Now, I looked at the above statistic and thought “really though?” Get out of my face with that nonsense. Anecdotally, (which is as good as empirical evidence, right?) there are so many people I know who give three-eights of fuck-all about their online privacy. If you are audacious and motivated, there is a lot you can find out about people online. If you’re skilled — well, exploiting the unsuspecting and ignorant is a farce.

This is me when people tell me they “care about privacy”

Why, then, should you care about your online privacy? Well, your online presence is and should be yours to own. Let it be known: the big media monopolies exploit your online presence and sell your data to advertisers. This amounts to billions of dollars funding these social engines that manufacture consent and direct public discourse.

I can hear they naysayers: “yeah but, so what — it doesn’t even affect me bro”.

First of all, I’m not your bro.

Second of all, it does affect you. Let me explain.

It is literally a human right.

Article 12 of the Declaration of Human Rights states the following:

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Your right to privacy has been espoused since the Enlightenment period. Classic liberals are pissed (and for good reason.) Kant and Smith would be turning in their graves.

Ceding your privacy has Orwellian consequences.

1984 by George Orwell: a book about North Korea and nullified privacy (source: Quartz)

It’s almost as if the world’s strategic intelligence agencies (such as the NSA and GCHQ) read 1984 and thought “how can we do this and get away with it?” Read anything about the major scandals in US political history or the changes made to British intelligence collection capabilities, and you’ll find an uncanny resemblence to the Ministry of Truth. (I’m not exaggerating — read Australia’s international cyber security engagement strategy and place in context to the supposedly rising threat in international terrorism.)

Your lack of privacy can we weaponised.

Cleaning a ruined reputation is hardwork (source: Pinterest)

Remember, everything you do online can be manipulated, cherry picked and weaponised to attack your reputation. Resumes are becoming an online portfolio, and with that, your personal branding can make or break your employability (or in totalitarian regimes — your life.)

Need I go on?