Privacy in the Digital Age: A Normative Understanding as a Collective Good
In recent times, new Information and Communication Technologies have been changing and challenging privacy, to the extent that its traditional conceptualization as an individual right is not anymore sufficient neither to encompass all of its dimensions, nor to understand all of its implications. This article starts by analysing the evolution of the concept of privacy before the Digital Age and, subsequently, the new possibilities and threats that the latter brought about. Then, it introduces to the business ethics literature a new normative understanding of privacy as a collective good, which is arguably more adequate to address the aforementioned problems. Additionally, the article explores the philosophical roots from where such understanding emerges, its interplay with the individual right approach, and its ethical implications – particularly regarding the corporate social responsibility of internet companies. Lastly, the concept of group privacy is suggested as an intermediate step towards the adoption of this conceptualization.