You know that experience you get when you buy a new brand of car - one that you had
never paid much attention to - then
after you buy it, suddenly you seem to notice that same car everywhere like never
before? Well, maybe only because I am in the privacy business, but it
seem like now, as never before has privacy in the United States has taken the
center stage in so many ways - both good and bad.
From the FTC to the White House to the European Union, many new formal
and considered pronouncements are coming from very serious corners of the
world. No longer are only policy wonks like me entertaining other wonks in on-line
forums and privacy salons (our versions of Star Wars conventions), but serious space
is being dedicated to topic of 'privacy.'
No longer is the topic of privacy relegated to serious mediums like
Wired magazine or the New York Times, lots of main stream publications feature some
article on privacy, usually the evaporation of it, examined in detail. The
Europeans have long taken the matter of privacy as a very, very serious topic,
and due to its history of abuse of data we understand why. But it might be
taken too seriously, some say, as the need for personal privacy may trump, tamper and stifle the innovation and
creative spark that is the foundation of any entrepreneurial society.
Naturally, the prevalence of the stories of privacy are a direct
of function of the use of smartphones, tablets, social media and the general
trend of more openness and sharing of data in communities and via applications.
What I am not so sure of, however, is the real importance and significance of
privacy to average users of technology. I have seen studies and interviews of
countless average consumers, of all ages, who profess that they care deeply
about their privacy - both on and offline. Yet, words rarely reflect the
reality. I can on the other hand quote just as many studies of similar users
who practice not what they preach in the use of that same technology. A famous survey n 2004 of British commuters revealed that more than 70% of people
would reveal their computer password in exchange for a bar of chocolate; and
over a third of them gave it up without even needing a bribe. And how many more
endless stories do we have to read about where when a database of passwords is
hacked, it's shown that most people's passwords were as simplistic as "password,"
"1234567" or "abc123?"
Some argue that this realty reflects a failing not
of the users of technology per se, but of the technology itself. Think about
how many sites that require unique usernames and passwords. Some web sites want
a password no longer that 7 characters; some passwords must be only numbers and
letters; some passwords must be numbers, letters and special characters; some
passwords must be at least 14 characters long; some passwords must be ....ahhhhhhhhhhhh! It is true that there is really no
easy-to-use, universal way to log-in securely to any and every site you use
obviating the need for 25 different passwords of varying length and complexity.
So naturally, people take the path of least resistance and create accounts and
passwords that are easy to remember and use those same passwords across
multiple sites, putting their security and privacy at risk in the process.
It
is, however, a good thing though that we are least having this conversation
about privacy and the value of it. The explosion of social media, especially amongst
the young and portability of technology has been the proverbial gasoline for
the fire. I don't think the pyre has fully gotten to the point of a 5 alarm blaze
yet, but we will get there. And soon. This will happen and has to happen before
we as individuals and collectively as a country start to take the idea of our
privacy as seriously as the Europeans do. In 5 years, I predict that there will
be a convergence to a perfect median point from where the United States is now on
privacy and where Europe is now. That sweet spot will be the inflection point
where both privacy of individuals is demanded and taken seriously by companies,
and where the flag of privacy is still able to wave breezily in the winds of innovation
and imagination. That is when privacy will be truly ready for its close-up, and
we'll actually like what we see.
