Privacy and secrecy

Do you know the difference? Are we in danger of losing privacy? It seems that so many people want to know everything about us and seem to think thaey have some kind of right to know everything and I don't just mean professionals like doctors, but ordinary people, it like if you don't 'fess up to everything someone asks of you they think you have something to hide and that you're keeping secrets and secrets equals bad and sinster. I shut the door when I go to the toilet, what I do there is private, but everybody knows what I go there to do, it's not secret, but if we take this analogy to other areas it seems that privacy is something we have less of.

  • Yep TMI! But I hope you get better soon.

    I did see that thing about apple phones, but seeing as I don't have any phone connecting to the internet or any other apple devices for that matter, I don't see how it effects me? I don't have any documents stored or photo's or anything else on my pooter.

    But I think people are too open about everything on social media and forget that it will be there for so long.

    I think there have always been people who are nosy, I remember being in hospital and this other patient would come and move her chair right next to the bed curtains and listen to what the doctors were saying to other patients. If she was challenged by anyone, other patients, doctors or nurses she'd get really aggressive and angry at people keeping secrets

    I think it's terrible when victims of crime and suspects in crimes get hounded by memebers of the public fueled by social media speculation get in the way of police, of giving anyone the privacy and space to grieve.

  • That was slightly over descriptive Iain but I do hope you feel better soon.

  • Unfortunately, many people tend to forget the difference between those two. There are people saying that if you don’t want anybody to know about a certain thing, you should think about wether you should engage in that thing anyways.

    But it’s just not as easy. Privacy is important and I for once do not want people to know about every aspect of my life for very different reasons (personal safety, comfort, etc.). However, this very human desire is slowly becoming an illusion, while secrecy spreads and that is quite scary to be honest. We might need to redefine our understanding of privacy in the near future.

  • it seems that privacy is something we have less of.

    You are the same age as me and without a doubt the above statement is true.

    Privacy (and dignity) were quite a thing when we were younger.

    The internet and social media and in particular 'fly on the wall' type stuff (as it used to be called) appear to have removed both of those, sadly.

  • I shut the door when I go to the toilet, what I do there is private, but everybody knows what I go there to do, it's not secret,

    If you were eating a pack of biscuits in the privacy of the bathroom and not telling anyone, that would be a secret.

    Privacy is the ability / right to be free of the view of others whereas secrecy is keeping something purposefully concealed.

    Privacy from "authorities" is largely a myth now - I don't know if you saw the article today about how the UK has forced Apple to remove encryption from its storage so it can snoop on people - at least within the uk. The US government is furious about it as it may be the thin end of the wedge.

    For me today I am keeping secluded as I am still quite ill so I have asked for some privacy to feel aweful. The secret is that I have to provide a stool sample for the hospital and when it is almost entirely liquid at the moment then this is a truly horrible thing to do - it gets everywhere...

    I need another shower just thinking about it. My hands may never feel clean again...