Privacy redefined: Towards the concept of democratic control

Abstract

Right to privacy is a controversial issue mainly because there seems to be no consent on what does the concept refer to.  Crucial problem regarding the right to privacy is our understanding of private as opposed to public. There are contrasting views on how should it be protected, and there is even a dilemma whether it should be entirely subordinated to control, and sacrificed for other benefits, such as security, or even socialising. The objective of this paper is to redefine and reassess privacy in its relation to control.

The analysis of the notion of privacy starts with the investigation of various meanings of privacy which shows that it is a social construct and that the borders of private sphere are constantly being contested. Research continues with the analysis of the concept of control in relation to the notions of power and surveillance. Inquiry of the two concepts is followed by an attempt to build the concept of democratic control. It is shown that in order to comply with democratic principles, there must be mutual limitation between privacy and control. In this way negative consequences of excessive freedom or potentially oppressive controlling powers can be avoided or minimised.