Keep Out!

In distopian, Orwellian worlds nothing is private. You are watched. All the time. Dictators have set up powerful surveillance states in the real world, but all seeing surveillance was the stuff of science fiction. But it isn't fiction any more. Modern technology has made it possible. We are almost totally reliant on machines now, and machines can record. And they do.

Privacy is important even for the law abiding. Its a cliche to say if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about. If you believe that get rid of your curtains. That assumes a world without trolls, it assumes a world where noone harasses the innocent, it assumes a world where mistakes are never made, where tabloids wouldn't abuse their power just to find out gossip, it assumes a world where the powerful are saintly good. That isn't the real world. Even if current governments are good, it also assumes noone could possibly be elected who might turn out to be bad, and might abuse the infrastructure put in place by those we did trust. People use power, and data about others gives power, whether to companies, politicians or criminals.

Privacy isn't an absolute right, but privacy does matter. Its important to realise when you are giving it up, and, with algorithms now making the decisions, what the consequences could be. We have to get the balance right between privacy and security both now and for the future.

Download issue 24 of cs4fn magazine on cyber security and privacy