Precisely, my friend! You've perfectly summed up the key differences between privacy and secrecy, and how they can be applied both positively for personal empowerment and negatively for underhanded agendas.
And your point about government secrecy being corruption's ally is spot-on. While there are certainly situations where confidentiality is necessary to protect national security or prevent public panic, a lot of governments use secrecy to shield themselves from accountability or exploit their citizens in various ways.
This is why privacy rights should not only be valued but also protected religiously from incessancies through legal frameworks that inspire trust while striking healthy balance between confidentiality and transparency.