That's a chilling effect. It can cause a lot of problems. One, of course, is that it makes communication less clear, which is troublesome for reporters, historians, citizens trying to research an issue, and so forth.
But the concrete costs can be much worse. Privacy protection is poor, violations are routine, and therefore people conceal information -- the more sensitive it is, the more they hide it, because the last point of control they have left is never to reveal it at all. In health care, this can kill people. It's upsetting, but it's their choice: they value privacy above survival. This makes sense when you consider that living with other people hounding you about something can be utter hell.
Either America learns to protect privacy a great deal better, or it will face worsening consequences as people hide things, lie, and otherwise attempt to protect themselves as best they can.
Of course, it's a very close parallel to sexual abuse in which people's boundaries are violated. It ruins their ability to deal naturally and moderately with boundaries. The vast majority of survivors wind up at one extreme -- either they become very promiscuous because there's no point pretending boundaries that nobody else acknowledges, or they become violently protective of their boundaries since that's the only way to have any at all. Both have negative results, for others as well as the original victim; but these are still considered better outcomes than the alternatives.
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dancing_serpent
Yes ...
Date: 2018-12-15 09:35 pm (UTC)But the concrete costs can be much worse. Privacy protection is poor, violations are routine, and therefore people conceal information -- the more sensitive it is, the more they hide it, because the last point of control they have left is never to reveal it at all. In health care, this can kill people. It's upsetting, but it's their choice: they value privacy above survival. This makes sense when you consider that living with other people hounding you about something can be utter hell.
Either America learns to protect privacy a great deal better, or it will face worsening consequences as people hide things, lie, and otherwise attempt to protect themselves as best they can.
Of course, it's a very close parallel to sexual abuse in which people's boundaries are violated. It ruins their ability to deal naturally and moderately with boundaries. The vast majority of survivors wind up at one extreme -- either they become very promiscuous because there's no point pretending boundaries that nobody else acknowledges, or they become violently protective of their boundaries since that's the only way to have any at all. Both have negative results, for others as well as the original victim; but these are still considered better outcomes than the alternatives.