In 2004, computer science professor Helen Nissenbaum coined the term "contextual integrity," meaning that guaranteeing the right to privacy involves considering various factors, not just consensus. Therefore, simply creating laws to ensure companies establish conditions regarding data use is not enough in this quest for fewer invasive actions.
According to the expert, the points to be observed are:
- Prevention of informational harm.
- Information inequality.
- Autonomy.
- Freedom.
- Preservation of human relationships.
- Democracy.
In this case, the idea that inequality should be considered a central concern stems from the fact that a few corporations hold most of the information available on the internet.
Although the Consumer Code in Brazil establishes a relationship in which the customer is more vulnerable, not everyone is aware of their rights, and this also happens with the LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law).
Despite the legal basis, socioeconomic inequality also reveals a lack of access to information for a significant portion of the population.
Therefore, those who are unaware of this legally guaranteed protection would not even benefit from a situation in which their privacy has been violated.
Awareness campaigns help maintain the enforcement of privacy laws.
The former member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and a world reference in data protection points out that defending privacy depends on a stronger commitment from institutions, overcoming the logic that a simple agreement between consumer and company will guarantee good practices.
Currently, a company's target audience or customer is considered a commodity, with their personal data used in countless ways for purposes that few people are aware of.
Your interests and recent visits are likely recorded on a server to create more effective marketing campaigns. However, to what extent do these objectives intersect with some form of social domination?
If information serves to create desires and influence a group, those who participate in this system need to be aware of all the risks and how access to websites and social media exposes their personal lives.
Each country needs to strive to promote knowledge related to privacy.
Around the world, the idea that services offered on the internet are free still exists. However, consider that "if the service is free, you are the product," and this explains the profits of companies like Facebook.
In the digital age, the sale of information, which includes even the provision of addresses and intimate details, has led Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft to end 2021 with a combined value of US$11 trillion, equivalent to 12% of the world's wealth.
That's because Google, the search engine that stores all activity, wasn't even mentioned. Therefore, it doesn't come for free, and those who profit may not want to take responsibility with data providers, continuing to violate certain rules due to a lack of transparency.
"The creation of a National Data Policy that raises public awareness and establishes a real commitment between the public and private sectors is indispensable," affirms Dennis Verbicaro, PhD in Consumer Law.
