Corporations now have the legal right of Personal Privacy

Thanks to a recent ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, corporations now have a right to 'personal privacy,' due to the application of a carelessly worded definition in the Freedom of Information Act

Since When Does a Legal Entity Have Privacy Rights/

However, in its novel holding, the Third Circuit found that a corporation (AT&T) was protected by an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that applies to “unwarranted invasions of personal privacy.”

The effects of this are profound. This pretty much ties the hands of Class Action Lawyers, Watchgroups, and even State and Federal Regulators.

This ruling means that only Law Enforcement Agencies have the right to Corporate Data, and Corporations now enjoy more protected Privacy & Secrecy than the United States Government!

So, now Corporations are free to do whatever they want, how they want, and unless the F.B.I. or the Securities Exchange Commission decides to investigate, their dirty laundry remains theirs and theirs alone to see.

In a time that Americans consider Government Transparency and Accountability to be an important issue, it seems rather backwards that we give more Privacy and take away Accountability from Corporations.

So...is the 'privacy' for the corporations the same 'privacy' that we get to 'enjoy' as American citizens? If so, they're boned.

Well, but seriously, we might as well just start making idols of corporations and churches devoted to them....oh wait, I guess when I watch my Hyundai TV I'm already doing that....never mind. :p

Do you think, Frat, that the word 'privacy' is pretty much just a make believe concept any more anyway?

What do you expect when our own government is corporate owned, occurs the laws are for them to protect themselves against us while at the same time allowing our own corporate government screw us.

Truly America is really starting to look and feel like a darn dictatorship, we can not order our for the people elected government to work for us but they can order and force us to to their biding.

And people still think things are doing peachy in this nation.

The only liberties that we have in America are the ones that we are allowed to have under our corporate run government.

what a joke, right?

reply to post by fraterormus


Fraterormus, great post...and a very disturbing development.

Reminds me of the time they 'perversely manipulated' the African slave laws into affording them 'unique privileges' and allowed them to be seen through the eyes of the law as 'just one person':

See 2:20
www.youtube.com...


If you've not seen it before this (award winning) film is an excellent one.
Thread:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Cheers.

Well, I've been pondering the ramifications of this ruling.

If you are a conscientious citizen and want to be a Whistleblower of your employer dumping Toxic Waste into the water table of a residential neighborhood and school, then you can be arrested under criminal charges, and sued in a Civil Court for Violating the Privacy of your employer!

What about Banks? Say the Bank makes an error on your Account and you ask for detailed records about your Account History to prove that it was an error on their behalf. Sorry, those records are protected under Corporate Privacy and are not your records.

Granted, this Third Court Ruling only pertains specifically to Freedom of Information Act Requests, but it is landmark because it can be used as a precedent in any other Court to prove the Corporate Right to Privacy.

And if you think it won't be abused, you're naive, because when it comes down to it, it would be far cheaper for a Corporation to argue Corporate Right to Privacy than to deal with a scandal or a Class Action lawsuit.

Originally posted by KSPigpen
So...is the 'privacy' for the corporations the same 'privacy' that we get to 'enjoy' as American citizens? If so, they're boned.

Do you think, Frat, that the word 'privacy' is pretty much just a make believe concept any more anyway?

Well, American Citizens have less privacy than Corporations because of federal Domestic Surveillance laws that were passed, and now not having recourse against Corporations who may violate our Right to Privacy, such as the AT&T Wiretapping Case.

Our Nanny Government and Big Brother also watches over American Citizens but now can't watch over Corporations unless they get Law Enforcement involved (which how do you get evidence of wrong-doing to justify a Warrant when any methods you can use would be breaking the law by violating Corporate Right to Privacy?).

I think they are sitting pretty compared to Citizens.

But you are right, the idea that American Citizens have any Privacy is a joke. Between Corporations, Law Enforcement, and our own Government, our Privacy is violated every time we use anything technological...every phone call you make, every purchase you make, every form of transportation you take, all logged and sold to the highest bidder.

The problem began with the decision to allow corporations to exist as 'citizens' of the state.

Once that occurred, the rest is inevitable.

They are first class citizens..., we are peons.

I was dumbfounded to find that a corporation could be considered "a person", and that under international law, could use that status to argue human rights violations against the corporation. This is what Intel are currently arguing in the EU, that the fine imposed by the EU for Intel's illegal business practices "violated Intel's human rights". Designating a corporation "a person" is just so wrong it's hard to even begin to point out the obvious issues of why it is wrong. Once again common sense evaporates into thin air.

Thanks for the info., S&F!!

How incredibly disturbing....I don't understand how this kind of crap is allowed to happen and it's just NO BIG DEAL to the people who put it on the books, or anybody else who can do anything about it for that matter. The more time goes by, the more sure I am that I am moving out of country SOON.

Originally posted by quackers
I was dumbfounded to find that a corporation could be considered "a person", and that under international law, could use that status to argue human rights violations against the corporation.

Yes its all very disturbing - one state in the U.S. (forget which) has already retracted this law after public protest.

Maybe everyone else should do the same.

reply to post by fraterormus


Wow, where have you been? Any corporations or businesses are protected by the same rights as American citizens. That means they can plead the 5th and do have privacy rights.

I learned this in business law class. This has been so for a while. In the legal terms it's a recent change but not recent as in yesterday or last year. It was a couple of years back.

Any business has the same rights are regular people. Even if the company does business with the Government.

reply to post by fraterormus


Anyone know if this might be overturned some day soon?

There's a new precedent here: Supreme Court: Corporations Don't Have "Personal Privacy" Rights, but the Appeals Court decision reported here still stands...