隱私即權(quán)力

By Carissa Véliz

Imagine having a master key for your life. A key or password that gives access to the front door to your home， your bedroom， your diary， your computer， your phone， your car， your safe deposit. Would you go around making copies of that key and giving them out to strangers？ Probably not the wisest idea—it would be only a matter of time before someone abused it， right？ So why are you willing to give up your personal data to pretty much anyone who asks for it？

Privacy is the key that unlocks the aspects of yourself that are most intimate and personal， that make you most you， and most vulnerable. Your past， present and possible future diseases. Your fears， your losses， your failures. The worst thing you have ever done， said and thought. Your inadequacies， your mistakes， your traumas. The moment in which you have felt most ashamed. Your most drunken night.

When you give that key， your privacy， to someone who loves you， it will allow you to enjoy closeness， and they will use it to benefit you. Part of what it means to be close to someone is sharing what makes you vulnerable and trusting that person never to take advantage of the privileged position granted by intimacy. People who love you might use your date of birth to organise a surprise birthday party for you；theyll make a note of your tastes to find you the perfect gift； theyll take into account your darkest fears to keep you safe from the things that scare you. Not everyone will use access to your personal life in your interest， however. Fraudsters might use your date of birth to impersonate you while they commit a crime；1 companies might use your tastes to lure you into a bad deal； enemies might use your darkest fears to threaten and extort you. People who dont have your best interest at heart will exploit your data to further their own agenda. Privacy matters because the lack of it gives others power over you.

如今在手機上隨意打開一款應用程序，我們都被要求允許程序獲取我們的個人信息。為了貪圖方便，我們不假思索地給予了這些程序訪問權(quán)限，并且堅信自己的隱私并不值錢?？墒?，事實真的如此嗎？在數(shù)據(jù)時代，隱私究竟意味著什么？我們又應該如何保護自己的隱私不被濫用呢？

You might think your privacy is safe because you are a nobody—nothing special， interesting or important to see here. Dont shortchange yourself. You have your attention， your presence of mind—everyone is fighting for it. They want to know more about you so they can know how best to distract you， even if that means luring you away from quality time with your loved ones or basic human needs such as sleep. You have money， even if it is not a lot—companies want you to spend your money on them. Hackers are eager to get hold of sensitive information or images so they can blackmail you. You can probably work； businesses want to know everything about whom they are hiring—including whether you might be someone who will want to fight for your rights. You have an identity—criminals can use it to commit crimes in your name and let you pay for the bill. You have personal connections. You are a node in a network. You are someones offspring， someones neighbour， someones teacher or lawyer. Through you， they can get to other people. Thats why apps ask you for access to your contacts. You have a voice—all sorts of agents would like to use you as their mouthpiece2 on social media and beyond.

As you can see， you are a very important person. You are a source of power.

By now， most people are aware that their data is worth money. But your data is not valuable only because it can be sold. Facebook does not technically sell your data， for instance. Nor does Google. They sell the power to influence you. They sell the power to show you ads， and the power to predict your behaviour. Google and Facebook are not really in the business of data—they are in the business of power. Even more than monetary gain， personal data bestows power on those who collect and analyse it， and that is what makes it so coveted3.

There are different types of power： economic， political and so on. But power can be thought of as being like energy： it can take many different forms， and these can change. A wealthy company can often use its money to influence politics through lobbying， for instance， or to shape public opinion through paying for ads.

That tech giants such as Facebook and Google are powerful is hardly news. But exploring the relationship between privacy and power can help us to better understand how institutions amass， wield and transform power in the digital age， which in turn can give us tools and ideas to resist the kind of domination that survives on violations of the right to privacy. First we have to look at the relationship between power， knowledge and privacy.

There is a tight connection between knowledge and power. At the very least， knowledge is an instrument of power. The French philosopher Michel Foucault4 argues that knowledge in itself is a form of power. There is power in knowing. By protecting our privacy， we prevent others from being empowered with knowledge about us that can be used against our interests.

The more that someone knows about us， the more they can anticipate our every move， as well as influence us. One of the most important contributions of Foucault to our understanding of power is the insight that power does not only act upon human beings—it constructs human subjects. Power generates certain mentalities， it transforms sensitivities， it brings about ways of being in the world. In that vein， the British political theorist Steven Lukes argues in his book Power （1974） that power can bring about a system that produces wants in people that work against their own interests. Peoples desires can themselves be a result of power， and the more invisible the means of power， the more powerful they are. An example of power shaping preferences today includes when tech uses research about how dopamine5 works to make you addicted to an app.

The power that comes about as a result of knowing personal details about someone is a very particular kind of power. Like economic power and political power， privacy power is a distinct type of power， but it also allows those who hold it the possibility of transforming it into economic， political and other kinds of power. Power over others privacy is the quintessential6 kind of power in the digital age.

Its not all bad news， though. Yes， institutions in the digital age have hoarded7 privacy power， but we can reclaim the data that sustains it， and we can limit their collecting new data. Refraining from using tech altogether is unrealistic for most people， but there is much more you can do short of that. Respect other peoples privacy. Dont expose ordinary citizens online. Dont film or photograph people without their consent， and certainly dont share such images online. Try to limit the data you surrender to institutions that dont have a claim to it. Imagine someone asks for your number in a party， what would you do？ Perhaps you would be tempted to give them a fake number.

When downloading apps and buying products， choose products that are better for privacy. Use privacy extensions on your browsers. Turn your phones Wi-Fi， Bluetooth and locations services off when you dont need them. Use the legal tools at your disposal to ask companies for the data they have on you， and ask them to delete that data. Change your settings to protect your privacy. Refrain from using one of those DNA home testing kits—they are not worth it. Forget about“smart” doorbells that violate your privacy and that of others.

Dont make the mistake of thinking you are safe from privacy harms， maybe because you are young， optimistic and healthy. You might think that your data can work only for you， and never against you， if youve been lucky so far. But you might not be as healthy as you think you are， and you will not be young forever. Privacy is important because it gives power to the people. Protect it.

想象一下你有一把自己生活的萬能鑰匙。這把鑰匙或是這串密碼可以打開你家的前門、你的臥室、日記、計算機、電話、汽車、保險箱。你會到處制作備用鑰匙并分發(fā)給陌生人嗎？可能這不太明智——遲早會有人濫用它，對嗎？那么，為什么你卻愿意將你的個人數(shù)據(jù)提供給幾乎任何管你要的人呢？

隱私是開啟你最私密的那些方面的鑰匙，這些方面讓你成為你自己，也讓你最為脆弱。你過去、現(xiàn)在和將來可能罹患的疾??；你的恐懼、損失和失?。荒阕鲞^的、說過的、想過的最糟糕的事情；你的不足、你犯下的錯、你受過的傷；你感到最羞愧的時刻；你醉到不省人事的那一晚。

當你將這把鑰匙（即你的隱私）交給愛你的人時，這會讓你享受親近，他們會用這把鑰匙來使你受益。從某種程度上來說，與某人親近即意味著與其分享讓你脆弱的事情，并且相信這個人絕不會利用親密關系所帶來的特權(quán)加害你。愛你的人也許會用你的生日來為你組織一場驚喜生日派對；他們會記住你的品味來為你準備最棒的禮物；他們會考慮你內(nèi)心最深處的恐懼來使你免受驚嚇。但是，并非所有能夠接觸你個人生活信息的人都是為你好：騙子在犯罪時可能會利用你的生日來冒充你；公司可能會利用你的品味誘使你進行不當交易；敵人可能會利用你內(nèi)心最深處的恐懼來威脅和勒索你。并非真心為你好的人會利用你的數(shù)據(jù)來達成自己的目的。隱私很重要，因為缺乏隱私會賦予他人壓過你的權(quán)力。

你可能會認為自己的隱私是安全的，因為你并不是什么名人——你沒什么特別的、有趣的或是重要的事情可以讓人看。別看輕自己啦。你有注意力，有思想的存在——人人都在爭奪它。他們想盡可能多地了解你，以便知道如何最好地分散你的注意力，即使這意味著將你從與親人相處的美好時光或是如睡眠等基本的人類需求中引誘開。你有錢，也許錢不算多——公司也希望你能將錢花在它們身上。黑客渴望掌握敏感信息或圖像，這樣他們就可以勒索你。你可能在工作；企業(yè)想掌握雇員的一切信息，包括你是否可能會為自己的權(quán)利而戰(zhàn)。你擁有一個身份——犯罪分子可以用你的名義犯罪，并讓你買單。你有個人關系。你是網(wǎng)絡中的節(jié)點。你是某人的后代、鄰居、老師或律師。通過你，他們可以聯(lián)系到其他人。這就是為什么應用程序會要求訪問你的聯(lián)系人。你有自己的聲音——各種機構(gòu)都希望利用你來作為他們在社交媒體以及更廣泛領域的喉舌。

如你所見，你是一個非常重要的人。你是權(quán)力的來源。

到目前為止，大多數(shù)人都意識到了自己的數(shù)據(jù)值錢。但是，你的數(shù)據(jù)之所以值錢，并不僅僅是因為它可以出售。例如，F(xiàn)acebook從技術(shù)上講不會出售你的數(shù)據(jù)。Google也不會。他們出售的是影響你的力量。他們出售向你展示廣告的權(quán)力，以及預測你行為的權(quán)力。Google和Facebook真正做的并非數(shù)據(jù)的生意，而是權(quán)力的生意。除了金錢方面的收益，個人數(shù)據(jù)還可以賦予收集和分析數(shù)據(jù)的人權(quán)力，這就是為什么個人數(shù)據(jù)會如此令人垂涎。

權(quán)力有不同的類型：經(jīng)濟、政治等等。但是權(quán)力可以被想成像能量那樣：它能夠以多種不同的形式呈現(xiàn)，而且這些形式可以改變。比如，一家有錢的公司經(jīng)?？梢曰ㄥX通過游說來影響政治，或是通過購買廣告來引導公眾輿論。

像Facebook和Google這樣的科技巨頭有著很大權(quán)力并不是什么新鮮事兒。但是，探索隱私與權(quán)力之間的關系可以幫助我們更好地理解在數(shù)字時代，機構(gòu)如何積累、運用和轉(zhuǎn)化權(quán)力，而這反過來又可以為我們提供工具和辦法來抵抗通過侵犯隱私權(quán)獲得的那種統(tǒng)治關系。首先，我們必須看看權(quán)力、知識和隱私之間的關系。

知識與權(quán)力之間有著緊密的聯(lián)系。至少，知識是權(quán)力的一種工具。法國哲學家米歇爾·福柯認為，知識本身就是一種權(quán)力。具備知識就包含了權(quán)力。通過保護自己的隱私，我們就可以防止他人獲得可以用于損害我們利益的知識。

他人對我們的了解越多，他們就越能預測我們的一舉一動并影響我們。?？聻槲覀儗?quán)力的理解作出的最重要的貢獻之一，就是讓我們明白權(quán)力不僅作用于人，而且構(gòu)建了人的主體。權(quán)力催生某些心態(tài)，轉(zhuǎn)化敏感性，為這個世界帶來某些存在方式。同樣，英國政治理論家史蒂文·盧克斯在他的著作《權(quán)力》（1974）中指出，權(quán)力可以帶來一種制度，這種制度會使人們產(chǎn)生有損自己利益的需求。人的欲望本身就可以是權(quán)力的結(jié)果，而權(quán)力的手段越不明顯，權(quán)力就越強大。一個權(quán)力如何影響當下人們偏好的例子就是技術(shù)公司利用多巴胺如何起作用的研究使你沉迷于某個應用程序。

由于了解某人的個人信息而產(chǎn)生的權(quán)力是一種非常特殊的權(quán)力。像經(jīng)濟權(quán)力和政治權(quán)力一樣，隱私權(quán)力是一種獨特的權(quán)力，但它也使得擁有者有可能將其轉(zhuǎn)化為經(jīng)濟、政治和其他類型的權(quán)力。掌控他人隱私的權(quán)力是數(shù)字時代最典型的權(quán)力。

但是，也不全是壞消息。是的，數(shù)字時代的機構(gòu)已經(jīng)囤積了隱私的權(quán)力，但是我們可以收回維持這種權(quán)力的數(shù)據(jù)，并且可以限制他們收集新數(shù)據(jù)。對于大多數(shù)人來說，完全不使用技術(shù)是不現(xiàn)實的，但是除此之外你還有更多事情可以做。尊重他人的隱私。不要在網(wǎng)上曬普通民眾。未經(jīng)他人許可不要對其攝影或拍照，當然也不要在網(wǎng)上分享這類圖像。嘗試限制提供數(shù)據(jù)給無權(quán)獲取數(shù)據(jù)的機構(gòu)。想象有人在聚會中問你要電話號碼，你會怎么做？也許你會給他們一個假的吧。

下載應用程序和購買產(chǎn)品時，選擇更尊重隱私的產(chǎn)品。在瀏覽器上使用隱私擴展程序。不用時關閉手機的Wi-Fi、藍牙和定位服務。利用可供使用的法律工具向公司索取他們掌握的關于你的數(shù)據(jù)，并要求他們刪除該數(shù)據(jù)。更改設置以保護隱私。不要使用DNA家庭檢測試劑盒——壓根不值得。丟掉侵犯你和他人隱私的“智能”門鈴。

別誤以為自己可以免受隱私泄露帶來的傷害，也許因為你還年輕、樂觀和健康。如果到目前為止你還比較幸運，你可能會以為自己的數(shù)據(jù)只會為你服務，而不會對你不利。但是你可能沒有你想象的那樣健康，并且你也不會永遠年輕。隱私很重要，因為它賦予人權(quán)力。保護隱私吧。

1. fraudster： 騙子，詐騙犯；impersonate： 冒充。

2. mouthpiece： 喉舌，代言人。

3. covet： 覬覦。

4. Michel Foucault： 米歇爾·?？拢?926—1984），法國哲學家、社會思想家和“思想系統(tǒng)的歷史學家”。他對文學評論及其理論、哲學（尤其在法語國家中）、批評理論、歷史學、科學史（尤其醫(yī)學史）、批評教育學和知識社會學有很大的影響。他的代表作品包括《瘋癲與文明》《規(guī)訓與懲罰》《臨床醫(yī)學的誕生》《知識考古學》《詞與物》等。

5. dopamine： 多巴胺，一種神經(jīng)傳導物質(zhì)，用來幫助細胞傳送脈沖的化學物質(zhì)。這種腦內(nèi)分泌物和人的情欲、感覺有關，它傳遞興奮及開心的信息。另外，多巴胺也與各種上癮行為有關。

6. quintessential： 典型的，精髓的。

7. hoard： 囤積。