Privacy: What is it, and what can we expect?
By Ian Scott
Privacy has become a buzz word in the 21st century, with many nations throughout the world enacting legislation aimed at “privacy.” Individuals have become more concerned about it after being besieged by the media, warning them to be careful about their privacy.
Most of these warnings are good, of course. However, misinformation abounds! I had a humorous conversation with a client today, who described a telephone conversation she had with a parent who refused to use an on-line registration form because it asked for the birth date of the person being registered, her daughter. This someone however agreed to send the information via email.
Having the birth date of the registrant was necessary. My client is the President of a local minor sporting organization for kids. The organization needs to be able to verify the ages of children, and ensure they are in the correct program based on their age.
And in fact, the parent didn’t mind sharing the information -she just refused to do it on an on-line registration form, but apparently she indicated that she was concerned about her “privacy.”
So, what is “privacy” exactly? And can it be quantified? And if it can be quantified, how much privacy can we or should we expect?
In trying to define what exactly privacy is, I turned to the dictionary. Good old Webster’s says:
Privacy Pri”va*cy, n.; pl. Privacies. [See Private.]
1. The state of being in retirement from the company or
observation of others; seclusion.
2. A place of seclusion from company or observation; retreat;
solitude; retirement.
Her sacred privacies all open lie. –Rowe.
3. Concealment of what is said or done. –Shak.
4.A private matter; a secret. –Fuller.
As you look over those definitions, are you able to really figure out what “privacy” IS?
And who’s responsibility is it exactly, for your privacy?
It seems to me, that if you want utter and total privacy, you need to retire to a remote cave somewhere, and live the hermit life. The first definition from Webster’s would seem to imply so. But obviously, most of us have no plans to seek out a cave free from the observations of all others. Being social creatures, we DO want the company of others, and with that, don’t mind being observed, heard, listened to, or read.
But we might want to have privacy, according to the second definition: A place of seclusion from company or observation; retreat; solitude; retirement from time to time. A place to hide out – it could be our bedroom, a cottage, or a tent somewhere far from the madding crowd. But even there, how much privacy may we expect? Our bedrooms may not have locks on them, our cottages have a record of our ownership through land deeds, and camp grounds retain records of our visits.
It would seem then, knowing most of us (and especially you, if you are reading this) have no desire for complete and utter privacy that would require a life spent in a hidden cave somewhere.
Whenever we have any type of relationship with any entity, be it another human, a business, or government, we give up some privacy. The closer this relationship is, the more privacy we’ve lost. In most cases, we don’t even think about this. Giving up privacy: could it really about how much we trust, what we trust, and who we trust?
Or, it could be about fear as well? Not providing your income tax statement to the government authorities could land you in quite a bit of trouble, as people with guns might come along and lock you up. Do you REALLY trust the Government implicitly with your personal information?
I’ve found it interesting that many people don’t mind giving up personal information to governments who will be able to use that information for whatever purpose they want, and yet are leery of giving information to business which will use that information to provide better products and services.
But of course, we all find some marketing methods directed against us as an annoyance. SPAM has become the King of marketing annoyances (and in my opinion, under most cirucstances, theft of resources). And in this sense, SPAM is considered a privacy issue as well. In 1928, in Omstead V. United States, dissenting Justice Louis Brandeis wrote:
“The right to be left alone — the most comprehensive of rights, and the right most valued by a free people.”
Interestingly enough, The Treasury Board Of Canada quotes Brandeis’ statement on their webpage that discusses privacy issues!
So for the purposes of this blog, perhaps that is the way we shall define privacy. “The right to be left alone.” We’ll shortly explore some tools, practices and policies that you can put into place to help you with whatever privacy level while connected to the Internet that you would like to be comfortable with.
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