The Privacy Meter Redux

My prediction that data privacy is going to be a hot topic in 2014 was not surprising, but I am surprised at how many interview requests I've had so far, and we're barely halfway through January. Yesterday I found myself filling a last minute request to appear on a local TV channel. So I dusted off the trusty privacy meter.

I created this learning device in 2001 and it went into my privacy book that came out in 2002. And it is just a visual device, an image to use as a tool when discussing privacy. (Feel free to use it, you have my permission, it is released to the public domain.)

The idea is to ask people to self-assess where they fit on a scale from closed book to open book. They do not need to reveal their "privacy reading" but they do need to think about whether or not it is fair to impose their position on others.

In other words, there is no correct reading, but plenty of scope to use the meter as a basis for discussion. For example, suppose you are an open book. Is it fair to make others become open book about their personal data if they prefer to be more of a closed book? On the other hand, if you think you are a closed book, are you prepared to provide information about yourself in order to authenticate your identity and establish trust?