Will Personal Privacy Exist in the Future? When Everything Can Be Recorded and Disseminated, Will Forgetting Become a Right?
This is a truly fascinating question that touches each and every one of us. Let's break it down and discuss.
The Future of Personal Privacy: From "Physical Barriers" to "Digital Authorization"
First, regarding the question, "Will personal privacy still exist?" My view is: Yes, it will exist, but its form will be completely different from what we understood in the past.
Think about it: how was our privacy protected in the pre-internet era? It relied on physical "walls." Locking your diary, closing your front door, sealing a letter in an envelope – privacy was essentially secure. For others to discover your secrets, they had to pay a significant physical cost, like picking a lock or stealing mail.
But now, in the digital age, this "physical wall" has been almost entirely demolished. Every move we make, from navigating to work using a map app in the morning, ordering lunch delivery, to scrolling through short videos and chatting with friends at night, leaves behind "digital footprints." These footprints are like air – invisible and intangible, yet undeniably ubiquitous.
Therefore, the privacy of the future will no longer be about striving to "leave no trace," which is nearly impossible. It will evolve into a form of "authorization management rights."
The core logic is: I own my data.
It's like the keys to your house. You wouldn't hand your keys to just any stranger, but you would authorize family members, trusted friends, or a cleaning person to enter at specific times.
Future privacy will work similarly:
- Contextual Authorization: You authorize a map app to use your location while navigating, but that doesn't mean it can track you in the middle of the night.
- Purpose-Limited Authorization: You authorize a shopping site to analyze your purchase history to recommend products, but that doesn't mean it can sell your spending habits to an insurance company, potentially causing your premiums to rise.
- Time-Limited Authorization: You authorize an app to access your photo album to upload a single picture; once that action is complete, that authorization should be revocable.
So, privacy won't vanish. Instead, it will transform from a passive, static state of "hiding" into an active, dynamic process of "management and authorization." This will be an ongoing "tug-of-war" – on one side are individuals and businesses seeking convenience and personalized services, and on the other are individuals and regulators striving to protect personal information from misuse.
"The Right to be Forgotten": A Chance to "Erase" the Digital Tattoo
Now, let's address the second question: "Will forgetting become a right?"
The answer is: Not only will it, but it is already becoming a very important right. This is what we often hear referred to as "The Right to be Forgotten."
Imagine that the traces each of us leaves online are like a "digital tattoo." A foolish remark made in youth, an immature photo, an account of a failed experience published online... once such things are posted, they can be permanently recorded, copied, and disseminated. This "tattoo" follows you relentlessly. No matter how mature or accomplished you become later, it could be dug up and used for "public shaming" when you apply for a job, seek friendships, or even apply for a loan.
Is this fair? Clearly not. People grow and change, but digital records remain static like fossils.
"The Right to be Forgotten" was born to address this problem. It is not about rewriting history or deleting news reports. Its core principle is:
Under certain conditions, you have the right to request that search engines, social platforms, etc., remove or de-index personal information about you that is outdated, inaccurate, or no longer serves a public interest.
Simply put, it gives your "digital tattoo" a chance to be "erased" or at least "covered up."
For example:
- A minor negative news story about you from many years ago, long since resolved, still appears on the first page of search results for your name.
- A help post you made on a forum containing your personal phone number and address; after the issue was resolved, you wish to delete this sensitive information.
- An embarrassing old photo of you, posted online by a friend, that you wish was no longer easily searchable.
Of course, this right is not absolute. It requires finding a balance between personal privacy and the public's right to know/freedom of expression. For instance, a public figure's criminal record would be very difficult to delete using the "Right to be Forgotten" because it involves the public interest.
Conclusion: Is Forgetting the "Dose of Regret" for the Digital Age?
So, returning to the initial questions:
- Personal privacy will not disappear; it will transform into a more proactive "data control right." Our future struggle will focus on how to reclaim and effectively use the "keys" to our own data.
- "Being forgotten" is becoming a crucial right. It is not about erasing history, but about giving us an opportunity to reconcile with our past and avoid being permanently "branded with shame" in the digital realm. It represents respect, in the digital age, for the fundamental human reality of "growth" and "change."
It can be said that when everything can be recorded, "forgetting" ceases to be a natural physiological process and becomes a social right that we must actively strive for and defend. It is like a limited "dose of regret" offered to us by the digital age, reminding us that technology should serve humanity, not trap people in an eternal digital memory.