Today, I propose we declare the death of privacy. In our technically advancing world, our personal privacy expectations must be reconsidered, re-conceived and redefined. We all expose ourselves through swipes, transactions, likes and tweets. Through handsets, television sets and mindsets, we voluntarily add our behavioral attributes to the associated handlers of our digital DNA almost entirely without consideration for personal privacy.
Privacy is the number one concern of Internet users; it is also the top reason why non-users still avoid the Internet. Survey after survey indicates mounting concern. (Source: The Center for Democracy and Technology)
As individuals we become more and more accepting of that singular point where humans merge with their technology. Even if you decide to isolate yourself from the world around you shunning all forms and permeation of human technology, you would fail in an isolated illusion as technology is still capable of finding you. Today, I propose we declare the death of privacy and embrace our new handlers with the collective force only technological consumers can wield.
As the volume and characteristics of cross-border data flows have been evolving, elevating privacy risks, and raising cross-border enforcement challenges. This has resulted in the need for a more global and systematic approach to cross-border privacy law enforcement co-operation. (Source: Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development OECD)
The force of accountability, of audit-ability and of a legal duty to protect our digital identities entrusted to them by us, the consumers. Those who have the power to peruse and use our personally identifying information should now have an undisputed legal duty to use this information without doing the individual or class of individuals harm. Those who have the power to intrude have a duty to be discreet, observing the fact that human emotions are frail, volatile and subject to wide subjective interpretation.
It is our personal responsibility to use technology wisely and our handlers’ responsibility to reinforce this personal responsibility. It is our responsibility to enforce, mandate, monitor and to magistrate over the corporate, the government and the individual handlers we knowingly entrust our privacy to. All others should face the full force of a globally unified common law.
Article first published as The Death of Privacy? on Technorati.
quite true..
if we are having privacy issues now. then will happen to our privacy as humans 10 years down the line… it is frightening
Do u think awareness enough.. ??
Awareness is part of the puzzle. Many citizens of the world are not technically or legally equipped through no fault of their own which is why we need to hold all the handlers of our digital identities accountable with a globally reaching, legally enforceable set of controls.
Despite its continued transition to a data-driven economy, the US does not have a set of basic privacy protections that apply across the life cycle of consumers’ data – from its creation to collection to deletion. A baseline privacy law could provide such protections. Of the 34 industrialized democracies that make up the membership of the Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States is one of only two – along with Turkey – that have failed to implement baseline privacy protections for consumer data.