Privacy Articles

Real Dangers of Thoughtless Sharing

The longer term, societal effects of a general loss of privacy due to ubiquitous data availability and surveillance are not well-understood. The ability to record nearly everything and to make that record available to others is unprecedented in human history, and defeats parallels. What will it be like to grow up in a world that does not forget? Will comments posted online at age 14 discourage people from seeking public office or speaking out years later, out of fear?

Privacy, the Self and Human Relationships

Privacy is nothing if not the freedom to be let alone, to experiment and to make mistakes, to forget and to start anew, to act according to conscience, and to be free from the oppressive scrutiny and opinions of others. It may seem an odd notion today, but initially the Internet was a favorite refuge for many seeking privacy.

To Share or Not to Share

The tensions between information freedom and personal control are exploding today and not simply because of the benefits of sharing information using new media. Rather there are massive commercial, government interests along with malevolent individuals that have a lot to benefit from each of us revealing highly granular personal information, much of it in the public domain by default, real time as we travel through life. The clear and present danger is the irreversible erosion of that most enabling of liberties: anonymity.

Living Out Loud — Should We All Be More “Open?”: The Upside of Sharing

The ubiquity of digital gadgets and sensors, the pervasiveness of networks and the benefits of sharing very personal information through social media have led some to argue that privacy as a social norm is changing and becoming an outmoded concept. This post is part one of a seven-part series.

Can we retain privacy in the era of Big Data?

Our society is collectively creating, storing and communicating information at nearly exponential rates of growth. Most of this data is personally identifiable, and third parties control much of it. This personal data will be archived online forever and be instantly searchable, and few appreciate how many ways this data might be used to harm us.

Should We Ditch the Idea of Privacy?

A growing number of people argue that the notion of having a private life in which we carefully restrict what information we share with others may not be a good idea. Instead, sharing our intimate, personal information with others would benefit us individually and as a society.

20 Ideas for 2012, Part 3

In many countries civic engagement by young people has been growing for years, but as evidenced by the November 2010 Federal Elections in the United States, around the world voting among young people is declining. Governments and democracy run the danger of becoming irrelevant.

The FTC Saves Facebook From Itself

Privacy has been Facebook’s Achilles heel and over the years, the company has continually gotten it wrong. Now the FTC is forcing it to get it right.

Top trends and developments for 2011

Thanks largely to the Internet, long-standing monopolies and power imbalances are being challenged as more people from more regions of the world connect, collaborate, and compete on the global stage. Young digital natives everywhere are questioning the historic...