there needs to be a standard way of defining privacy. Having a common definition ensures that there are no problems during the execution of the guidelines. The author uses a description of his encounter with TSA security checks to show the issues of privacy and why there needs to be more focus on privacy.
The main argument in the article is that TSA security checks may invade people’s privacy. However, due to the complexity of security, some of the guidelines have not been stopped by courts. The author describes how special screening processes are highly invasive to individuals’ privacy. It is worth noting that any customer can be flagged in the airport for a special screening. TSA provides people with a number that can exempt customers from numerous security checks.
In conclusion, the author indicates that privacy is a hard concept to define because it changes due to court rulings and new technologies. This is one of the problems in creating security guidelines that concern privacy. It is essential to note that the author provides an argument for privacy and against privacy. The article explains the concept of privacy in security checks in a structured way that is easy to follow. The provision of the example is crucial in enhancing the argument made by the author.
Critical Evaluation
The article is well structured, with headings and subheadings. The author also provides references in the form of notes. The structure of the article is easy to follow. However, the author relies on his description of encounters during security checks as the main source. The article does not have an abstract which is challenging for researchers. Abstracts assist researchers in understanding what the paper entails without having to read the whole paper. The study has a conclusion that summarizes the issues raised in the paper. The issue of privacy during security checks can be viewed as a potential disadvantage to the TSA security guides. The TSA officers can mandate any customer to undergo a special screening.
Reference
Wilkinson, T. R. (2020). Whispers in the Closet. CrossCurrents, 70(2), 145-158.