Hacking Is Moral

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You do not own your privacy.

Privacy is a social term that defines an acceptable limitation of interference into another person's life. It means that even if the space around me is not mine alone, we all agree that I have greater rights over it, than others.

For example, even if no one is touching me, it is within my [socially accepted] right to remove people from my near proximity. Or, even if the sound of my echoing voice is not strictly under my possession, it is still frowned upon to eavesdrop to a conversation.

However, simply because a group or society might hold certain aspects of privacy as the norm, that does not mean that they are logically correct. If a person, by chance, walks near my door, and overhears me saying something of relevance to them, then it is hardly expected that they pretend otherwise.

Continuing with that logic, if I really wish to uphold my privacy, then it is up to me to take responsibility on the matter, and not discuss my private matters in an open environment, or in plain words.

But, am I blaming the victim?

I am not. Privacy is not akin to property! There is no ownership of information. For example, my voice and words are mine, but once they go out into the air, they are attached to a public medium. Thus, they are public.

If I wish to protect my privacy in a public medium, then it is entirely my responsibility to add safeties that will make my information less accessible, for anyone whom I did not intend it.

xkcd has an opinion on everything, and so do I.