Barking at shovels

"Privacy Spills"

A fascinating, thoughtful, detailed analysis of the implications of e-mail on privacy: "Accidental Privacy Spills: Musings on Privacy, Democracy, and the Internet" -- go read. For one thing "privacy spill" is such an evocative term, I guarantee you'll be hearing more of it.

I waffle on the issue of privacy vs. openness. On the one hand, having a basically open society is a huge part of what has made us as prosperous and successful as we are. Science thrives on openness, and in many ways the corrupt and power-hungry are like vampires: they flee from the light. On the other hand, personal privacy is a big part of what lets people get away with living non-conformist lives. I'm fairly non-conformist myself, and I have friends who make me look vanilla. My life is full of subtly nuanced decisions that I'm sure many people out there would disapprove of at first glance, and in the kangaroo court of a media frenzy, who gets the benefit of more than a first glance? Privacy is what makes it possible to take chances on stuff that you know is innocent, but could look bad if taken out of context -- it's what lets you feel confident that anyone who learns of it will know enough about you to know the context.

Are we entering a world where privacy can no longer be expected? Between the Internet and proliferating surveillance cameras and the plummetting cost of storage, it seems like we may be.

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