Networks, Privacy in

Privacy has traditionally been seen as both an ethical and a legal construct. It has been assumed that people have a right to privacy, just as they have a right to property. In practice, privacy tends to be negotiable. Public figures may be accorded less privacy because it is deemed to be in the public good, and some privacy rights may be forfeited in the transition to public life. Privacy, when considered as a commodity, may also be explicitly traded for economic or other benefits. Loyalty programs are an example of this trade-off. For instance, people may agree to have all their transactions recorded in return for getting points that can then be applied toward rewards such as air travel or product purchases. One of ...