Privacy
hidePrivacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively. The boundaries and content of what is considered private differ among cultures and individuals, but share basic common themes. Privacy is sometimes related to anonymity, the wish to remain unnoticed or unidentified in the public realm. When something is private to a person, it usually means there is something within them that is considered inherently special or personally sensitive. The degree to which private information is exposed therefore depends on how the public will receive this information, which differs between places and over time. Privacy can be seen as an aspect of security — one in which trade-offs between the interests of one group and another can become particularly clear.
The right against unsanctioned invasion of privacy by the government, corporations or individuals is part of many countries' privacy laws, and in some cases, constitutions. Almost all countries have laws which in some way limit privacy; an example of this would be law concerning taxation, which normally require the sharing of information about personal income or earnings. In some countries individual privacy may conflict with freedom of speech laws and some laws may require public disclosure of information which would be considered private in other countries and cultures.
Privacy may be voluntarily sacrificed, normally in exchange for perceived benefits and very often with specific dangers and losses, although this is a very strategic view of human relationships. Academics who are economists, evolutionary theorists, and research psychologists describe revealing privacy as a 'voluntary sacrifice', where sweepstakes or competitions are involved. In the business world, a person may give personal details (often for advertising purposes) in order to enter a gamble of winning a prize. Information which is voluntarily shared and is later stolen or misused can lead to identity theft.
For more information about Privacy, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with privacy
Swiss privacy watchdog to sue Google Street View
Nov 13, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Google Inc.'s unstoppable drive to map and photograph the world has run into an immovable object - Switzerland's strict tradition of personal privacy.
Congress weighs landmark change in Web ad privacy
Sep 07, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The Web sites we visit, the online links we click, the search queries we conduct, the products we put in virtual shopping carts, the personal details we reveal on social networking pages - all of this can give companies ...
Report: Widespread data sharing, 'Web bugs'
Jun 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Information released a report late Monday (June 1) showing that the most popular Web sites in the United States all share ...
Suit over search-engine keywords tries new angle
Nov 20, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A lawsuit in Wisconsin is bringing a fresh challenge to the practice of paying for keywords on Google and other search engines to boost one company's link over a rival's.
Advertisers face resistance to on-line tracking
Nov 08, 2009 |
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Campaigners are stepping up efforts to curb online tracking of Internet use by firms that deliver adverts tailored to the specific interests of consumers, as polls reveal widespread unease with the practice.
New 'smart' electrical meters raise privacy issues
Nov 06, 2009 |
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The new "smart meters" utilities are installing in homes around the world to reduce energy use raise fresh privacy issues because of the wealth of information about consumer habits they reveal, experts said ...
Google providing better view of personal data
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Google is offering a new privacy control that will make it easier for people to see some of the information being collected about them.
EU agrees on new Internet user rights
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(AP) -- EU lawmakers and governments agreed on new rights for Internet users Thursday, aiming to protect them from arbitrary crackdowns on those who illegally download music and movies on the Internet.
Experts meet to hash out web privacy rules
Nov 04, 2009 |
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Hundreds of privacy experts from around the world met in Madrid on Wednesday for a three-day conference which aims to arrive at a global standard for the protection of personal data.
Protecting your virtual privacy
Nov 03, 2009 |
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The details of your personal life, such as grocery purchases and pizza topping preferences, are collected every day ― online and by club and discount cards from the gym, department store and supermarket. Though this ...
Los Angeles OKs plan to use Google Web services
Oct 27, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The Los Angeles City Council has tentatively approved a multimillion-dollar proposal to tap Google Inc. for government e-mail and other Internet services.
Looking for privacy in the clouds
Oct 13, 2009 |
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Millions of Internet users have been enjoying the fun -- and free -- services provided by advertiser-supported online social networks like Facebook. But Landon Cox, a Duke University assistant professor of computer science, ...
Swedish court overturns landmark file sharing ruling
Oct 13, 2009 |
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A Swedish appeals court on Tuesday overturned a landmark file sharing ruling that forced an Internet service provider to reveal an Internet user's identity to five publishers.
New digital security program doesn't protect as promised
Technology / Computer Sciences
Sep 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Texas at Austin scientists have shown that they can break "Vanish," a program that promised to self-destruct computer data, such as emails and photographs, and thereby protect a person's privacy.
Facebook to end Beacon tracking tool in settlement
Sep 21, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Facebook is shutting down its much-maligned Beacon marketing program, launched nearly two years ago amid fanfare only to generate a storm of privacy complaints over tracking of user activities at ...
