Over the past few decades, we have seen enormous changes in how we think about privacy. The emergence of social networks, rise of smartphones, development of cloud computing and growth of location tracking have all affected, in one way or another, how we draw the line between what is private and what is public.
But what exactly is privacy? The lawyers Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis defined it in 1890 as the “right to be let alone”. What does the word mean in today’s world? With the imminent expansion of the internet of things, a number of recent high-profile hacks, and with an increasing amount of apps and services needing personal data to function properly, how do we picture our privacy? Do we care about it?
Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA and GCHQ have exposed how vulnerable our data is to snooping, but are we happy to trade off online privacy for online security? Are we also happy for private companies to use our personal data if it means they can make better products and services?
What do you think about privacy in the 21st century? We’ve put a few questions below for you to share your thoughts. We’d also like you to share a photo that you think represents privacy in the 21st century.
- To what extent are you happy for the government to monitor your data if it means greater protection from serious crime?
- To what degree do you trust private companies to keep your data secure?
- Where do you draw the line between what is and isn’t private?
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