Personal Privacy Versus People’s Right To Know Part 3

written by  10817 Jeong Daeun,

In part three of the five part series titled "Personal Privacy Versus People's Rights to Know," the Opinion department looked into how delayed information affected the area.

Delayed Information Affects People’s Rights to Know

 

The term “right to know” refers to each citizen's right to demand and receive all kinds of information and ideas unobstructed. Information here refers to information on state affairs in a narrow way but includes private company’s information, especially the mass media industry, military industry, and pollution industry. In other words, it means freedom of information. Specifically, it is the right to demand freedom of messenger activities in mass communication. It is the right of each citizen to demand information on state affairs.

According to KBS, which reported on COVID-19’s right to know in August, “The recent increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 has raised public anxiety. Furthermore, there are growing calls for the names and specific timing of the identified person.”

In Gangneung, people were upset when the route of the confirmed patient was announced late. Some residents vented their anger. They said, “We understand the person’s situation, but if the name of the neighborhood is known, then citizens’ right to know about any situation is not guaranteed.”

 

My Opinion

 

Currently, the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients continues to increase. Under these circumstances, the public has been unable to leave their homes and is waiting for the diagnosis of the infected. The people’s right to know should be guaranteed. The movement of people infected with the virus has been announced late, and this violates citizens’ right to know. By these announcements being late, they are threatening lives. Therefore, the government should protect citizens’ right to know.

Not telling the route of the infected person is a violation of many people’s right to know. The failure to tell people the path of those confirmed that could lead to more infections. We think it is a way to prevent more infected people by telling them the route of movement clearly and quickly