Whither the Reasonable Expectations of Privacy?

• Author: Avner Levin
• Pages: 240-253



WhithertheReasonable

ExpectationsofPrivacy

Avner Levin*

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;

the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.

Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

GeorgeBernardShaw

A. INTRODUCTION

This chapterproposes anew wayof legallythi nking aboutreasonable

expectations ofprivacyso that thelegal norms formulatedby our Su

premeCourt and appliedby it anda llou rlower courts reachabeer

twitht henormsa ndexpectation sofCan adiansItproposesthatpr i

vacyexpectations shouldbebasedrsta ndforemostonafu lledged

righttoprivacyratherthanjustonsection oftheC harter of Rights and

FreedomsSuch a right woulda ndshould be read into the Charter by

theSupremeCourtgiventheimpressivenumberofcourtdecisionsthat

alreadyaward privacy a quasiconstitutiona lstat usS econdour legal

normsparticularlyin therapidlyevolvingareaofprivacyandtec hnol

ogyshouldevolvesothattheyr eectsocietal normsoverexpectation s

ofprivacyTherea reareas ofhuman rightswhere thelaw pridesitself

onseinganormativestandardthatishigherindeedoftenopposedto

the moresof society such ast heyar ebutprivacy law shouldnot be

oneof those areasI nfact the rightto privacyinour societywhet her

 ProfessorLawandBusinessRyers onUniversity