Privacy is the “right to be free from unwarranted intrusion and to keep certain matters from public view” (Law 2015). As such, “privacy is an important element in the autonomy of the individual. Much of what makes us human comes from our interactions with others within a private sphere where we assume no one is observing. Privacy thus relates to what we say, what we do, and perhaps even what we feel” (MacMenemy 2016).

A private space enhances autonomy. If we feel we may not be completely autonomous in our thoughts and actions, we may hold back crucial elements of ourselves. Privacy, therefore, “protects our subjectivity from the pervasive efforts of commercial and government actors to render individual and communities fixed, transparent and predictable. Privacy is an indispensable feature of a democracy where an individual maintains his identity while contributing to their civic duty” (Cohen 2016). …

Quelle / Link: The right to privacy in the digital age