Challenging the Media Monopoly SP11

Economics -> American Capitalism and Social Justice Spring 11

Introduction

]<ref name="Glover">Glover. (24 January 2011). Retrieved from http://www.petercglover.com/wiresfrom-the-bunkerblog/?currentPage=2 </ref>

One of the ways that the capitalist class, which is essentially the corporate/social upper class, maintains its control is through the idea-formation process in which they shape public opinion. The media is one crucial institution that structures people’s opinions and how they view the world. Although many people perceive the media as an institution run by journalists, it is in fact controlled by a few large corporations, which are predominately owned by the corporate/social upper class. These large corporations shape public opinion by relaying their beliefs through the media, and, in effect, filter out any news that could damage their values and viewpoints. Because the ownership of the media is highly concentrated within the corporate/social class, it is extremely hard for individuals that are a part of the working class press to subsist. Organizations such as The Media Education Foundation, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting, the Center for Media Democracy, the Center for Digital Democracy, and Project Censored are determined to change this. All of these organizations not only inform the public about media censorship, but they also expose information that is not released by the mainstream media.

Media Education Foundation

Goals of The Media Education Foundation (MEF)

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MTV]<ref name="MTV">MTV. 28 August 2010. Retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/MTV.png </ref>

The Media Education Foundation is a non-profit organization, founded by Sut Jahlly in 1992 in response to an MTV threat, committed to minimizing the amount of influence the mass media has on the social, political, and cultural lives of the public. The foundation hopes to accomplish these goals through the distribution of educational films and documentaries pertaining to various subjects. MEF primarily promotes the use of their films and videos in classrooms. The purpose of these films and documentaries serves to provide access to information and certain subject matter to the public as the mass media corporations tend to make this information difficult to obtain. MEF depends heavily on educators to purchase and promote their films to educate society on topics that many mass media corporations tend to ignore. Primarily concerned with the cultural roles mass media holds in our society, MEF strives to promote socially aware citizens and consumers that question and criticize the information they are fed by media corporations. Sut Jahlly notes "when something is just in the environment all the time, you stop paying attention to it. And when you stop paying attention to it, in fact,that's actually when its at its most powerful. That's when it actually has the most amount of effect on you. The media in the modern world have become like the air that we breathe". <ref name= "Media Education Foundation">Media Education Foundation. Retrieved from http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/2011/01/06/online-privacy-the-consumer-and-do-not-track-lists/ </ref> [1]

Ideologies

Domhoff

Domhoff argues in Who Rules America that although the upper class elite owns many of the mass media outlets that constitute the main forms of our information access, they do not influence the opinions and types of information circulated throughout society.<ref name="Domhoff"> Who Rules America?, Sixth Edition, McGraw-Hill Co., 2010. </ref> He argues that the power to control the media outlets information output is out of their own control. It is evident that the MEF would disagree with Domhoff as they promote the notion that because the upper class elite owns these media outlets, the outlets are concerned with concealing ideas that the upper class elite doesn’t agree with and promoting the ideas the elite supports. This influence on what is shown and concealed allows the citizens of our society to make decisions on what ideas and practices to attribute importance to, and what to ignore.

Alperovitz

As Alperovitz is concerned with replacing corporate control of capital with new institutions of property ownership, and consequentially the economy comes to be increasingly controlled by the public rather than a select few of the elite in America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy, the shift from corporate owned media to public media outlets will yield more transparency in the media corporations and the stories society attribute importance to.<ref name="Alperovitz"> America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005. </ref> Media transparency will allow us to reclaim our wealth, liberty, and democracy by ensuring that corporations, who’s main concern is gaining profit, not have complete control of our institutions. Institutions that are controlled by the public and do not succumb to corporate influences, will allow the citizens of society to make their own decisions about what to buy and where to use their wealth.

Yates

In Why Unions Matter, Michael D. Yates comments on the media's incessant negative press on the nation's unions.<ref name="Yates" /> His argument stems from the notion that the mass media corporations are concerned with conveying the ideas of the large corporations in their network. MEF's educational films and documentaries serve to provide different opinions on coverage provided by the few main corporations in the media market. The availability of both opinions will hopefully encourage citizens to make their own educated decisions on the matters at hand. MEF seeks to question the cultural and political practices on issues that media conglomerates tend to avoid.

Bowles, Edwards, Roosevelt

In Understanding Capitalism: Competition, Command, Change Bowles, Edwards, and Roosevelt mention that the primary ingredients for a successful economic system are Efficiency, Fairness, and Democracy.<ref name="Bowles, Edwards, Roosevelt"> Understanding Capitalism: Competition, Command, and Change, Third Edition, Oxford University Press, 2005.</ref> It is apparent that MEF is concerned with preserving these ideals through the work of their foundation by distributing information and promoting enough transparency to allow citizens to lead efficient, fair and democratic lives. MEF is efficient because it equips others with the information and knowledge to lead an aware life. The distribution of the academic research the scholars have already done is efficient in time and resources. MEF promotes fairness as it is concerned with exposing information that mass media corporations may not want to circulate for criticism. This distribution of information awards citizens the freedom to control their lives. MEF is democratic as it recognizes the equality of all citizens and their right to have access to the same information, whether it is to be knowledgable of one's surroundings or to maintain the same political influence that many large corporations have currently. Citizens have a right to know and comment on the ideas and practices that affect their lives.

Social Justice

MEF follows many of the ideals that work to create a socially just world. It is evident that MEF surely believes knowledge is power because their main concern is to spread knowledge and information that could help educated citizens make a difference in our social an economic structures today. With this goal in mind, MEF has created films and documentaries on various social and political subjects with the intention of spurring thoughts about subject to which we as citizens may have been sheltered. With the nations citizens making fully educated decisions on the laws and policies that affect them all, there is no doubt that the nation will move to become a more democratic an socially just state.

Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting

Goals of Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)

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<ref name= "FAIR">FAIR. Retrieved from http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=100 </ref>

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) is a non-profit anti-censorship organization that was founded by Jeff Cohen in 1986. It provides criticism of media bias, and its main goal is to incorporate the First Amendment by increasing diversity in the press. FAIR works with journalists and activists, as they release their stories that are seldom told by the media. One of FAIR’s objectives is to create a new system that eliminates the large media corporations and establish an independent public broadcasting system, and advocate non-profit sources of information. FAIR analyzes the media business, concentrating on certain “issue areas” including: corporate ownership, advertiser influence, official agendas, telecommunications policy, the PR industry, pressure groups, the narrow range of debate, censorship, and sensationalism. They provide news articles, as well as studies and reports that relate to each of these topics, keeping the public informed about the media’s inaccuracies. FAIR also publishes a magazine called Extra! that provides media criticism, and it also has created a radio program called CounterSpin that tells the public about the news that goes on behind the scenes. These two media outlets FAIR has created allow the public to be updated on issues on an hourly to daily basis<ref name= "FAIR"> </ref>[2].

Censorship causes blindness <ref name= "Bohner">Bohner. (12 September 2005). Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/deia/42897463/ </ref>

Ideologies

Domhoff

One of William G. Domhoff’s ideas in Who Rules America? is that the large media corporations, which are owned by members of the upper class, is most powerful in the ways they present information through the media.<ref name="Domhoff" /> FAIR’s main objective, which is to try to eliminate large media corporations, meshes with Domhoff’s idea in the sense that they also believe that the way in which the large media corporations present their information has a huge effect on the public. However, one idea that Domhoff mentions, which is that journalists have reported stories that have played a role in creating “small bands of reformers”, is something that FAIR would disagree with. FAIR thinks that many stories written by journalists are never released; therefore it not only compromises independent journalism, but it also creates a media bias that makes it impossible for anyone but the large media conglomerates to have a serious impact on public opinion.

Alperovitz

The idea of a pluralist commonwealth articulated by Gar Alperovitz in America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our liberty, and Our Democracy agrees with what FAIR is trying to accomplish. In a pluralist commonwealth, Alperovitz explains that it is important to create worker-owned and community-owned businesses, which will essentially decrease the corporate control of capital.<ref name="Alperovitz" /> FAIR supports this, as they want to break up the large media conglomerates and create an independent public broadcasting system so that the control of capital is not primarily concentrated in the corporte/social upper class. FAIR wants to get the Alperovitz also exclaims that it is crucial to develop a more community-centered democratic market system, which is something that FAIR promotes. FAIR feels that there is media prejudice, as many stories written by journalists are never told, which is why it strongly supports a media that is run by the people.

Yates

When discussing the issue of the media, Michael D. Yates exclaims in Why Unions Matter that the media tends to present unions in a negative light, making the public think that unions are harmful to society<ref name="Yates"> Why Unions Matter, Second Edition, Monthly Review Press, 2009. </ref>. This meshes with what FAIR believes, as they think that the media only tells one side of every story. For example, the media will reveal to society when union strikes and union violence occurs; however, they fail to mention that most of the time it is the employers who instigate the violence. Yates also articulates the idea that society is exposed to so much propaganda through the media, which over time makes society believe that everything they hear is inevitably true. FAIR wants to change this and make sure that the media tells both sides of every story in order for society to form unbiased opinions.

Bowles, Edwards, and Roosevelt

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<ref name= "Crutcher">Crutcher. Censorship. Retrieved from http://www.chriscrutcher.com/censorship.html </ref>

FAIR's objectives will lead them past the three shortcomings of capitalism stated by Bowles, Edwards, and Roosevelt in Understanding Capitalism: Competition, Command, and Change.<ref name="Bowles, Edwards, Roosevelt" /> Fairness, which is one of the criteria for a successful economy, is supposed to recognize the equal worth of all human beings. FAIR believes that the media is shaped by the views and opinions of the owners of the large media corporations, which therefore does not recognize everyone equally. For example, FAIR thinks that the media does not release stories by journalists that are important for the public to hear. Journalists have the right to share their side of the story with the public, even if their opinions differ from the large media outlets.

Social Justice

One of the ideals of social justice, which is developing a structure that will provide for equal opportunity, is consistent with what FAIR is trying to accomplish. FAIR's aspires to break up the large media conglomerates, as they essentially control what information is being distributed to the public. In addition, the large media corporations prohibit journalists from telling their side of the story, which creates a media bias. FAIR is seeking to create a structure that will give journalists the opportunity to state their opinions on stories released by the media. Another ideal that FAIR is pursuing is the support of meaningful participation in decision-making for all people. Although the large media conglomerates control the media, FAIR is working towards creating an independent public broadcasting system that will provide the public with unbiased news. The work that FAIR is involved in is a huge step in the right direction towards improving social justice, as they are criticizing the mainstream media to send the message that they are not going to give up the fight in creating an unbiased media.

Center for Media & Democracy

Goals of Center for Media & Democracy

The Center for Media & Democracy (CMD) is an independent publisher dedicated to informing the public on not only what is happening in the background of what we are told, but also on what we can do about it. It is their firm belief that those in positions of power should be held accountable, truth always matters (no matter how it is found), and promoting the openness of information as an alternative to mainstream media outlets. This organization goes out and observes and reports on decisions being made and how to be involved in the process, investigating various campaigns by big corporations and such to counter them when they involve matters such as health, opportunity, etc., and many other such projects. Some front page stories on the website in May 2011 included coverage of the Wisconsin protest, the promotion of a Pennsylvanian tax law that would assist in the funding of religious and private schooling, and the rollback of state bills due to the guise of fiscal austerity. [3]

Ideologies

Domhoff

Domhoff’s class-dominance theory is once again challenged by this organization. Domhoff’s argument that the upper class does not influence society through the medium of media is proven false; the opinion-shaping process plays a big role within communities and CMD recognizes that it has been overrun by bias corporations.<ref name="Domhoff" /> Because CMD has no affiliations with grander scale companies, they do not fear putting out information that could be potentially hazardous to others; free speech reigns supreme.

Alperovitz

Pluralist commonwealth idealism can be associated with the goals and intentions of the Center for Media & Democracy. Alperovitz thought decentralization of power within various areas can be seen within the organization’s attempt to avoid government and for-profit organizations; because they are not associated with anyone but themselves, they are allowed to communicate as they please without censorship; this plays into the democratic aspect of Alperovitz.<ref name="Alperovitz" /> This style of communication allows for the reader to question the integrity of the media given to them by profitable organizations, creating a rift and questioning of where wealth is being allocated and where liberties are being denied. The lack of censorship that CMD offers its reader allows to create a more balanced mentality so that they may be more educated when participating in decision-making processes like voting. Only then can a community thrive and be successful.

Yates

Yates’ thoughts on the construed view of unions become more apparent within this organization. Within the various reports posted on the website, there is more information on how unions are attempting to overcome the obstacles put forth by the protested rather than stories on anything negative they could be doing (observations based on articles posted about the Wisconsin protests). With more people having access to the information needed to be well informed, rather than being biasdly-informed, it is possible for there to be true debate on the issues at hand.

Bowles, Edwards, and Roosevelt

Bowels, Edwards, and Roosevelt’s shortcoming are being overcome by the center of Media & Democracy.<ref name="Bowles, Edwards, Roosevelt" /> Efficiently, more information is being provided to the public rather than being censored by media monopolies. The idea that all inputs must be considered when calculating efficiencies plays to a great effect. In term of fairness, CMD makes certain that the truth is told and that all voices are heard when they are normally blockaded. Because such stories are not inhibiting the freedom of others, it allows for freedom in fashioning their lives and others. CMD relies heavily on democratic principles in terms of accountability, civil rights, and equal access to political resources; all should be entitled to being educated and informed. The Center for Media & Democracy prodes itself on offering an ‘open ended’ approach to its readers by allowing them to see all sides of an argument (when available). The community at large has been denied truth for too long, and this organization had done brilliant work to ensure that truth is set forth for those looking for it.

Social Justice

On a social justice standpoint, The Center for Media & Democracy has become a grand stepping stone in the battle against censorship and, in a very general landscape, the basic civil right of freedom of speech. Media conglomerates have slowly begun filtering what the people sees to not bring into question the very foundations that fund them; such organizations fear that social mentality will change and they will topple due to inconsistencies. CMD has worked to see that this does happen. The public has become blind to the curtain media mongols have cast on the community, and organizations such as CMD are now working to raise that veil. These workings have contributed greatly to the ideals of social justice at large; creating an equal plane for society where are have equal opportunity to be educated and assist in decision-making processes. Without this, we topple carelessly into mindlessness.

Project Censored

Goals of Project Censored

Censorship 2011<ref name= "Project Censored">Project Censored. Retrieved from http://www.projectcensored.org/store/ </ref>

Project Censored is an organization devoted to informing people about the role of free press in a free society; as stated in their mission statement, they want “to tell the News That Didn’t Make the News and Why.” In recent generations, a movement of modern censorship has erupted in which certain news stories are not being told to the public. Reasoning’s behind such censorship come from political, economic, and legal pressure. Project Censored believes that all stories should be told regardless of consequence because it is unjust for the public to be uninformed or misinformed. They attempt to make those stories not told by big media to counteract anything not allowing them to be told in the first place. In May 2011, the top censored stories included global plans to replace the dollar, accusations towards the US Department of Defense being the worst polluters on the planet, and human rights abuse continuing in Palestine. <ref name= "Project Censored"> </ref>[4]

Ideologies

Domhoff

Class-domination theory in G. William Domhoff’s Who Rules America? Challenges to corporate and Class Dominance suggests that the upper class, composed of many of the corporate community, has a great deal of influence within different areas due to its large distributive power.<ref name="Domhoff" /> In terms of mass media, Domhoff believes that the upper class does not play a big role in the opinion-shaping process or in class-dominance theory. Project Censored would argue the opposite; media is heavily influenced by big corporate names. If a news story were to come out that would tarnish a corporate name, the company would do anything within its power to assure that it does not.

Alperovitz

The ideal of pluralist commonwealth that Gar Alperovitz explores in his work American Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy, fits into the ideas Project Censored is communicating.<ref name="Alperovitz" /> The belief that the economy should belong more to the public, in areas such as community-owned institutions and municipal ownership structures (i.e. taking a more democratic stance in smaller scales to contribute to the bigger picture), are a small piece of the decentralization of media that is being pushed for. If organizations are buffered before they are allowed to conglomerate in the manner that is seen today, it would allow for a more free-flowing media outlet allowing all news to be posted to the people. In terms of wealth, this system would allow more of the general public’s voice to be heard and more input would be given on spending. Because wealth would be held on behalf of small community-centered enterprises and such, wealth would be more appropriately dispersed and represented within a growing nation such as the United States.

Yates

Tactics used can be but not limited to threat of lawsuits, cutting of funding (if those connections are had), and government pressures. Michael D. Yates’ Why Unions Matter adds to this argument by explaining the misinterpretation of unions in media.<ref name="Yates" /> The work that is done by these unions is left untold and only the more viscous headlines such as ones involving a violent outbreak in a protest make the front page. This in a sense could be a tactic used by big business tycoons to ensure that the organizations (unions) attempting to topple them are obliterated and put against to avoid issues.

Bowles, Edwards, and Roosevelt

Three shortcomings of capitalism defined by Bowles, Edwards, and Roosevelt in Understanding Capitalism: Competition, Command, and Change are being overcome within Project Censored.<ref name="Bowles, Edwards, Roosevelt" /> In terms of efficiency, all work would be considered well used rather than wasted since unrecognized work is going noticed. By allowing these voices to be heard, we allow for more people to create ‘useful goods and services’ that can be appreciated. In fairness, it goes without question that all news will be treated as such with equality; no story can be turned down for implicit reasons. Democratically, the idea of free speech, being a guaranteed civil right, is being unhealed. With media being as influential as it is within this generation, the importance of free speech is crucial to having a well-rounded society. Project censored strives to assure that all voices are heard and that the American idealism of freedom is being upheld while mega companies attempt to mask such attempts.

Social Justice

The accomplishments and workings of Project Censored greatly play into the social justice issues faced in the country today. As the world takes further steps into a future of overflowing streams of information, those with power are attempting to keep their power within themselves to control what the public is told and ergo what they think. Project Censored has become one of many stepping stones attempting to create a more open environment in which freedom of speech is upheld and big corporation does not affect what people are being told. With this group and many others creating this safe space, it creates tension within society which then forces its inhabitant to think crucially about what their media is telling them; why is it that we hear only of victory but not of the suffering of another human? Why is it that we are assisting the poverty of other countries but not of our own? Without organizations such as Project Censored, society becomes nothing more than a brainwashed community of one-sided mentality.

Center for Digital Democracy

Goals of Center for Digital Democracy (CDD)

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<ref name= "Businge">Businge. 2010. Retrieved from http://www.geraldbusinge.com/2010/11/11/about-new-media-democracy-and-new-era-journalism/ </ref>

The Center for Digtial Democracy (CDD) is focused on keeping the public informed, protecting the privacy of the public, and increasing the transparency of the online advertising industry. Digital media has become a major source of interactive advertising and marketing. Websites and social networks are closely analyzing individuals’ behaviors in order to essentially target them so that they buy the company’s products. Interactive marketing is a form of new media that engages individuals in what is being sold, which can put the general public at risk. CDD’s main concerns are making sure that that online advertising works to guarantee privacy for consumers, as well ensuring that the online advertising industry is held accountable to the public. In addition, they want to ensure that negative features of interactive marketing will not put the public in great danger. CDD is also seeking to promote global public health in the digital media. Although the digital media allows the public to obtain positive information regarding drugs and lifestyle choices, it also gives marketers the ability to promote the consumption of substances that could damage an individual’s health. CDD is extremely focused on informing the public on digital health, digital marketing, and digital privacy issues. In order to reach the public, CDD posts numerous articles and press releases so that they can read up on what is occurring in the digital media world. In addition, CDD observes and analyzes new media marketplace developments, which allows them to keep the public updated on new events that are taking place. CDD also acts as an “early warning system” that alerts the public, journalists, and policymakers about new public interest issues. Lastly, CDD has been very involved with the Federal Trade Commission to promote both new policies that will oversee online privacy <ref name= "CDD">Center For Digital Democracy. 1990. </ref>[5]

Ideologies

Domhoff

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<ref name= "Henegar">Henegar. Media democracy and the dummies on TV. 05 November 2010. Retrieved from http://www.granvilleonline.ca/gr/vancouver/eds-et-al/media-democracy-day-vancouver </ref>

What CDD is trying to accomplish meshes somewhat with the ideas of Domhoff. The class-domination theory of power is Domhoff’s main idea in Who Rules America?. The class-domination theory suggests that the upper class, which is comprised of many members of the corporate community, is a dominant class because it has large distributive powers that can persuade most Americans to consent its policies. However, Domhoff explains that the mass media, which is owned by members of the corporate/social upper class, does not play a major role in the class-domination theory.<ref name="Domhoff" /> He states that the mass media is “shaped by forces outside of them,” which includes corporate leaders, politicians, and policy experts. In addition, Domhoff states that the media has very little influence in shaping the public’s opinion. CDD would agree with the fact that the digital media is completely controlled by the corporate/social upper class; however, where they would disagree is on the issue that the corporate/social upper class does shape public opinion, as CDD believes that the corporate/social upper class are the people who do in fact play a significant role in the opinion-shaping process. Another idea that Domhoff presents is that the opinion-shaping network is a system in which the corporate/social upper class can promote its policies. In the opinion-shaping network, there are public relations firms and public affairs department that have a significant impact on the way information is released to the public. The public relations firms, which are controlled by large advertising companies that are owned by executives in the corporate community, look to target specific audiences whom they think could potentially threaten the image and profits of their clients (executives of corporations). CDD would agree with this, as they believe that the interactive marketing and advertising industry of the digital media exploits the public. The members who run and own the online advertising industry targets specific groups of people and tries to entise them into buying their company's product.

Alperovitz

<ref name= "Whyy Radio"> Online privacy, the consumer and do not track lists. 06 January 2011. Retrieved from http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/2011/01/06/online-privacy-the-consumer-and-do-not-track-lists/ </ref>

In America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy, Alperovitz illustrates the idea that it is imperative to develop a more community-centered democratic market system corresponds with what CDD is trying to accomplish.<ref name="Alperovitz" /> CDD is trying to work towards creating a community-centered democratic system, as it informs the public about the ways in which the interactive marketing industry is putting their privacy in great danger, and also explains the ways in which they can protect themselves. In addition, CDD wants to essentially create a democratic media system in which the interactive marketing industry is held accountable for their actions.

Yates

In Why Unions Matter, Yates articulates the idea that the media only tells one side of the story; for the most part it relays the opinions of the large corporations.<ref name="Yates" /> Although CDD primarily wants to change the digital media and increase transparency of the online advertising industry, Yates’s idea coincides with what CDD believes because they want to make sure that the public is informed on issues that are potentially putting them at risk. In the online advertising industry, companies try to persuade the public into buying their products, but the public is unaware of the dangers that exist when they interact with these companies online. This relates to Yates’s idea, as he states that when the public only hears one side of a story, they think that what they are hearing is true and do not realize that they are being tricked. Many individuals in society are monitored by the digital media through interactive marketing, and although they might think that the products companies offer them are great, they do not realize that their privacy is being compromised.

Bowles, Edwards, and Roosevelt

In Understanding Capitalism , Bowles, Edwards, and Roosevelt state that one of the short comings of capitalism is democracy, which is something that CDD can overcome. Democracy is supposed to allow citizens basic civil rights and personal liberties.<ref name="Bowles, Edwards, Roosevelt" /> CDD wants to protect the privacy of each consumer, as the online advertising industry constantly monitors consumers’ actions without them even knowing. CDD therefore believes that consumers’ rights have ultimately been violated because of these tactics performed by the online advertising industry, and they are seeking to ensure that consumers’ liberties are being protected.

Social Justice

CDD pursues many of the ideals of social justice. The first ideal of social justice that CDD follows is assisting individuals with access to information. CDD's primary concern is to make sure that the public is informed on digital health, marketing, and privacy issues. They provide the public with easy access to many stories and articles to educate them on current issues. In addition, CDD wants to increase the transparency of the online advertising industry, as they are interfering with the public's rights. This is consistent with the ideal of social justice in the fact that CDD wants to improve communication between those who control the digital media (the corporate/social upper class) and the general public. They are pressing the digital media to be upfront with the public, which will improve social justice because society will be aware of anything that could pose a danger to their privacy.

References

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