This is very curious. Everyone is concerned about the notion of “privacy”, *except* when they don’t think it applies. Is it hard for people to understand that transparency & accountability obliterate privacy?
Privacy doesn’t exist. It hasn’t for over a decade. Not to be pendantic, but the word “privacy” is incorrectly used, and completely misunderstood. Privacy is gone, but it’s the buzzword in place of “civil liberties”, which are slipping away. There’s no need for privacy if you are law abiding, good, kindly community people. Privacy is only wanted by those who *need* it. As long as your *civil liberties* aren’t infringed, then we are all set. It’s simplistic, to be sure, because it’s the people defining what our liberties should be, that cause problems to this model. But we keep talking about “privacy” when we mean “civil liberty”. Privacy will further disappear, because transparency is creating accountability in endless ways. (You should read this, so click here:)
Furthermore, Transparency is lauded, and even used as a marketing tool, for brands, corporations, and governments, because it is considered such a favorable concept (it is). It’s not only the right direction to be headed, but it is the inevitable outcome of information and culture. Transparency is a powerful idea – a meme. The natural order is that things don’t want to be suppressed, and find a way to exponentially unfold. This is why a silly youtube video, or a flu strain, or information, “go viral”. It’s why Wikileaks is successful. It’s also why our government can’t “hide” things, or truly “conspire” like the fringe believe. One might consider worrying about the neighbors more than the government – we are *all* Big Brother now, connected to the world at faster and faster speeds. We all see what you’re doing…..
That being said, the revolution of how to process data, along with the social communication technologies that have revolutionized human interconnectivity, community, and flow of information, will aid in making transparency a completely unstoppable concept. How does this involve you?
Everyone’s bloodlust to hold governments and corporations accountable (as they should) to shareholders, citizens, the public, etc will increase the speed and implementation of transparency.
The one thing no one is considering about this call to transparency is that the trickle down effect will completely obliterate the last notion of “privacy” from existence on the individual level. It’s an obvious fact that individual people run corporations and governments…. and if we are going to ask for transparency and accountability from government, businesses, etc….
That accountability is going to apply to every single citizen of this planet earth. That accountability means that privacy is no longer intact. In most ways, as I mentioned, it hasn’t been relevant for years. I oft quote Mcnealy from Sun Microsystems, saying Privacy is a redherring.. this is in 1989: “You have zero privacy anyway… Get over it.”
People need to stop grappling with this archaic, obsolete notion of privacy, and move on to properly defending or expanding civil liberties to create a more orderly, organized, transparent, and accountable world, country, community, and people. Once we start realizing that we have traded our privacy for consumer conveniences, information, access, and apps (all of which are revolutionizing our lives in positive and negative ways)… we will be able to reboot the corruption and economic complexity with rigorously defined 21st century systems that will efficiently replace the aging, broken systems we are currently mired within.
The unfortunate, and tenuous position (currently compelling many from complacency, or apathy, to action and involvement) we all have is that we *all* have allegiances to the old order, and are firmly anchored (or is it fettered?), in both practice and routine – old habits die hard. These new technologies are exposing inefficiencies and corruption on an heretofore unknown scale, and this is motivating people to implement new methods of government or accountability at a dizzying pace. As we quickly react, however, we are making our own beds…. whether you think you need to have a conversation about privacy or not is moot. You can pretend it should exist…. but those accountable need to be accountable, and self interest is no way to manage people. The coming superconsciousness of a silent majority (with a voice – think Anonymous) will regulate that self interest as a formal check and balance in this Gov 2.0 world. These technologies will mean a greater country – more stable, more honest, more efficient. But they will also peel away at the 20th century notion of privacy. That day has passed.
Until there is a larger consciousness about these things, and people start a dialogue about how to help propel the natural progression of transparency in our culture, we are wasting time. Implement transparency… in your personal life, in your professional life, in any way you can. On government or corporate levels… wherever you can make a difference. We need accountability. We need to define a separation of business interests and state, just as we should reinforce the separation of church and state. We need to revolutionize our systems with available modern technologies and social comm tools, to replace favoritism & self interest. Until every component of the system is held accountable for their contributions, we will not be able to evolve into our next step. We will never lose our individualism, and we will be allowed to live freer, more satisfying lives than we currently live….. but there won’t be anywhere to hide for those who lurk in the shadows. Do you see the light? That’s your privacy disappearing, and you should be welcoming it with open arms.
If it sounds scary to you, it’s because you are incorrectly defining a word that doesn’t exist anymore (Good luck with that). Until we all realize this, all the electric gull-wing-door cars, tablets, and social networks, in the world, won’t get us out of the 20th century.
And yes, if the gossip is true, he likely played a Lyre… but by all formal accounts, Nero was in Antium at the time of the fire. Â See! No longer will the victors write history, but the data will lead us to beautiful truths, and humbling awareness.
Here are some of my previous thoughts on our future and privacy:
The Decline of Privacy & Individualism – Collectivist Super-consciousness & Anonymous, vs. Consumerism (the Century of the Self)
NY Times Bill Keller on Fresh Air – Assange, Wikileaks, and the Transparency heard round the world
Privacy in the world of business –
Future War, Future Us – *WE* are all Big Brother… the government can’t do *anything* right. We’re the ones we need to worry about.
Face Recognition Technology and Group Gatherings -Â A photo worth a 1000 words- Why your privacy no longer exists, in one simple photo.
Terrorism and Privacy – Precog “predictive” algorithmic crime fighting, and how Battling Terrorism slices away at Privacy
A ramble on Privacy – What we give up in privacy (as data) in exchange for near omnipotence
Privacy in the Social Graph Search – Google’s Spam problem will be beat with a little help from your friends, too bad for privacy
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