Social media kills right to privacy, says Deakin head

SOCIAL media such as Facebook and Twitter have killed off any right to privacy, according to the head of Deakin University’s Law School in Geelong.
Privacy was a code for “secrecy and normally the refuge of the guilty, paranoid and misguided’’, Professor Mirko Bagaric said.
“Modern technology underlines the irrelevance of arguments for the need for more privacy,” he told the Independent.
“People are more likely to seek attention rather than anonymity.”
But little evidence existed that privacy was a desirable pursuit for society, Prof Bagaric said.
While privacy had emerged as a legal right in many countries, no rigorous analysis or proof had been established about the value of privacy, he said.
“I suggest … there is no demonstrable need for a strong right to privacy. In fact, it would damage society,” Prof Bararic said.
“The truth about privacy is that the more we know about other people the clearer it becomes that they’re like us, it leads to a reduction in stereotypes and prejudices.
“Less, not more privacy, benefits the community.”