Why is the appropriation of the metaphors by the machinery of capitalism so dangerous? Does the commercialization of the metaphors weaken their ability to communicate privacy threats? While commercial interests right now undeniably stand to benefit from the erosion of privacy (and are actively working towards that end), I don't see anything in consumerism itself that puts it fundamentally at odds with privacy. If people's actions actually corresponded to their stated views about privacy, would the market not reward privacy-preserving companies?

I entirely agree that metaphors can discourage clear thinking about privacy issues. The real work to be done, it seems to me, is in figuring out how to communicate the dangers to the public viscerally without dumbing down the issues. This is where I think Solove's approach of taxonomies fails— It's a great tool to facilitate more clear thinking and academic inquiry, but the message is not visceral enough to get through to the apathetic.

-- AndreiVoinigescu - 11 Mar 2009