A Hegelian Basis for Privacy as an Economic Right

The role of information systems and technology in stimulating interest in privacy is discussed, with an emphasis on the move towards regarding privacy as an economic right. Current proposals are shown to derive from pragmatic, problem-driven analyses, rather than clear philosophical foundations: they are therefore inflexible and limited in scope, and advances in technology are likely to render them obsolete. The need for a clear philosophical basis for privacy as an economic rather than a social/human right is therefore identified and the Hegelian concept of privacy is shown to provide such a basis.