Why is privacy important?

WWII in Germany was very bad for certain people. Intellectuals, homosexuals, and jews did not fare well.

It helps humans maintain their individuality and it allows you to be by yourself without other’s judgement or ridicule.
It’s also important for growth and reflection.

Well, under Bush the right tossed out the line, “I don’t have anything to hide. I’m not doing anything wrong.”

I haven’t heard that in the last 16 months when you discuss things like warrant-less wire tapping. Now they suddenly are concerned.

Great points, Vunessuh. Privacy also encourages independence. Spending time with others is important, but if we do not take some alone time, we’ll become dependent their company. As a result, we won’t learn to think for ourselves; we’ll just go along with the crowd in order to win their approval. A sense of self is important.

Unless you are a perfect saint any info out there on you is anything but private. Most people would freak if they knew how much info is gathered on their comings and goings. Everything you type say or do on the internet is a permanent record of what you think, feel, say and have an interest in. Every purchase you make with a credit card and every time you use a store membership card those purchases a another form of analyzing your habits likes and interests. Big Brother is watching and knows you better than you know yourself!!

@Cruiser -Does he know where my car keys are??

@lucillelucillelucille He said you baked them in your meatloaf. Throw it at your car to get it started.

Privacy is very important.I have a right to be secure in my person and papers.

@Cruiser -Will do.Throws a pie in your general direction…

I was reading about the current U.S. laws on privacy and found this video.

http://www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/ordering-pizza-2015 I thought it was a bit funny, I don’t think we would see this happening but than again if privacy is not important as your suggesting it might…

@grumpyfish , The German government was showing extreme prejudice (to put it mildly) and that made it necessary for people to hide certain information for their self-protection. I can’t think of anything, that if the government knew about it, would place me in any danger.

Hey @grumpyfish, neither did communists – the Nazis hated them and treated them as inhuman, too. Communists, then as now, in their various forms of practice, did not observe privacy in terms of many governments today, so what’s the point of bring up the Nazi regime in this thread?

I’ve actually wondered the same thing. Privacy is really important to me as well, but I have nothing to hide and I’m an honest person.

In some cases I think it might be cultural. For example, nudity—I don’t think it’s human nature to be afraid of people seeing me naked, but the thought of it is enough to make me squeamish. I can’t tell if that’s my instincts or if that’s some sort of cultural installation.

Privacy amongst my friends is important snice you can never just “be yourself”. I don’t act the same at work as I do at home, and for obvious reasons. I’m not a crass person in general, but real people have opinions, vulnerabilities, and their tough moments, and there’s no reason that should be known by the people I work with. It could change their view of me for little or no reason as it doesn’t affect who I am at work or whether or not I’m a capable worker.

I think, as an American, I am very cynical about government in general. It’s kind of our culture. Even those of us who embrace stronger government (you might say I’m more liberal than conservative, so me included) are not exactly “pro-government” in any comaprative sense. The big-brother, government-is-bad stigma is written all over our culture and I think that’s pretty core to American culture. Our entire government was originally constructed under the pretense that government is a bad thing and should only be used when necessary, so I don’t think it’s shocking that nobody trusts it with our private, sensistive information.

I think the nature of privacy isn’t always about keeping a secret (though it can be), more deeply, it seems to represent a sense of personal power. Privacy is something intimate, unique to the self, and under one’s ownership, one choses whether or not to invite another into their privacy. When an outside force interjects itself (or themselves) into another’s privacy it can feel violating and in some cases be violating. People don’t like their autonomy messed with and I don’t think they should.

Because the government can twist things it knows into other things.

Because it is not embarrassment, but just circumspection that makes us not want to have everything about us known and available to everyone.

Privacy wouldn’t be necessary if no one used any information to hard someone else. But people do disapprove of and harm others, so we protect ourselves by maintaining our privacy.

Other than self-protection, I don’t see any other need for privacy. In fact, I think privacy is harmful because it cuts us off from others and isolates us. I’d bet there’s data showing it shortens our lives. Keeping track of who knows what and who shouldn’t know what creates a lot of stress.

“Why is privacy important?”

Good question. I hope you do not mind me looking in your windows from time to time.

Privacy is essential to introverts, especially in protecting us from extroverts (people who can’t understand why you’re not always glad to see them.)

@wundayatta Anything is harmful in extreme doses. You assume that the desire for privacy indicates a deep, dark secret that the person wants to hide. This is not necessarily so. Do you keep your shades open when you’re undressing? Then you want privacy.

Also, privacy doesn’t mean total isolation from others. I like spending time with social contacts, but I still cherish my alone time. As Khalil Gibran said, “Let there be spaces in our togetherness.”

@Dracool Yes, it is essential to introverts. Some people don’t understand that for introverts, socializing with others drains our energy. We need private time to recoup that lost energy.

@LostInParadise A more current and less severe example would be McCarthyism. Random things from your past (a club you attended while in college) can come back to haunt you.

They keyword is control. I wanted to elaborate on this but I’m not inspired right now, might do that later.

Anyway, another point I wanted to make is that, one reason the Nazis managed to slaughter so many Jews in the Netherlands, was because there was a lot of data on them – who they were, where they lived, etc. Even if you trust the current government, doesn’t mean you can tell what the future will bring.

@wundayatta You can find data that shows a correlation for everything.

@lonelydragon If society didn’t have these ideas of shame about nudity, I wouldn’t care who saw me naked. I’d much prefer it if nudity wasn’t a taboo. I wish it weren’t a taboo to perform elimination or sexual functions in front of others. But it is, and I conform with that social taboo.

Alone time, too, is subtly different from privacy, I believe. In order to concentrate or do whatever it is you want to do, it is sometimes necessary to be alone and isolated from others. It’s not that you mind people seeing what you are doing, or that you are ashamed of what you are doing. It’s that you need the alone time in order to do what you are doing.

Privacy, I believe, has a number of meanings. I think that it does have the connotation of what you are doing is no one else’s business. But I think it is important to ask why it isn’t anyone else’s business? Usually it’s because you are protecting a secret or trying not to violate a taboo.

The example you give—having a private place to work isn’t about shame or protection of secrets—unless you want to keep your work secret so it can be a surprise. If you want to keep it a secret because you don’t want competitors to know, then it is a secret. But if you just need privacy to focus, then it isn’t about secrets or shame or taboos. You are right about that, I think.

It saves all those exhausting explanations about what you are doing or who you are to ignortanies.

For no other reason than your life is your own to live, and not somebody else’s. You are an autonomous and soveriegn individual, not a cog in a machine. The government is one institution that actually has the power to interfere with your life. They are the last people that should know a whole lot about you.

Just take e-commerce as an example. Your credit card number should remain private. Others should not be allowed to go on an Internet shopping spree using it.

When someone is brought up in a culture with no privacy, there is huge pressure to conform to the “mass culture” including what is considered “normal” or “okay.” People who have interests in some more unusual things (for example, furries) would feel a huge pressure to hide these interests. And it’s already been established that repressing desires is incredibly unhealthy. People who do things out of the norm would be both criticized and under suspicion of being a freak, pervert, criminal, etc. Not to mention that anyone interested in, say, the science of weaponry would be suspected as a potential terrorist, even when they had no intention to harm anyone.

That is why privacy is important.

Besides, I don’t want everyone knowing about some of the things I watch online… :P

I am experiencing an intense de ja vu of already seeing this q and these answers – maybe I dreamed it, so weird.
Because it’s not about what you have to hide, it’s about respecting boundaries.

@wundayatta brought up a good point about the different meanings that privacy can have. I do not mean privacy in terms of alone time, but in terms of what people know about you.

In thinking about it, there are different reasons for not wanting institutions like government to know about us than there are reasons for withholding information from individuals. With institutions there is no particular embarrassment but there is fear of the harm that they can do. With individuals, I wonder if there might be an inborn instinct not to divulge too much information to strangers. There might perhaps be an evolutionary basis for this.

I think that privacy allows us time to reflect and refine ourselves into better human beings and individuals without being scrutinized or criticized 24/7. That being said, it is also obvious that relatively few will take advantage of an opportunity to improve upon themselves. If companies and governments (which are supported by or created by citizens) are allowed to keep secrets and if it is to be considered espionage to either divulge or profit from these secrets, why shouldn’t citizens also be granted this same ability?

Because it ain’t nobody’s business but your own…

NOYDB = None of your damned business.

In other words, what I choose to do with my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is my business. I should be able to control what details of this I give out and to whom. In intelligence terms, these details are on a “need-to-know” basis, and I feel it is up to the individual to decide who needs to know. Even if it’s for a benevolent reason, other people should not usurp that decision. For governments, it’s even more important, due to the reasons for wanting the information and the potential uses to which it could be put.

It is important only because people make it important. Privacy is, as a human concept only as great as the person wants it to be.

The point of privacy is not to hide, but to enforce that you belong to yourself. Privacy is one way in which we show our respect for the rights of others. Each person has the right to reveal exactly as much about himself as he/she wishes. Maintaining that principle ensures that we are all aware of the rights of others and of humans in general.

But why should we restrict what people know about us? Is that not withholding information and is that not a step away from lying, which we all agree is sinful?

@LostInParadise First of all, not everyone would agree that lying is sinful. (At least, not every lie is a sin.) Second, how is withholding information a step away from lying? Lying is an overt act; seeking privacy for one’s own information is passive.

There is such a thing as lying by omission
But I do agree that lying is not sinful. What is sin?

Lying and privacy are both means of denying information, in the one case by falsification and in the other by making it inaccessible. It is true that lying is no always wrong, but if there are no extenuating circumstances then it usually is.

Is this a trick question?

@LostInParadise Why is denying information considered wrong? Nobody has the inherent right to know everything about everything.

So we can find our passion

Sharing information with others is fine, but the point is, it is a choice. I may want to explain only to family members why I planted a maple tree rather than a birch. I may want to tell the world. But it should be my choice. I have the right to what is in my mind and I’m the one who gets to make the decisions.

I remember a Muslim friend who explained something interesting once.

He told me his people did not have a word or custom of privacy the way we do. I found this bizarre, but it made sense.

He appreciated the privilege and had trouble explaining his desire for it with his family when he visited.

I understand hallways are only a recent invention allowing for “closed doors” – I suppose in a tent you’d have to do it quietly.

If you don’t know it must not be important to you.

If you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to hide

@LostInParadise I have to chime in and say that I think your arguments are a tad ridiculous and weak. Having privacy isn’t about hiding something you’ve done wrong. Aside from having alone time and being free from intrusion, privacy can also be about protecting yourself. Your social security number for example is a good thing to hide. If a stranger on the street asks you for your credit card number and your social security number are you going to give it to them, or deny it because those two things are private?
Regardless, everyone has information that they would prefer to withhold from people until the time is right or until they feel comfortable. This can be one’s stance on religion or politics or their sexual orientation or a diagnosis of a disease or disorder or a bad habit or a bad choice. It is our right to be able to restrict what people know about us. In no way is someone being sneaky and secretive by not talking about something that is no one else’s business. I highly doubt you live your life in the way that you are preaching. Nobody does. Nobody is that much of an open book.

But why do we feel it is necessary to hide information about ourselves? One reason is to keep from being harmed, as in the case where we give out our credit card number. Another reason is to avoid ridicule. Maybe that is what it comes down to. People are willing to tell their doctor or therapist things that they would not be willing to tell others.

@LostInParadise Witholding information is only a step away from lying if it is meant to misdirect the person you’re holding it away from (e.g. you don’t tell someone you hid his underwear). Witholding information isn’t bad per sé – e.g. you wouldn’t tell someone you’re wearing underwear every time you do so. At least, most of us wouldn’t.

This gets into another matter, of whether we are following convention or not. It would be tedious if we mentioned all the conventions we followed convention. Information consists of conventions not followed, like not wearing underwear.

I grant that privacy is important. I am trying to treat this as a philosophic or psychological question. Why do we think privacy is important? Is it a value in and of itself or is it a secondary factor related to trust and protection?

@LostInParadise Oh sorry, I was responding to “but why should we restrict what people know about us? Is that not withholding information and is that not a step away from lying, which we all agree is sinful?”, in other words, defending the statement that attaching value to your privacy is not even close to lying.

I still maintain there is a relationship to lying. In general, we do not lose anything by providing information and we deprive a person from making the most informed decision by withholding information. Given that this is the case, why do we feel it so important to hide certain information about ourselves?

“Qu’on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j’y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre.”
If one give me six lines of writing in the most honest man’s hand, I shall find there something for which to have him hung. -Cardinal Richelieu

Privacy is a way of protecting us from several species of persecution. True information can be manipulated to convey an untrue impression of character or even of action. Information about one’s habits and thoughts belong to that individual, to be disclosed at his or her own discretion. For this very reason, privacy is also a powerful tool for civil disobedience, and it is for this reason that oppressive governments in the past have sought to restrict gatherings and associations, and monitor the thoughts, actions, and words of its opponents. Without the right to privacy, honest citizens are powerless to exchange ideas and lay plans to provide for their own salvation. There is no reason for an institution or person to gather information against an individual’s will unless it be to prevent them from exercising his right to freely associate and hear arguments on an equal plane of information as he who presents the argument (this last point is relevant in online advertising, in which psychological deductions are drawn against the consumer’s will, allowing them to be unfairly manipulated). For this reason, privacy is a requirement of democratic governance, and citizens should be suspicious when any business or government body infringes upon their privacy. We are currently heading toward a world characterized by reverse transparency, in which governments know everything about their constituents while the citizens know nothing of their government. Real transparency facilitates informed decision-making; reverse transparency (in commerce as well as government) makes informed decision making impossible, while making oppression effortless.

One source of our cultural desire for privacy, in my opinion, is a reaction to our inherent hypocrisy. Men are both beasts and gods, and this tension is a source of shame for us. The privacy boundaries we agree upon are so structured as to insulate our animal natures from our public, god-like aspirations. We all wish to associate with one another on the basis of what wish to be and what we hope to become, rather than on the basis of what we begrudgingly accept and endure as what we partially are. This compartmentalization is the foundation of vulnerability and intimacy in interpersonal relationships and supports a free and hopefully community. In the context of this conflict between our hopes and our short-comings, privacy is therefore also a source of spiritual freedom and a necessary condition of the discovery and evolution of friendships.