A life with no privacy sounds terrifying. The question is: why? Is that because it is so significantly different from how we live now or that it is actually bad?
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What does no privacy mean?
Our ‘private information’ right now is primarily stored on the internet. We have a false sense of privacy since it is all accessible. With the coming cyber security issues and numerous hacks, this data is less and less private. Companies spend enormous amounts to protect information, but what if they didn’t have to?
Imagine this extreme: Everything you do online is assumed to be public.
Examples of the new norm
Every text you send, every piece of media you consume, every activity you complete online is searchable by default. Your bank account balance is now public alongside the rest of your life.
The immediate reaction to this is a laugh and a “yeah this is a terrible concept and wouldn’t work”
Let’s table that knee-jerk and instead sit with this.
What would happen with no privacy
The sheer change we would see makes it hard to completely comprehend what would happen, so instead I’ll take a few examples.
Messaging
How terrifying. Every message you send can now be located by others if they desire. No more trash talking people, no more cheating on spouses, no more lying about plans.
How terrible.
Our culture would need to change dramatically, but the outcome isn’t that terrible. Either people become nicer and don’t say things behind other’s backs OR their feelings are public. There is no fake niceness or feigned toleration.
Your friend group’s backhanded or extreme jokes now either settle down or, preferably, become a norm. No longer people need to feel like they will be cancelled for a joke, everyone says something out-of-pocket some times and they usually don’t mean it. Conversations can be more fun and flow easier with less formality and more human connection.
Folks may create aliases or secret languages/verbiage to communicate privately. I don’t think this will work well as most people likely can’t develop a strong code (especially with AI assisted decoding). I also think people will wait for in-person discussions for things they’d like private. That delay alone rather than immediate reaction text will lead to more refined conversations.
Media Consumption
This can be another spooky one. How long are people spending on social media, what content are they consuming, what videos they are watching.
Just like the above, I believe this will reinforce good behavior and also publicize norms. “I don’t want X to know that I spent all day scrolling social media” might lead to less screen time OR acceptance of high screen times being the norm. Similarly, adult content ingestion may be reduced, or it may become a norm.
There will be no reason to nor no ability to hide and be ashamed of things. We are who we are at this point.
Trying to fake it makes it reality. Imagine wanting to be seen as a fitness expert so you begin consuming a ton of health related material so people know you are well studied. Great! You have also now ACTUALLY consumed a ton of related material and are more well versed than prior.
Online Activity & Data With No Privacy
How much are you gambling and where, what games are you playing, how much are you working, etc.
Again, these are going to encourage good behavior when public. But it is much more than that.
Marketing will now be MUCH more targeted and ads you see will be much more relevant and engaging rather than monotonous delays in desired consumption. This will help businesses grow and prevent people from struggling through irrelevant ad spam.
Dating will be much more simplistic. You can find the people with the interests you desire quickly, know if they are single, meet up with them naturally and discover a connection. No more finding out later that goals and lifestyle didn’t align.
Employment makes the individual a commodity again. Finding someone to fit a role is going to be much more streamlined as you can identify a fit quickly. Individuals will be approached with job opportunities curtailed to them as soon as they turn 18 with offers evolving as their education and interests do.
Is this actually different than now?
Yes- duh. But to some extent, no. Right now people ‘feel’ they have privacy when in reality, that is limited. This is leading to strange and poor actions as there is no accountability and a sense of privacy. Simply knowing that any activity online can be reviewed with relative ease will lead to better outcomes than telling people to act as they wish privately then going “gotcha” when they reveal it wasn’t actually private.
Imagine the reduction in crime rates, the improvement in production, and the psychological impact of knowing that you are okay to be you and can see what average/normal looks like.
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