DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF PRIVACY
What is privacy? Some define privacy as “right to be left alone” or to have “selective control of access to the self”. Social context and culture also matters: what is considered private somewhere may not be so elsewhere
Privacy from whom? Both: Government and private actors
Government: Traditionally, privacy has been understood in terms of surveillance by the state. As the government wields coercive powers, especially related to law enforcement, the practice of mass surveillance is contentious.
Private: Private companies like Google and Facebook are able to collect and store large volumes of data about their users. Their business model relies on processing user data and monetising it by selling advertisements.
Trade-off: National security vs privacy
In the words of former US President Barack Obama, “You can’t have 100% security and also then have 100% privacy and zero inconvenience.”
Indian government’s contradictory views
In the WhatsApp case, the Union government said that the right to privacy is an integral part of Article 21 of the Constitution, which provides for right to life and personal liberty. But in the case of Aadhaar, the government argued that privacy is not constitutionally inherent.