Scholars studying the phenomenon of privacy often emphasize that this concept is complex, difficult to define, and historically and culturally diverse. In the late 19th century, it was defined by American jurists as the „right to be let alone”. Since then, philosophy, social theory, law, media science and informatics have also addressed this issue. Various researchers have listed possible types, dimensions, and contexts of the concept. These are obviously related to a problem that media science has also been dealing with for a long time: the changing boundaries between the private and the public spheres as a result of new communication technologies.
For example, according to a summary by contemporary jurists, published in 2017 and examining the legal practice of different countries, there are eight interpretations of the concept of privacy that distinguish between private and public spheres. It can be interpreted as bodily privacy (1): the freedom of movement and control over our own body. Another aspect of privacy is the control of one’s own space (2), which refers primarily to places like the own home. An important feature of privacy is the ability to access and control mediated or non-mediated communication (3). Privacy includes the disposition of property (4) as well as our personal beliefs, opinions, and individual decisions (5) within the context of intimate relationships. Part of the semi-public zone is associational privacy (6), which means control over possible social relationships. Behavioural privacy (7) implies that autonomy is also respected in the external monitoring of individual actions in public spaces. Finally, these zones of privacy are framed by the aspect of informational privacy (8), which means both the ability to exert self-control over information about the individual person and the exclusion of unauthorized access.
Media science, which examines the blurring border between the private and public spheres, also points out which actors can act as a threat against the privacy of individuals. Information technology has allowed the state, while trying to maintain legal order and its own power, to exert ubiquitous surveillance. This is also becoming more and more widespread in the business sector, as companies handle individuals as consumers and collect more and more data on their taste and choices. The protection of personal data and the appropriate privacy policies of organizations are therefore an important area of legal regulation. This is served for example by the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in 2018.
The press can also be a threat to privacy when it publishes information that is purely private: this also denotes that privacy and freedom of expression are often conflicting concepts. Thus, ensuring the protection of privacy is a complex communication and legal issue. New encryption technologies can also help protect privacy.
