Louis Brandeis and Samuel Warren warned in their classic Harvard Law Review article “The Right to Privacy,” that “[i[nstantaneous photographs and newspaper enterprise have invaded the sacred precincts of private and domestic life; and numerous mechanical devices threaten to make good the prediction that ‘what is whispered in the closet shall be proclaimed from the house-tops.'” Imagine what would they think of today’s web privacy issues.
You can get better informed about online privacy with this PBS web feature Guide to Online Privacy. In the guide, journalist Mark Glaser summarizes the major privacy issues with giants like facebook and Google, provides advice on maintaining privacy, and has a great list of links to leading organizations with more information.