RESOLUTIONS
Resolved: that the United States Federal Government should establish regulations substantially increasing protection of privacy of United States citizens.
Resolved: that the Federal Government should significantly increase protection of privacy in one or more of the following areas: the workplace, medical records, identity theft, and search and seizure.
Resolved: that the United States Federal Government should establish legislation protecting individuals’ privacy in the workplace.
Resolved: that one or more United States Supreme Court decisions denying a constitutionally based individual right of privacy should be reversed.
Resolved: that the United States Supreme Court should overrule one or more of its decisions recognizing a constitutional right to privacy.
Resolved: that the federal government should regulate the commercial use of private information.
NFSHSA CRITERIA FOR DEBATE TOPICS
Propositions: This problem area lends itself to a myriad of possible resolutions. The topic could be agent specific dealing with the Supreme Court as an agent of change or it could offer legislation as a method of change or be one that allows both as possible vehicles of change. Additionally, a focus on specific areas of potential privacy violations could occur as well as a more general topic that allows an examination of a broader range of issues.
Timeliness: This topic area is incredibly timely. Weekly we hear about new areas of intrusion into the privacy we hold so dear. Public debates about information sharing, medical records, the scope of search and seizure and new encryption/computer issues make this one of the most timely topics in years.
Scope: Privacy is one issue that affects everyone. Coaches, students and judges are all impacted by potential privacy violations. The scope of this area is not dependent on the region or state in which you live, urban or rural location, race, gender etc…
Range: The concept of privacy is one that is easily understood by novice debaters but complex and challenging enough to make even the most experienced debater interested for an entire debate season. This is particularly true given the different areas of potential privacy violations from which most affirmative cases will choose to deal.
Quality: This topic area insures quality debates. Not only does intuitive negative ground exist (ie… the Federal Government should not increase its involvement in the area of increasing personal privacy). Ample research exists from a diversity of easily accessible sources that allow for competitive debates.
Materials: Lots of easily accessible information exists on this topic. Daily articles are written on the issue of privacy. The internet also provides a wealth of information from both a perspective of diversity as well as quality. Online data bases such as the Electric Library and Ebsco Host provided some of the material for this paper, but daily newspapers were useful as well.
Interest: All are affected. The interest level should be high. Every teenager understands the issue of privacy and its importance.
Balance: This could be one of the most balanced topics in years. With the lines drawn between societal and governmental interests and individual interests, the balance exists in regards to both research and quality of argumentation.
Correlation: It is and will continue to be a hot topic for years.
Value: The potential case list gives some indication of the possibilities that exists to discuss pertinent and meaningful issues.