We can't have privacy by ourselves

Our personal information is only as safe as the weakest link.

Privacy Pup and I’d be leading everyone down a merry chase if I didn’t acknowledge this up front: your privacy, my privacy, our privacy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a shared responsibility deeply tied to how others treat our data. In this hyperconnected world, our personal information is only as safe as the weakest link.

Interdependent Privacy

It's impossible to have privacy by ourselves. Truth is, our data isn’t siloed; it’s shared, linked and inferred through our connections. It’s deeply tied to our collective responsibility to each other. 

I could make all the right choices - use encrypted messaging, avoid apps that track me, minimize my data footprint - but if a friend or family member posts a photo of me publicly on Facebook, I’m out there not only for the humans to see, but also for AI to describe, infer, and facially recognize. 

Networked Data

Privacy today isn’t just an individual effort. Companies monetize our networked data. If someone syncs their contacts with FB/Insta/WhatsApp, Meta gobbles up our phone number, email and possibly location metadata (if it's on the contact card) - even if we never gave it to them directly. Facial recognition can still identify us in photos uploaded by friends even if we never joined a platform. 

Our digital safety depends not only on our own choices, but also how our community behaves.

Yikes 🙀🤯

But wait, don’t panic. 

This is also a tremendous opportunity for us to: 

• Return to hearth and home 🏡
• Heal our communities 💖
• Acknowledge the civic responsibility we have to each other 💃🏻🇺🇸🕺🏾

Privacy matters to you, and it also matters to me.

Privacy must matter to us. 

This is a movement that touches at the core of who we are and provides the chance to determine who we are to become. Let’s not lose that agency. 

Ultimately, privacy is power. Let’s reclaim it. 

Disclaimer: The above is solely intended for informational purposes and in no way constitutes legal advice or specific recommendations.