David Levy discusses our obligations as librarians with regard to the online environment through lens of halakha as described by various commentators.

2. ETHICAL ISSUES OF THE ONLINE ENVIRONMENT OUTLINE [ Due to time limits only sect. 1,2.5. & 12] (1) * Cherem Rabbenu Gershom : forbidden to read a person’s letters (i.e. privacy rights) (2) *To erase or not to erase the name of Hashem ( mechikat Hashem ) based on Devarim 12:2-3 , and does this apply on a computer screen i.e. lo ta’asum ken is an issur chaftza , a prohibition pivoting around a physical object with a specific halakhic status vs. pixel liquid crystal glow in cathode tube of computer monitor via electron beam guided by magnetic field shot at screen (3) Internet commerce on Shabbat , ( 4) social network listserves , blogs, wikis , etc. by which Orthodox Jews create " cyber" communities (5) *employing filters for those screening out “ pritzus, and stius, and narishkeit (6) spyware and cookies that marketers use to target consumer groups, who may not wish these marketing techniques be used to waste their time, bittul zeman with false advertising , g’nevas daas (7) davoning from a kindle or ipod obviously not (isssur) on Shabbos , (8) cyber minyanim and mizumem in the Blogisphere ? (9) permissibility of censoring hate literature and neo-nazi groups on the web (censorship of violence) (10) piggy-backing on anothers Wi-fi unsecured signals without authorization to access a computer network contracted by others harming the network , damaging other’s data , & diminishing bandwidth which can effect speed of connection for the paying subscriber, ergo a form of geneiva ( 11) illegal film & music downloading causng financial loss to royalties of copyrighted works, despite minhago shel olam (normative practice) and hamotzi l’or yodeah mizeh (the author knew full well upon making the work public how it might be abused); umdenah (common assumption) (12) * ethical concern with author rights within 5 halakhic categories : A. Hasagat gevul -- unfair competition:B. Haskamot - - approbations; C. Dina d’malkhuta dina -- secular law; D. Shiur b’kinyan -- witholding the right to copy.and copyright- E. cite a law in the name of one’s Rebbe who learned it from his Rebbe (omer davar beshem omro) , i.e . Rabbi Yosef Karo in Kesef Mishna to Rambam’s MT. see: Megilah 15a) explicating Esther 2:22 כב וַיִּוָּדַע הַדָּבָר לְמָרְדֳּכַי , וַיַּגֵּד לְאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה ; וַתֹּאמֶר אֶסְתֵּר לַמֶּלֶךְ , בְּשֵׁם מָרְדֳּכָי

4. Privacy Issues A . Midrash Rabbah interprets the serpant/satan as a voyeur of Adam and Hava. B. Yosef was careful not to have anyone outside his family by privy to the tension that existed between brothers. Da’at Zekenim explains his thinking – why let Mitzreim know that there had been bad blood between the brothers, for the Egyptians would be hosts to the brothers and their descendents and this pejorative info could hurt the Jews in the long run. Clearly halakhah considers that whenever possible a person’s private matters be guarded from enemies. C. Aharon’s dignity is preserved when the torah is publically layned the verses relating to the sin of the Egel haZahav are not to be translated aloud so as not to embarrass Aharon HaKohen . D. King David censors Yoav for violating privacy rights and causing civil war and chaos in ancient Israelite state in Bathesheva affair. E. Jezebel in stealing Naboth ’s vineyard violated the privacy rights of Naboth by having Naboth and his sons put to death by false witnesses constituting not only slander, libel, perjury, and murder but violation of the private rights of Naboth to keep his ancestral estate ( shtei ahuza ) within his private family relationships

5. 4 Rabbinic Categories of Privacy (1) privacy of one’s communications by letter or otherwise (2) Privacy from trespassers (3) Visual privacy (4) prohibition of disclosure of secrets (discretion)

7. Privacy of Letters i.e. emails It is customary in rabbinic culture to write on an envelope ( ( בחדר " גמה בחרם ד , רבננו גרשום מאור הגולה meaning herem d’rabbeinu Gershom , or pagi’in פג , ין i.e. (someone who breaks through a fence that rabbis erected may be bitten by a snake) See Kohelet 10:8 חֹפֵר גּוּמָּץ , בּוֹ יִפּוֹל ; וּפֹרֵץ גָּדֵר , יִשְּׁכֶנּוּ נָחָשׁ

11. Umdenah (common assumption) Are we entitled to assume that since most companies spy on employees emails that employers have a right to read personal emails sent from a private email account if written on a worker’s break but from company computers?

12. Berachot 62a: Do leaders have privacy rights? “ It is torah I need to learn it ?” R. Elazar admits that once he followed R. Yehoshua into a privy, and learned 3 laws of behavior by observing him. When he was challenged how could you do such and outrageous thing! He answered, “ It is Torah, and I need to learn it (Berachot 62a). Similarly Ben Azai reports that he too once followed his teacher into a bathroom giving the same reason- it is Torah and I need to learn it . The same rationale was offered by a student who went to hide under his rebbe’s bed on the latter’s wedding night.

16. Privacy of Friend’s house B. one should not enter a house, even one’s own without warning. 1) Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai states that “G-d hates four things which I also dislike…. And a person who enters his own home suddenly and there is no need to add his neighbor’s house.” 2) The Midrash relates that Rabbi Yohanan used to clear his throat before entering Rabbi Hanina’s house in order to make sure that he wasn’t invading anyone’s privacy. 3) Rabbi Akiva commanded his son Yehoshua seven things: my son … do not enter your house suddenly, how much more so your friend’s house.” 4) In Shemot 40:35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, whereas in Vayikra 1:1 Hashem speaks to Moses in the Tent. From this we learn that a person should not enter his friend’s house unless his friend (i.e. Hashem) says enter. Leviticus Rabbah 21:8, ed. Margaliot, p.486-487, Pesahim 112a, Midrash Lekah Tov to Vayikra 1:1 p.3)

17. Privacy of Debtor from Creditor A. When you make a loan of any sort to your fellow, you must not enter his house to seize his pledge. You must remain outside, while the man to whom you made the loan brings the pledge out to you. The oral law notes that even an officer of the court may not enter the debtor’s house in order to take a pledge (Devarim 24:10-11) כִּי - תַשֶּׁה בְרֵעֲךָ , מַשַּׁאת מְאוּמָה -- לֹא - תָבֹא אֶל - בֵּיתוֹ , לַעֲבֹט עֲבֹטו B. The oral law notes that even an officer of the court may not enter the debtor’s house in order to take a pledge. (Sifrei Devarim par. 276, ed. Louis Finkelstein, p. 295; Tosefta Bava Metzia 10-8, ed. Lieberman, p. 118-119; Bava Metzia 113a-b; See Rambam Hilkhot Mlaveh V’lovev 2:2 and in Shulchan Arukh Hoshen Mishpat 97:6) C. Police officers, marshalls, sheriffs, detectives, not invade privacy, even to collect taxes. (Sanhedrin 7:10)

21. Published Iggerot of Gedolim Hador Iggerot of Rav Moshe Feinstein , Rav Yitchok Hutner , and the Chazon Ish [( Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz, (1878-1953)] , the name of the inquerer to whom these Gedolim responded was changed to product their identity

23. Jewish Law foundation of American Law Privacy Rights (L Brandeis refers to “right to be left alone”) 2 nd Ammendment : forbids government from quartering soldiers in peacetime in a persons house without consent of the owner and in wartime 4rth Ammendment : the right of the people to secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures i.e. court orders based on evidence of “probable cause” analogized to Biblical law’s prohibition of a creditor entering a debtor’s home without the debtor’s permission. 5 th Ammendment : no person “shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself 14 th Ammendment : right to marital privacy, fairness, and proper legal procedure See: Lamm, Norman, “The Fourth Amendment and its Equivalent in the Halachah, Judaism, 16 (1967), p.300-312

27. Royal Injunction regarding consequences of violation of privacy וְגַם אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר - עָשָׂה לִי יוֹאָב בֶּן - צְרוּיָה , אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לִשְׁנֵי - שָׂרֵי צִבְאוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאַבְנֵר בֶּן - נֵר וְלַעֲמָשָׂא בֶן - יֶתֶר וַיַּהַרְגֵם , וַיָּשֶׂם דְּמֵי - מִלְחָמָה , בְּשָׁלֹם ; וַיִּתֵּן דְּמֵי מִלְחָמָה , בַּחֲגֹרָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר בְּמָתְנָיו , וּבְנַעֲלוֹ , אֲשֶׁר בְּרַגְלָיו . וְעָשִׂיתָ , כְּחָכְמָתֶךָ ; וְלֹא - תוֹרֵד שֵׂיבָתוֹ בְּשָׁלֹם , שְׁאֹל . וְלִבְנֵי בַרְזִלַּי הַגִּלְעָדִי תַּעֲשֶׂה - חֶסֶד , וְהָיוּ בְּאֹכְלֵי שֻׁלְחָנֶךָ : כִּי - כֵן , קָרְבוּ אֵלַי , בְּבָרְחִי , מִפְּנֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם אָחִיךָ . וְהִנֵּה עִמְּךָ שִׁמְעִי בֶן - גֵּרָא בֶן - הַיְמִינִי , מִבַּחֻרִים , וְהוּא קִלְלַנִי קְלָלָה נִמְרֶצֶת , בְּיוֹם לֶכְתִּי מַחֲנָיִם ; וְהוּא - יָרַד לִקְרָאתִי , הַיַּרְדֵּן , וָאֶשָּׁבַע לוֹ בַיהוָה לֵאמֹר , אִם - אֲמִיתְךָ בֶּחָרֶב ו ְעַתָּה , אַל - תְּנַקֵּהוּ , כִּי אִישׁ חָכָם , אָתָּה ; וְיָדַעְתָּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה - לּוֹ , וְהוֹרַדְתָּ אֶת - שֵׂיבָתוֹ בְּדָם שְׁאוֹל .