Privacy is important because there are some things or activities that we feel belong to us, and it is our decision whether or not to share them with others.
The fact that some people don't really care if other people are spying on them doesn't make privacy any less important. The issue is not necessarly whether one is being watched- the issue is whether someone wants to be watched or not. It's about having choice and control over one's immediate surroundings.
Typically, women are much more concerned about being spied upon than men, because they tend to have more experience and concern with being the victims of stalking and sexual assault. They guy peeping through a woman's window is probably could be a step away from attempting to rape her. Even though there is no physical rape per se in a virtual world, it's very easy to make that mental connection between a virtual behavior and a real-life behavior. Generally, protecting one's body is a much more salient day-to-day concern for women. That's probably why it's harder for some men to understand a woman's fear of peeping.
Peeping in SL probably occurs for one of three main reasons. One is just that a person is bored or curious, and is checking out what the neighbors are doing. Another possible reason is that peeping is preparation or a prelude to other harassment. Finally, if the peeper is someone that the victim knows, it could be a jealousy-related stalking situation.
Point of the matter is, you should have absolute, one-hundred percent authority over who has access to your body (avatar), land, and possessions. Whether or not you share what is yours with others should be your decision alone, and for any or no reason. That's what it means to have freedom.
It's a shame that Linden Labs does not take more interest in developing ways to protect residents' privacy in Second Life. Such action would make Second Life such a better virtual world.
As it turns out, despite the fact that Second Life makes spying on residents easy, very few residents actually have an interest in violating others' privacy. So if you just do things to make spying more difficult, you have a good chance of spending most of your Second Life time without being the victim of spying.
On the other hand, if someone does latch on you to stalk you, your options are severely limited.
The fact that some people don't really care if other people are spying on them doesn't make privacy any less important. The issue is not necessarly whether one is being watched- the issue is whether someone wants to be watched or not. It's about having choice and control over one's immediate surroundings.
Typically, women are much more concerned about being spied upon than men, because they tend to have more experience and concern with being the victims of stalking and sexual assault. They guy peeping through a woman's window is probably could be a step away from attempting to rape her. Even though there is no physical rape per se in a virtual world, it's very easy to make that mental connection between a virtual behavior and a real-life behavior. Generally, protecting one's body is a much more salient day-to-day concern for women. That's probably why it's harder for some men to understand a woman's fear of peeping.
Peeping in SL probably occurs for one of three main reasons. One is just that a person is bored or curious, and is checking out what the neighbors are doing. Another possible reason is that peeping is preparation or a prelude to other harassment. Finally, if the peeper is someone that the victim knows, it could be a jealousy-related stalking situation.
Point of the matter is, you should have absolute, one-hundred percent authority over who has access to your body (avatar), land, and possessions. Whether or not you share what is yours with others should be your decision alone, and for any or no reason. That's what it means to have freedom.
It's a shame that Linden Labs does not take more interest in developing ways to protect residents' privacy in Second Life. Such action would make Second Life such a better virtual world.
As it turns out, despite the fact that Second Life makes spying on residents easy, very few residents actually have an interest in violating others' privacy. So if you just do things to make spying more difficult, you have a good chance of spending most of your Second Life time without being the victim of spying.
On the other hand, if someone does latch on you to stalk you, your options are severely limited.
The problem of course is there is a large contingent of people, including Linden Lab employees who really don't care whether you have any semblance of in-world privacy or not.
