Murky Conceptual Waters: The Public and the Private

Murky Conceptual Waters: The Public and the Private: "Abstract: In discussions on the ethics of surveillance and consequently surveillance policy, the public/private distinction is often implicitly invoked as a way to structure the discussion and the arguments. In these discussions, the distinction ‘public’ and ‘private’ is often treated as a uni-dimensional, rigidly dichotomous and absolute, fixed and universal concept, whose meaning could be determined by the objective content of the behavior. Nevertheless , if we take a closer look at the distinction in diverse empirical contexts we find them to be more subtle, diffused and ambiguous than suggested. The paper identifies a number of distinct meanings of the concepts. It argues that the public and private be treated as multi-dimensional, continuous and relative, fluid and situational or contextual concepts, whose meaning lies in how they are interpreted and framed. Those using the terms public and private would benefit from more clearly specifying which dimensions they have in mind and how they relate."