Digital Privacy

First, doing business in the security industry, more specifically in video surveillance, privacy has been a subject of interest of mine for quite some years. Aside from business concerns, I also currently research privacy-preserving technology in video surveillance for my PhD, to get a better understanding of how our privacy can be protected without sacrificing security (more of this in future posts).Second, privacy is a hot topic that causes much controversy. This is mainly due to the “unfair” relationship between privacy and technology. Technology develops fast, makes our lives easier and productive, and is generally fun to use. Privacy, however, is not “fun”. We only start to complain when the data created with new technology is used “against” us, such as personal information for targeted advertising. In this fast race privacy only has ground to lose. And lose it will, in all areas were it is not “protected”. This does not imply however that privacy should be preserved or that it is needed in all areas (we will find that out later).

The aim of this blog is to find out if voices calling for more privacy protection are justified. And if so, in which areas? And what can we do to better protect our privacy while not giving up the advancements technology has given us?

Over the course of the next months I will write about technology and our identity, what the value of privacy is, concepts such as privacy by design and post-privacy, and of course comment on current events. So check back for weekly updates.