No, Privacy Is NOT Dead: What Families Must Understand

For the last decade, you’ve likely heard the phrase: “Privacy is dead—get over it.” I disagree. As I explained in Privacy Is Possible , privacy is far from dead—it’s simply under attack. And families must understand the difference that privacy is not dead.

Privacy is alive as long as you choose to defend it. What’s dying is the belief that tech companies will protect it for you.

The Myth of the “Nothing to Hide” Argument

Parents often tell me, “I have nothing to hide.” But privacy isn’t about hiding—it’s about safeguarding:

• Your child’s identity
• Your financial security
• Your emotional wellbeing
• Your family routines
• Your home location
• Your digital reputation

You would lock your front door even if you weren’t hiding anything inside. Online privacy works the same way. Privacy is not dead, it’s simply ignored by most people.

Surveillance Isn’t Just Government—It’s Corporate

Most of the monitoring that affects parents comes from:

• Retailers – think loyalty cards to earn free shopping points
• Social networks – think of why you see so many ads on them
• Data brokers – think about DNA research companies
• Ed-tech platforms – think about online learning platforms
• Insurance companies – applying for life insurance or loans online
• Advertising networks – think about Google and Facebook, two of the biggest
• AI-powered apps – think about ChatGPT, Gemini and DeepSeek

These organisations don’t want your secrets—they want your habits.

Your spending habits.
Your parenting habits.
Your emotional patterns.
Your children’s interests.

The algorithms study how likely you are to buy, vote, quit, worry, sign up, or break down. Your family is not being watched for safety—you are being watched for profit.

Children Are the Most Vulnerable Targets

Kids are growing up in a world where:

• Their toys have microphones
• Their tablets track behaviour
• Their schools use analytics to predict performance
• Their favourite apps map emotional reactions
• Their photos can train facial recognition software

This isn’t science fiction—it’s daily reality.

Yet children cannot meaningfully consent to this digital surveillance. The constant bombardment of ads on YouTube and other apps is one way that children cannot easily understand that they are being profiles and their behaviour is being tracked. Parents must step in.

Privacy as a Form of Mental Health Protection

A growing body of research shows that children who have no sense of privacy experience more stress, anxiety, and difficulty forming an independent identity. According to a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health, excessive digital monitoring—whether by parents or platforms—can negatively affect self-esteem and autonomy among teens (Odgers & Jensen, 2021).

Privacy isn’t just about data and privacy is not dead. It’s about emotional space to grow.

What Families Can Do Today

Here are practical steps every household can take:

• Turn off location tracking except when necessary
• Disable unnecessary app permissions
• Use a privacy-minded browser
• Avoid “login with Facebook/Google”
• Teach children to question why an app is free
• Regularly delete unused apps

Small actions build long-term protection.

Book Recommendation

“Permanent Record” by Edward Snowden

A compelling memoir explaining modern surveillance—essential reading for parents. While everyone knows Snowden’s name, they may not remember what he did. In 2013, he disclosed to journalists how the US government’s NSA was systematically collecting nearly ALL electronic data on every American citizen – every transaction you made, every person you called, every email or text or DM you wrote. Not just the metadata, but also the contents. They could also search that data, without probable cause or a warrant–in violation of the US Constitution.

You may be interested in this interview with between Chris Anderson and Edward Snowden at the TED Conference in 2014: