Article
Perspectives on privacy

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Abstract

The nature of privacy is an interesting and complex question which has been addressed in several disciplines. Perspectives on privacy are thus varied, occasionally conflicting, and generally difficult to evaluate in a coherent fashion. There is not, in fact, agreement on what privacy actually is. In this article, studies of privacy from anthropology, ethology, political science, psychology, sociology, and other disciplines, are classified into person-centred, place-centred and interactional perspectives, in all disciplines, rather than examining each discipline independently. The review provides a framework which may be used to facilitate comparison of privacy issues across disciplines and perspectives. A broader concept of privacy results from viewing the very different perspectives under a wider umbrella than that of the more individual viewpoints. At the same time, niceties of interpretation surface, which contribute to the depth and clarity of the concept.

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