The Future of Privacy
Topic:
There is inherent tension between privacy and transparency. Some argue that in a democracy transparency, not privacy, is necessary for public institutions, but that privacy, not transparency, is necessary for individuals. And yet governments and corporations have legitimate needs to keep certain secrets (think national defense and trade secrets) and certain individuals such as terrorists and criminals use privacy as a means of accomplishing their hostile and illegal acts (think encryption and ephemeral messaging).
How will the tensions between privacy and transparency be reconciled over the next 20 years?
This really depends on the events of the next twenty years. We know that there is a trade off between privacy and security. If there is a large event like 9/11 relating to national security, then people will be more than happy to give away much of their privacy to the government in order to feel a sense of security. This website has a poll asking if "Privacy and Freedom Is More Important Than Security." Even with the question being phrased in such a was as to equate privacy with freedom the results are surprisingly close with (53%) and (47%) . How will this opinion change in the next twenty years? There's no way to be sure. As for government and corporation transparency I think that people will always push for more transparency. "There is no public interest in reducing privacy for the powerless – but huge benefits in increasing
transparency of the powerful" [3] I don't see many reasons why citizens would not push for transparency in a government that is supposed to be representative of them, even in the case of national security. People should want to know what steps the government takes to protect them. Even if the government is surveilling it's citizens a truly representative government would not fear backlash doing so in an open manner. Obviously this transparency would only extend to methods of data collection and not to the actual data collected.
Will one value prevail over the other or will they both be harmonized?
This is again dependent on extenuating circumstances that sway the will of the majority vastly to one side or another. I don't see a way that the trade off between privacy and security could be overcome, so as far as privacy of individuals is concerned I only see it being able to move between well balanced and heavy surveillance. I don't think there is a type of event that would cause the balance to shift towards the side of privacy over security but any amount of fear mongering over terrorism, national security, or even immigration directly leads to less privacy and more surveillance.
Will personal privacy be a thing of the past?
There are some reasons that lead me to think that privacy can also be a thing of the future. In the early 21st century there were many new threats to privacy, most of which people did not recognize. After 9/11 there was a push for more security over privacy, this lead to the expansion of the NSA and passing of the Patriot Act. [2] Also in the early 21st century there was an explosion of new technology, smart phones with cameras became common place, Facebook was created along with other social media platforms, companies began mass data collection on their consumers, yet people remained oblivious to much of the data collection; even in more tech savvy generations. As of 2017,
44% of millennials in the United States believed that their personal
information was kept private “all” or “most of the time” by the
businesses or companies. [1] However, during the recent Facebook data scandal and subsequent issues it raised, the question of data privacy and data collection was brought into the forefront of peoples minds. It is possible that the issue of privacy will stay in peoples minds and eventually translate into new policies regarding data collection and privacy that lean much more towards the privacy side of the spectrum.
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2017/02/13/the-future-of-privacy-and-customer-experience/#1b1fba8e5f0e
[2] https://debatewise.org/debates/3040-privacy-vs-security/
[3] https://newint.org/features/2015/01/01/privacy-transparency
I think you made a great point that the future of privacy will depend heavily on unforeseen events. This point is important to me because it highlights that our society seems to mostly deal with privacy in a reactive, rather than proactive manner. This is unlike the EU which is putting protective measures for privacy in motion before any huge event has happened that would sway the public either towards or away from privacy. Although ideally privacy and security would harmonize in the next couple of decades, with the current unpredictability of our government paired with the rapid speed that technology is growing and changing, I don't think that harmony will be reached in the next twenty years. Instead, I think we'll see more oscillation between extremes as we react to events. However, I do think the amplitude of oscillation between privacy and transparency will eventually lessen, especially as the EU's policies begin to take true effect and impact companies that operate internationally, and as younger generations grow up better equipped to navigate the technological onslaught, hopefully learning from past mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that security generally takes priority over privacy. Any event that generates fear can be used by politicians, the government, and corporations to push for increased "transparency" in the name of security; they posit that those who do no wrong have nothing to fear, and that only the people engaging in illicit activities should worry. The trend toward transparency worries me, as digital services like social media increasingly become a necessity rather than a commodity. Employers may use social media activity as a criteria for hiring applicants, with those who opt out of its use immediately disqualified. The requirement to use digital services, even when one may desire otherwise, coupled with decreased individual privacy in the eyes of government and corporation is not a good combination. However, as Lily has noted, not all governments and corporations are moving toward increased transparency, and that gives me hope. I tend to believe that privacy for the general population will lag behind the pace of technological innovation and globalization; however, I also think that for the privacy conscious, there will always be ways to protect privacy.
ReplyDeleteI feel the exact same as you do with privacy in the future. I think that because of recent events like the Facebook scandal and the Edward Snowden incident the population of the U.S is finally starting to realize that their privacy has been reduced the past couple of years. It's easy to stay oblivious until big events come up like they have recently. Big events like this shape the future and have enough sway to throw everyone on board for what needs to happen. I believe everyone has started opening their eyes and realized that there needs to be a push for more privacy. As for the transparency vs. privacy discussion this one is hard. I believe It all comes down to ethics and what every individual believes which is why there can't be a defined line. I understand that transparency is nice but is that really realistic? No, It isn't because some things have to go under the radar in order to get things done. For example If parents were transparent and told me from the start that Santa wasn't real where is the fun in that! I would have lost so many amazing memories and fun times as a child. The same thing goes for the government, if every time there was a threat that a missile might get sent at us I would freak out! I believe there is a certain amount of trust that must be established in an institution as well as an equal amount of transparency to keep them honest an on the right path. I know this isn't accurate but It might be a better analogy then the missile one. President Obama for example was a pretty young dude with black hair as he started his presidency. But by the end It was super grey. Totally irrelevant but I think It has to do with the stress he was constantly under. I don't want that stress which is why I'm okay with certain aspects of privacy. However I do need some transparency to make sure I'm not being screwed or dealing with a corrupt people. With all of this being said I think this ethical battle will fall in the hands of the people. Since we run this government basically and because as Vincent brought up we are generally split down the middle. As these percentages shift so will the transparency and or privacy shift.
ReplyDeleteOver the past twenty years (our lifetimes) we have seen an exponential increase in the amount of technology available to the public. This has also seen a vast decline in privacy, partly due to the acts of terror such as 9/11 and also due to this increase in tech. I believe that this correlation between tech and privacy currently looks like a decline, however I believe that we are just currently at the bottom of a parabolic curve if you will. I think that the boom in technology means that there was privacy concerns that people didn't even know would be concerns. Then the technology just kept getting more and more advanced at such a rapid rate that the protection of people's protections could never catch up. But, now twenty years later we are finally realizing all of these potential privacy threats and the threats that could come with future technology. I think because of this privacy is going to rise back up to the point it was at before if not higher, thus the idea of a parabolic curve. I believe that in the future we will finally figure out how to balance out advancement in technology with privacy protections for the public.
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point that the public opinion regarding privacy and transparency can change based on a number of events. While security and privacy are both important parts of our society, which one we favor can easily change. We may decide to sacrifice our privacy for security after a terrorist attack but soon favor privacy over security in the wake of a business using our information controversially. I do agree that privacy will continue to be an important topic in the future. This year companies like Facebook are under fire by consumers and the government for abusing the data we gave them. I agree that the public will remain more conscious about privacy concerns, which can lead to much needed changes in how social media companies and the government maintain our privacy. I also agree that people will push for more transparency in the government due to recent scandals involving the government. Even if our society begins to favor privacy less and less, all it will take is one controversy caused by new types of technology, such as drones or ephemeral messaging, and suddenly privacy will be back in the public consciousness. I personally believe that the debate over privacy vs transparency will continue over the next twenty years without a victor, and the current winning side will be determined by whatever the most recent controversy is.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that privacy is dependent on what the landscape of the future will be. Nevertheless, I do think individuals will strive to protect privacy. Many of the events that have currently been occurring in the news for example with Facebook, Cambridge Analytical, the public is becoming more conscious of our rights to privacy. Though there are instances where public safety has triumph privacy, as mentioned in the blog post with 9/11. I don’t think that privacy is a thing of the past, I believe it very much a part of the future as long we make it apart of our future.
ReplyDeleteLike I said in my response to the Question of the Week last week, privacy is completely contextual. What qualifies as having a general expectation of privacy now in 2018 is completely different from what would have qualified in 1918, or will qualify in 2118. We don't know what the future will hold, and what new technologies will come in the future, only for the short term. And in the short term future, it seems as if things are trending positively for personal privacy. I think it's safe to say that the public is generally becoming more concerned and more aware about privacy issues, especially those related to social media. The relevance and public interest in privacy will ebb and flow like it always does, but I think the concept of privacy and personal longing for it will continue for as long as society itself.
ReplyDeleteI agree that public opinion has sway over what we can expect as far as policy relating to privacy vs security. The general trend over the last few years, however, seems to be a decline in privacy, and it seems to me this trend is likely to continue as more items are connected to the internet, technologies such as facial recognition become more prevalent, etc. This is not to say that, as the general populous becomes more aware of privacy issues, we won't see a push against the disappearance of privacy in the name of security. But in order to reverse the current trend, a significant event will likely have to take place to bring privacy to the forefront of societal conversation.
ReplyDeleteObviously this comment is late in every sense of the word. I foolishly allowed this post to get lost in the weekly takeaways and didn’t realize it had been posted. I wish I could say I believe transparency and privacy could coexist but I’m starting to feel that the future will be dominated by trying to find a balance. I just don’t know what that balance looks like...
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