Physical Privacy Comparison
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A framework for understanding digital privacy violations by comparing them to physical world equivalents, highlighting why current privacy practices may be viewed as problematic in the future.
The Physical World Privacy Analogy
- Imagine walking into an office and finding:
- A file cabinet with 10,000 photos of you and your family
- Taken over 5 years without your knowledge
- All photos taken while you were in public spaces
- Even though technically legal (public spaces), it feels violating
- This mirrors how companies collect our digital data:
- We technically consent
- But don't fully understand the extent
- Feel violated when we see the full picture
Current iPhone Privacy Example
- Hidden but accessible tracking features:
- Located in Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations
- Tracks precise location history
- Records travel methods and duration
- Logs associated apps used during travel
- Maintains historical record of movements
Future Privacy Predictions
- Next generation (current 5-10 year olds) will reject current privacy standards
- Similar to how we now view smoking in restaurants:
- Was normal in the 1990s
- Now considered unthinkable
- Privacy violations will be viewed similarly in 20 years
Market Response
- Growing demand for privacy-focused alternatives:
- DuckDuckGo competing with Google
- Privacy.com
- Apple positioning privacy as core value proposition
- Large companies advertising privacy features
- New wave of privacy-protecting products expected
- Shift toward user data ownership and control
Business Impact
- Major inflection point for businesses
- Companies need to adapt to changing privacy expectations
- New opportunities in privacy-focused products and services
- Similar significance to NCAA athlete regulations change
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.