Information privacy: protecting freedom and individual autonomy

Abstract

The article examines the individual’s right to information privacy as an opportunity to have a non-public area of life. It is argued that a person, being a vulnerable creature, feels the need for secrecy, closeness and opacity of his or her personality. The right to information privacy does not mean complete concealment of private life, but the possibility of regulating access, when individuals can choose whom, when and to what extent to reveal the details of their lives. This presupposes both a person who feels him or herself to be an autonomous person and a society that respects his or her rights and freedoms. There is a duty of restraint and tact, which prohibits violating someone else’s privacy. As one of the aspects of privacy, in addition to the inviolability of the body and home, the human right to information protection is recognized. The theoretical foundation of the right to privacy is the philosophy of liberalism, which protects the individual from unwanted interference from the state and society. The need for private space has evolved in human history along with the growth of individualism. Currently, the right to information privacy is gaining special relevance in connection with the development of digital technologies that allow collecting, storing and processing large amounts of data. As a result, a person, on the one hand, does not know who, when and for what purpose collects his or her data, and, on the other hand, he or she often voluntarily, in connection with the need for social recognition, leaves information about him or herself on social networks. As a result of such actions, the loss of control over personal information can lead to undesirable consequences.