The Five Kinds of Privacy

In the debates on privacy, we see many definitions of the word "Privacy," and many concepts that full under that term. We also see various sub-themes that exist over some or all of the types of privacy.

Here is my enumeration of the types. Even within these types you will find two themes -- physical privacy (against intrusions) and informational privacy (against being watched.)

Seclusion -- to be left alone

Brandeis suggested that privacy was the "right to be left alone." You're in your home, you don't want it invaded, both physically, and in the modern era, by electronic signals. You don't want what is done in your home to be spied upon by others.

Security

Most people are familiar with this when it comes to protecting physical privacy. However, sometimes we use security (typically encryption) to protect information privacy when we are sending information out in the world.

Confidentiality

We want to leave our homes and deal with others, but we wish to limit what information about us is revealed to the world because of this. So we seek the ability to disclose things to others but bind them to keep them confidential. We may not be able to bind them but we may simply wish that they keep them confidential due to courtesy dictated by social norms.

Courtesy

We also have desires for physical privacy when out in the world. We often call this courtesy or even etiquette. People are expected to not notice certain things, to give other people space, and to even offer them privacy in public circumstances. We are taught it is not polite to stare at all sorts of things, from couples kissing on a bench, to people who are disfigured.

Anonymity

This is a purely informational privacy. We wish to act in public, but not reveal information about ourselves in doing so, in particular not revealing our identity. This allows important activities like whistleblowing and criticism of the powerful, and it also allows irresponsible and criminal activities.

Pseudonymity

Not entirely anonymous, we also like the ability to create aliases which are identities we can use again and again, but which are not associated withour real name or other aliases. We are not private in our activities under the alias (or pseudonum) but we get to divide up the portions of our life and feel one is kept private from the other. Some pseudonyms are secure. Some are just protected by courtesy or the difficulty of following you enough to connect them.

Urbanymity

This word, which I have made up, refers to our desire to be act somewhat anonymously because we are in a crowd. It is something we developed as we became urban. In your small town, you can't really walk down the street without those who know you noticing it. In the big city you can. You know you could be watched, but you rely on the impracticality of watching everybody to trust that you probably aren't being watched.

It is urbanymity that we fear losing the most through computers. Computers allow surveillance to "scale" so that it is not a problem to track the activities of everybody if they can be measured.

In the old world, buying Playboy at the magazine stand would be known to the clerk, but soon forgotten. Today, buying it by credit card may cause you to get other junk mail, because we have the power to track everybody's purchases.

Other Definitions

• The right to control information about yourself