We have more privacy controls yet less privacy than ever

We have more privacy controls yet less privacy than ever 11 minutes ago Share Save Zoe Kleinman Technology editor Share Save "In 2026 online privacy is a luxury, not a right," says Thomas Bunting, an analyst at the UK innovation think tank Nesta. He was talking about advertising, and he described a dystopian potential future in which the smart fridges in our kitchens could share information about their owners' dietary choices with health insurers. It's not an inevitable reality but for some it is a very scary thought. However Thomas, who is 25, says he doesn't believe he ever actually had any online privacy in the first place. Instead, he says: "We've been taught how to deal with it." By that he means understanding privacy controls, and accepting the use of his data as currency in return for services like social media. He recalls at the age of around 15, his teacher asking the class who believed privacy was an important principle to protect. "Not one person put their hand up," he says. "When I chat to people now who are coming off social media they say it's because of screentime, or they're worried about addiction – privacy never comes up." Experiences like this trouble veteran advocates for online privacy, like cybersecurity expert Prof Alan Woodward from Surrey University. "People should care about online privacy because it shapes who has power over their lives," he says. "When I hear people say they don't care about it, I ask why they have curtains in their bedrooms." Woodward argues that while caring about privacy is often framed as "having something to hide", it is in his view "about having something to protect: freedom of thought, experimentation, dissent and personal development without permanent surveillance". What are VPNs and are they legal? Google told to pay $425m in privacy lawsuit I'm reminded of a young influencer I had dinner with once, who told me that many of her friends don't dance when they go to clubs because they are afraid of someone filming i...