Thought of the day:
What is the difference between privacy and secrecy?
We need to define this concept clearly…..
Discussion
Well, my friend, the difference between privacy and secrecy can be a bit tricky.
On one hand, privacy refers to the right of an individual or entity to control their own information and whether or not it is shared with others. This can include personal data such as your name, address, financial information, and other details that are kept private for various reasons.
Secrecy on the other hand most often refers to situations where information is deliberately hidden from others to gain some kind of 'unfair' advantage. This can refer to business plans keeping secrets about their products or spy agencies looking for confidential Intel about political rivals.
So while both concepts deal with keeping certain information under wraps or strictly controlled from widespread dissemination - they do differ because
privacy giving each person/firm control over their own secret pool.
Would you like me to elaborate more on this topic?
This is well written 🙂. Privacy is about personal freedom to reveal oneself to whom he or she wishes to reveal too (examples include everything you mentioned).
Secrecy is, on the other hand, information that one does not want anyone to know.
Privacy is all about establishing personal sovereignty over our own information.
Secrecy is, in my opinion, a more corrupted form of privacy which if unchecked creates a breeding ground for less accountability and corruption. This has been mostly true in politics (both church and state) through out all of history. Historical examples include Borgia Pope (Alexander VI). What this guy and his son did for power (while looking good to the masses) was stuff of legends. The activities inspired Machiavelli to write the book called “The Prince” and a friar in Florence called Giralamo Savanorola to start preaching against the church, an act to which he was eventually burned at the stake by Pope Alexander VI. Fighting against secrecy is a very dangerous game.
Citation:
Warren, E. (1974). Governmental Secrecy: Corruption’s Ally. American Bar Association Journal, 60(5), 550–552. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25726734