Canadian Studies, Cultural Studies, Law, Political Science, Technology and Society 

Read online version link: https://read.aupress.ca/projects/controlling-knowledge

Digital communications technology has immeasurably enhanced our capacity to store, retrieve, and exchange information. But who controls our access to information, and who decides what others have a right to know about us? In Controlling Knowledge, author Lorna Stefanick offers a thought-provoking and user-friendly overview of the regulatory regime that currently governs freedom of information and the protection of privacy.Aiming to clarify rather than mystify, Stefanick outlines the history and application of FOIP legislation, with special focus on how these laws affect the individual. To illustrate the impact of FOIP, she examines the notion of informed consent, looks at concerns about surveillance in the digital age, and explores the sometimes insidious influence of Facebook. Specialists in public policy and public administration, information technology, communications, law, criminal justice, sociology, and health care will find much here that bears directly on their work, while students and general readers will welcome the book’s down-to-earth language and accessible style.

Intended to serve as a “citizen’s guide,” Controlling Knowledge is a vital resource for anyone seeking to understand how freedom of information and privacy protection are legally defined and how this legislation is shaping our individual rights as citizens of the information age. 

About the Author
Lorna Stefanick is an associate professor in the Governance, Law, and Management program in the Centre for State and Legal Studies at Athabasca University.

Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. An Introduction to Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection
Accessing and Protecting Electronic Data
Accountability and Autonomy
Unpacking the Concepts
Transparency, Privacy, and Good Governance
Overview of the Book
Chapter 2. Privacy Protection
The Many Dimensions of Privacy
The March Toward Regulation
Data Flow, the Thirst for Information, and the Problems of Privacy Protection
Privacy Protection, Personal Autonomy, and Control
Chapter 3. Freedom of Information (FOI)
Transparency for the Public Good
The March Toward Regulation
Administrative Practice: Challenges to the Culture of Openness
Information Access, Equity, and Fairness
Chapter 4. Sharing Medical Information: Antidote or Bitter Pill?
The Special Case of Health Information
Electronic Health Records
Privacy and Confidentiality
Secondary Uses of Medical Information
Managing Health Information
Chapter 5. Surveillance in the Digital Age
Surveillance as a Form of Social Control
Modern Forms of Watching
Whither Watching?
Chapter 6. Social Networking: The Case of Facebook
The Creation of Online Personalities
The Power and Perils of Virtual Communities
Digital Identities, the Commodification of Personality, and the Backlash
The Future of Facebook
Chapter 7. Balancing Freedom of Information and the Protection of Privacy
Questions for Discussion
Notes / Selected Bibliography / Index
 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CA). It may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided that the original author is credited.