Trust and Privacy in Our Networked World

Herman T Tavani,Dieter Arnold

doi:10.3390/info2040621

Abstract

Remarking on the relationship between the concepts of trust and privacy, Charles Fried (1990, p. 56) [1] writes: Trust is the attitude of expectation that another will behave according to the constraints of morality… There can be no trust where there is no possibility of error. More specifically, man cannot know that he is trusted unless he has the right to act without constant surveillance so that he knows he can betray the trust. Privacy confers that essential right… Without privacy and the possibility of error which it protects that aspect of his humanity is denied to him. The important relationship between trust and privacy that Fried describes is often overlooked in the contemporary literature on privacy, as well in the recent publications that focus on trust and trust-related topics. The six essays included in this special issue of Information, however, give us some additional insights into certain conceptual and practical connections involving the notions of trust and privacy. In this respect, the contributing authors expand upon the insight in Fried’s classic work on the interconnection between the two concepts.[...]

Highlights

Trust is the attitude of expectation that another will behave according to the constraints of morality
The six essays included in this special issue of Information, give us some additional insights into certain conceptual and practical connections involving the notions of trust and privacy
The above-cited passage from Fried was written in the pre-Internet era, when the kinds of concerns that people typically had about privacy violations and breaches of trust had not yet been exacerbated by information technology in general, and the World Wide Web in particular

Summary

Introduction

Trust is the attitude of expectation that another will behave according to the constraints of morality. The six essays included in this special issue of Information, give us some additional insights into certain conceptual and practical connections involving the notions of trust and privacy.

Results

Conclusion