Like pulling the blinds or sharing one's Social Security number, our actions impact our privacy. Choosing not to engage in privacy-degrading activities on the Internet is "the most powerful privacy setting," according to Jim Harper of the Cato Institute. "Declining to engage in activities that emit personal information protects privacy. Not broadcasting oneself on Facebook protects privacy. Not going online protects privacy," Harper writes on the Cato@Liberty blog. But while users are in control of their privacy on social networking sites, they cannot choose whether to participate in "government-sponsored incursions on privacy," Harper adds, citing recent calls for a national ID system.
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