Online Privacy: More Controls, Less Protection

Thomas Bunting, a 25-year-old analyst, believes his generation never experienced true online privacy. Instead, they've learned to accept giving away their data as payment for free services like social media. When he was 15, his teacher asked his class if privacy was important to protect. Not a single student raised their hand.

This attitude troubles cybersecurity expert Professor Alan Woodward. He argues that privacy isn't about "having something to hide" but about "having something to protect: freedom of thought, experimentation, and personal development without permanent surveillance." He warns that when people assume they're constantly tracked, they self-censor, which can harm free speech and weaken democracy.

Despite hundreds of privacy tools and regulations in 160 countries, more than 1.35 billion people were affected by data breaches in 2024. This illustrates what experts call the "privacy paradox": while 89% of people say they care about data privacy, only 38% actually take action to protect it. Dr. Carissa Veliz argues that regulators need to do better at creating and enforcing laws, while individuals should support companies that collect less data.