--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a social good, I think privacy is…" description: "\"As a social good, I think privacy is greatly overrated because privacy basically means concealment. People conceal things in order to fool other people..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/richard-posner-29506_cybersecurity_as-a-social-good-i-think-privacy-is-grea_2529349.jpg" --- # As a social good, I think privacy is greatly overrated… ![“As a social good, I think privacy is greatly overrated because privacy basically means concealment. People conceal things in order to fool other people about them. They want to appear healthier than they are, smarter, more honest and so forth.” quote by Richard Posner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/richard-posner-29506_cybersecurity_as-a-social-good-i-think-privacy-is-grea_2529349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/richard-posner-29506_cybersecurity_as-a-social-good-i-think-privacy-is-grea_2529349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/richard-posner-29506_cybersecurity_as-a-social-good-i-think-privacy-is-grea_2529349.jpg) > “As a social good, I think privacy is greatly overrated because privacy basically means concealment. People conceal things in order to fool other people about them. They want to appear healthier than they are, smarter, more honest and so forth.” [Richard Posner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-posner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Privacy is viewed as concealment, often used to create false impressions of virtue or competence **In simple terms:** Privacy can hide truth and create deception Key Takeaway Question the value of secrecy Themes privacy criticism truth social perception Mood critical analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - legal debates - personal branding - media analysis Key Concepts ethical philosophy information theory Questions to Reflect On - Is concealment always harmful? - When is privacy justified? A Different Perspective Privacy also protects vulnerable individuals ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conceal Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceal-things-1328902/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Overrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overrated/) [Overrated Privacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overrated-privacy-1328899/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Privacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privacy/) [Privacy Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privacy-basically-1328900/) [Privacy Greatly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privacy-greatly-1328901/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-good/) [Think Privacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-privacy-322249/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [Photographs can reveal something to us, and they can also conceal things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/photographs-can-reveal-something-to-us-and-they-can-also-conceal/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [If you conceal things, they become more charged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-parker/if-you-conceal-things-they-become-more-charged/) [Cornelia Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-parker/) > [When I think about privacy on social media sites, there's kind of the usual suspect problems, which doesn't make them any less important or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-zittrain/when-i-think-about-privacy-on-social-media-sites-there-s-kind-of-the/) [Jonathan Zittrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-zittrain/) > [The way that we tend to think about privacy is not that you have to keep everything secret, it's not that you can't share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynch/the-way-that-we-tend-to-think-about-privacy-is-not-that-you-have-to/) [Jennifer Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynch/) > [I think privacy is valuable. 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I think privacy is the last true luxury. To be able to live your life as you choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-plame/my-take-is-privacy-is-precious-i-think-privacy-is-the-last-true/) [Valerie Plame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-plame/) > [How can we have our privacy? How can we have our independence now in these times with these cameras? Because I think privacy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/how-can-we-have-our-privacy-how-can-we-have-our-independence-now-in/) [Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/) > [I think privacy is important, and it's important you don't bore people with your own boring self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jackson/i-think-privacy-is-important-and-it-s-important-you-don-t-bore-people/) [Alison Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jackson/) > [I don't believe in privacy. I mean, I like the idea of privacy, but I don't believe that it happens anymore. I think privacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjelica-huston/i-don-t-believe-in-privacy-i-mean-i-like-the-idea-of-privacy-but-i/) [Anjelica Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjelica-huston/) > [Do what you can, with what you have and do it now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington-carver/do-what-you-can-with-what-you-have-and-do-it-now/) [George Washington Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington-carver/) > [If a dictator takes up my ideas, the resulting town will survive the political system that commissioned it and stand as a social good.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-krier/if-a-dictator-takes-up-my-ideas-the-resulting-town-will-survive-the/) [Leon Krier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-krier/) > [“I value individuals and societies. I care about those who are not born yet. That is the reason for my joys and blues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petek-kabakci/i-value-individuals-and-societies-i-care-about-those-who-are-not-born/) [Petek Kabakci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petek-kabakci/) ## More by Richard Posner > [I was an advocate of the deregulation movement and I made - along with a lot of other smart people - a fundamental mistake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-posner/i-was-an-advocate-of-the-deregulation-movement-and-i-made-along-with/) [Richard Posner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-posner/) > [The Constitution has to be interpreted loosely, otherwise it becomes a straitjacket. You can't interpret it literally. 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Progress is a social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-posner/a-diversity-of-approaches-is-necessary-if-there-is-to-be-a-good/) [Richard Posner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-posner/) > [Violent video games played in public places are a tiny fraction of the media violence to which modern American children are exposed. 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