What privacy is really about

New Delhi:  Messaging giant WhatsApp has rolled out end-to-end encryption, a move that will potentially protect texts and voice calls of its over one billion users from hackers and “regimes”. The move comes on the heels of a legal battle between Apple and FBI over the US agency’s demand that the iPhone maker help unlock its mobile phones. Many Silicon Valley players had supported Apple citing that user data privacy needs to be respected.

Volumes have been written about the erosion of our privacy in the digital age, so I’ll keep this short. Privacy isn’t just about rights, paranoia, or the possibility of data theft.

Look at Windows 10. No-one reads service agreements, do they? Here’s an excerpt from the privacy statement for Windows 10, courtesy bgr.com: “We will access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), when we have a good faith belief that...”

“Including the content of your files in private folders.” Bet you didn’t know that. You can opt out of this unholy action, but you’re opted in by default.

How about this: The Government decides to place 24x7 cameras in every room of your home, including your bedroom and bathroom. They say the data will exist only on servers, and will be viewed only if there's a criminal investigation. After all, crimes do happen in bedrooms, right?

How would you feel?

Oh wait, that's already happening.

Britain in 2009: "The UK government is about to... (install) surveillance cameras inside the private homes of citizens to ensure that children go to bed on time, attend school and eat proper meals.”Road vehicle movements are tracked, too.

I’m not talking about the police state; I'm talking about privacy. What happens to your brain when it realises there's a government camera in your bedroom? It just gets used to it. Like we got used to cookies tracking our online activities, and our smartphones tracking our physical movements.

But no, privacy isn't just about rights. It's a psychological concept we've forgotten. Privacy means peace of mind at a deep level.

Is privacy a fundamental right? In India, the debate continues. But it is a fundamental human need.

Like in the bathroom.