The Bishop of Hereford writes in.

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How much of one's personal information can an organization that one works for use? How much ownership rests with the individual? This ties in with a more general question : If there was commercial use that a corporation could make of an individual's personal information, is it always okay for it to do so?

If maximizing shareholder value is the sole responsibility of a firm, then the personal information of employees is fair game. Berle and Means' "The Modern Corporation and Private Property" comes to mind. I have been increasingly concerned with privacy and disclosure issues related to organizations. In the last few weeks, I have been surprised to see more than a couple of surprising leaks of personal information. I know it sounds strange, but couldn't there be situations where a company exploits an individual's personal information for its own personal profit, but such is not okay? I am not questioning whether a corporation can use the direct outputs of an individual's labor for its own personal profit. The question is - can it use the indirect outputs of an individual's labor for its own personal profit particularly when it may pertain to that individual's personal life? It is certainly a question worth thinking about.

In the meantime, do step over to Crooked Timber where Henry Farrell has a post that looks at another issue not far from those considered by Berle and Means.