Spider-Man (2002) shows how government military contracts can pressure companies into making unsafe choices without further checks. The government’s desire for stronger weapons and enhanced soldiers ends up causing more harm than good, especially with all the secrecy surrounding the contract.
Oscorp is working on a defense project for the military. The government wants advanced human military technology, including things like exoskeletons, human performance enhancer, weapons, and flight equipment. These inventions are meant to make soldiers stronger and more effective in combat, which is why they want this tech so badly. However, the human performance enhancer has dangerous side effects, and Oscorp is not ready to safely test it, let alone deploy it.
The military knows Oscorp has competitors and starts to “threaten” Oscorp by stating if they cannot get their product to work, they would give the contract up to Quest Aerospace, Oscorp’s biggest competitor. This pressure pushes Norman to rush the experiment, with minimal care of safety. He tests the serum on himself before it is ready, which leads to the birth of the Green Goblin, his evil alter ego. His decision is stupid and dangerous, but it was caused by a system where companies are pressured to produce results quickly or face losing government funding and future contracts.
This is where privacy becomes a problem. Because the project is hidden behind corporate secrecy and government defense interests, the public has no real knowledge of what is being tested or how dangerous it may be. The danger becomes clear when Oscorp’s military technology is used against civilians, by the Green Goblin. The glider, armor, and explosives were designed for military use only, but now they are used by the Green Goblin to wreak and cause havoc in New York.