The Right to Privacy
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Status Quo Option: Keep the Existing Plank. For all platform categories
we have the option of doing nothing; that is accepting what the LP already
has.
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The LP Platform Currently Reads
The Issue: Privacy protections have been eroded
gradually over many years. The Social Security Number has become a universal
ID number, causing rampant and massive identity theft. Government routinely
keeps records on the bank accounts, travel plans, and spending habits of
law-abiding civilians, for no other reason than they "might" commit a crime
in the future.
The Principle: The individual's right to privacy,
property, and right to speak or not to speak should not be infringed by the
government. The government should not use electronic or other means of covert
surveillance of an individual's actions or private property without the
consent of the owner or occupant. Correspondence, bank and other financial
transactions and records, doctors' and lawyers' communications, employment
records, and the like should not be open to review by government without the
consent of all parties involved in those actions. Private contractual
arrangements, including labor contracts, must be founded on mutual consent
and agreement in a society that upholds freedom of association. On the other
hand, we oppose any use of such screening by government or regulations requiring
government contractors to impose any such screening.
Solutions: We support the protections provided
by the Fourth Amendment and oppose any government use of search warrants to
examine or seize materials belonging to innocent third parties. We oppose
all restrictions and regulations on the private development, sale, and use
of encryption technology. We specifically oppose any requirement for disclosure
of encryption methods or keys, including the government's proposals for so-called
"key escrow" which is truly government access to keys, and any requirement
for use of government-specified devices or protocols. We also oppose government
classification of civilian research on encryption methods. If a private employer
screens prospective or current employees via questionnaires, polygraph tests,
urine tests for drugs, blood tests for AIDS, or other means, this is a condition
of that employer's labor contracts. Such screening does not violate the
rights of employees, who have the right to boycott such employers if they
choose. We oppose the issuance by the government of an identity card, to
be required for any purpose, such as employment, voting, or border crossing.
We further oppose the nearly universal requirement for use of the Social
Security Number as a personal identification code, whether by government
agencies or by intimidation of private companies by governments.
Transitional Action: We also oppose police
roadblocks aimed at randomly, and without probable cause, testing drivers
for intoxication and police practices to stop mass transit vehicles and search
passengers without probable cause. So long as the National Census and all
federal, state, and other government agencies' compilations of data on an
individual continue to exist, they should be conducted only with the consent
of the persons from whom the data is sought. We oppose government regulations
that require employers to provide health insurance coverage for employees,
which often encourage unnecessary intrusions by employers into the privacy
of their employees.
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