Cyberprivacy in the new Millennium

Because the (US) Constitution does not clearly and explicitly articulate a right to privacy, a legal standard of what constitutes privacy remains elusive in the United States. In 1965, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas declared that a penumbra within the wording of the First, Fourth, and Fifth amendments entitles each of us to a "zone of privacy". The extent of this zone, however, is unclear. Public officials and celebrities alike can testify that the penumbra shades some more than others. US courts have generally operated under the principle that the right to privacy is tantamount to the right to be left alone, but everyday experience confirms that this right isn't absolute, even when we are in the comfort of our homes or offices. Mass marketers invade our privacy by calling us during meal-time, filling our mailboxes with junk mail, and spamming our personal computing space. Many employers read our e-mail and check the Web sites that we visit.