Inform/Privacy
This is an example of a page covering a social issue. It should be explained in terms not specific to a particular jurisdiction.
Contents
What is privacy?
The What Is section summarises the topic in three or four sentences.
Privacy is the right of a user to control how much personal information they reveal, and others reveal about them, and who it is revealed to. This can be extended to mean the non-observability of a user's data, either at rest (in storage) or in transit across the Internet.
Prerequisite Reading
The Prerequisite Reading section lists Inform pages related to this issue which need to be understood before engaging on the topic.
- None
Related
The Related section lists other Inform pages related to this issue.
Explanation
The Explanation section describes the topic in detail, makes distinction and explains nuances. (In this case, this is probably not all you would want to say about privacy.
A user can preserve their privacy in the first instance by not revealing information which is requested of them. In many cases, if information is requested, they can take into account their desire to provide or withhold that information and balance it with their desire to use the service offered. However, if the information is demanded by government or by a monopoly supplier of an important service or utility, then the element of user choice is reduced or eliminated.
However, without legislation or policy, a user has no control over what happens to that information once they have revealed it. Hence many countries pass legislation to prevent or restrict data sharing, or require user consent.
A user's privacy can be violated either legally or illegally. It is legally violated when information is shared within the letter of the law and the privacy policy of any entities concerned, but against the user's wishes or expectation. It is illegally violated when information is stolen, or shared outside the law and/or policy. While only the latter is actionable, both are of concern from the user's perspective.
Further Reading and Resources
The Further Reading section lists relevant resources which might be useful in educating others on the topic.
- Privacy on Wikipedia
- Mozilla Privacy blog
- Six Mozilla Privacy Principles
- Using the Internet Safely at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
