The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project recently released a new report, The Future of Privacy. It’s a fascinating report on a topic that affects almost everyone. The report looks at the future of privacy in the light of technological change, increasing monetization of digital encounters, and the changing relationship of citizens and their governments. As one expert was quoted, the concept of “Big Brother” is being redefined. The report canvassed many Internet experts and builders with three basic questions.
• Security, liberty, privacy online
-- Will policy makers and technology innovators create a secure, popularly accepted, and trusted privacy-rights infrastructure by 2025 that allows for business innovation and monetization while also offering individuals choices for protecting their personal information in easy-to-use formats?
-- Describe what you think the reality will be in 2025 when it comes to the overall public perception about whether policy makers and corporations have struck the right balance between personal privacy, secure data, and compelling content and apps that emerge from consumer tracking and analytics.
-- Consider the future of privacy in a broader social context. How will public norms about privacy be different in 2025 from the way they are now?
Basically, 55% of respondents said “no” they do not believe that an accepted privacy-rights regime and infrastructure would be created in the coming decade, while 45% said “yes” that such an infrastructure would be created by 2025.
One of my favorite futurists, Paul Saffo, managing director at Discern Analytics and consulting associate professor at Stanford University, provided the following quote:
“The opposition to privacy erosion is broad and diffuse, while the proponents of privacy-eroding systems are narrow and focused. Further, while Americans claim to care about privacy, they care even more about convenience. Americans have happily sacrificed their privacy over the last several decades, and will continue to do so, even as they complain. Privacy has already shifted from being a right to a good that is purchased. Privacy-as-good will continue to advance and become the 2025 norm.”
I would recommend scanning the report and looking at what a number of people shared and various themes that emerged. I believe it’s an issue we need to consider and be able to help people understand the tradeoffs.
Report: http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/12/18/future-of-privacy/
-- Dan Cotton