Privacy

"Publication is a self-invasion of privacy". - Marshall McLuhan

Definition

Privacy is a term used to describe one's control over and freedom from the unauthorized or unexpected spread of information to external parties out of one's control. Privacy is of increasing importance in the digital age as private information can rapidly spread once it is exposed. Unlike a private conversation happening over the air, printed and typed information causes a privacy risk as it can be spread outside the parties that it intended for. The companies that own, serve and hold private and public information face increasing scrutiny as to how they use that information. Every piece of junk mail a person receives is a signal of a hole in their data privacy.