To have or not to have: The true privacy question

Abstract

In light of the recent US National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance scandals, the article reflects on the continued importance of privacy in the information age. Based on a taxonomy of privacy violations provided by Daniel Solove, it takes the reader on an imaginary journey to a world in which privacy has ceased to exist. What does it mean “to have or not to have privacy” in the information age? This essay, part academic, part call for action, explores this question by means of an analogy, focusing on the relationship between citizens and the state. It demonstrates that the invisible presence of the NSA should be a matter of great concern to us. There is no justification for blanket surveillance. The right to security is an illusion. Instead of fighting windmills, we should fight for our right to privacy instead. We need to have privacy; we need it to live and love, to make mistakes, and to grow. We need it as individuals and as a society. And we can have it if we press our legislators to return it to us. It is time to start fighting back.