Privacy


Certain human rights are important but not explicitly stated in the Constitution. Let’s review privacy to see if legislation or stricter laws are necessary to ensure that an acceptable level of privacy can and should survive as a human right.

The right to privacy is not guaranteed although the 4th Amendment to the Constitution implies this to some extent-

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

One could argue that if you are obeying the law then you have nothing to hide and therefore should not be afraid of losing your privacy. However, in the real world there are powerful humans who may want to financially ruin or frame you for political reasons or to remove you as an obstacle to their progress. Some humans may simply want to ruin you for revenge for some imagined insult or subjective transgression. If you have no privacy then an attack on you or a frameup is much easier to achieve.

Financial information such as bank accounts are perhaps at the top of the list on things that you would want to be private. This gives banks tremendous power, especially if they decide to terminate your accounts for political or other secret reasons. This is why it is perhaps smart to have more than one bank where your money is stored in case of an emergency where you can no longer get access to a bank’s accounts over the internet or in person.

Some websites on the internet, especially the big ones like Google, Microsoft,  banks, etc. are getting very serious about two level verifications and verifications that you are a human and not a bot or an impersonator. So, information such as a phone number, street address, email, and social security number may be requested which is information which many would like to keep private. Getting or trying to get this personal information is the reason there are so many scams on the internet and on your cellphone.

Legal issues such as criminal records, lawsuits, or ongoing legal disputes are often kept private to protect one’s reputation and legal rights.

Due largely to the cancel culture mindset in the public arena political affiliations, religious beliefs, and other personal opinions may be kept private to avoid conflicts or unwanted attention.

Many humans choose to keep certain aspects of their social media profiles private, such as their posts, photos, and personal messages, to control their online presence and protect their privacy.

Medical conditions, treatments, and other health-related matters are often kept private to maintain confidentiality and avoid potential stigma or discrimination, especially by insurance agencies.

Some individuals prefer to keep the details of their romantic relationships, sexual orientation, and family dynamics private to maintain boundaries and protect their personal lives.

Some individuals may choose to keep details about their job performance, salary, or career aspirations private to maintain professional boundaries and avoid potential conflicts of interest.

Past experiences such as traumatic events, past mistakes, or other sensitive experiences may be kept private to avoid judgment or emotional distress.

Many may want to keep private mental health struggles such as depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions which are becoming more numerous with each passing year.

Personal habits such as substance use, diet, or other personal habits may prompt privacy.

Personal possessions such as valuables, collections, or possessions can also be privacy issues.

If you are a minor unconcerned with privacy on social media then you may as an adult regret that you posted damaging evidence which may hurt your career opportunities later on in life.

If you are rather wealthy, unless you are flaunting your wealth to impress others, privacy becomes a major concern and you may choose to live in a gated community or provide extreme security measures for your residence since you have a lot to potentially lose. If you are an average human with average income then privacy may not be as important but you will still have to be on guard for scams of all kinds if you are naïve or too trusting an individual.

Privacy in the age of the internet, GPS, deep fakes, AI, and technological advancements is very hard to maintain. New laws will probably have to be made to ensure a tolerable level of privacy for the average human in the modern era where it seems that the power-hungry government and rich organizations can gain access to any private information which they may want to use against you.

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