In addition to the diverse definition and understanding of privacy you may have; it is also the control you have over your personal data or information. Understand personal data to be any information that can be used to identify you – includes pictures, voice and videos.
Majority of the populace do not have understanding of the implications of the breach of their privacy;_ the harm it can cause them now and the potential harm it can cause them in the foreseeable future.
Adding to the future harm of the breach of your privacy is the fact that the Internet does not forget. Some happenings, be it true or false; may linger on forever even after your demise and could potentially influence certain decisions on your generations.
One of the greatest dangers of breach of one’s privacy is reputational damage. Probably, the village champion in my grandmother’s village may careless about his reputation that may not be the case of people in certain professional circles. Some professions heavily depend on reputation to thrive and grow – among others are Lecturers, Lawyers, Medical Doctors, Pastors, Politicians, Musicians, Journalists, Presenters, Celebrities and Influencers.
Brands care about their reputation and would not be associated with tainted personalities with questionable moral attitudes – it may not be legal, but ethics will consider morality! The case of Tiger Woods is a classic example to cite. Shareholders of Nike, Gatorade and other Tiger Woods sponsors lost a collective $5 to $12 billion in the wake of the scandal involving his extramarital affairs, according to researchers at the University of California.
The comments by Nana Aba Anamoah is unfortunate – “they think Serwaa is going to respond to their trashy, nonsense, irrelevant … that is occupying the thoughts of useless people. No we have better things to do with our lives”_ – I can only conclude that Nana Aba Anamoah lacks understanding of the impact both now and future of this breach of privacy on her colleague. Don’t forget that anytime anyone Googles Serwaa Amihere the stories and videos associated will definitely come up. The Internet does not forget. I am not judging Serwaa Amihere but remember the two of you MCed the wedding of the Henry Fitz. It is morally unacceptable to be found in videos on bed with the groom. Remember we are moral beings!
Quite a lot of people these days record phone conversations and the availability of covert tools makes it a danger to acknowledge. To guard against misinterpretations of facts, ensure to make categorical statements to denounce possible misinterpretations that may arise.
What happened to Serwaa Amihere is self-inflicted – whether it was her who recorded the video or it was Henry Fitz who did. People turn to do a lot of mistakes in their frenzy moments. Recording yourselves or allowing yourself to be recorded in intimate positions is a NO NO on any day anywhere anytime! Somethings should only be recorded in our minds alone and not on devices!
Beware that videos, pictures and voice recordings can easily be recovered on mobile devices. They can only be permanently deleted by professionals or using the appropriate forensic tools – and I doubt how many ordinary people are aware of such tools or techniques. Your device may be stolen or lost. You may inadvertently share the personal or private stuff with the wrong audience and damage your reputation.
Warn people in advance not to record anything where you have reasons to believe personal or private matters may be shared. You may not be able to recover from reputational damage. Deliberately guard your privacy with all consciousness.
By Emmanuel Gadasu
[CEH, CDPS, CIPM, CIPP-E]
ekgadasu@gmail.com
0243913077