Last updated on by Surbhi S
Every person wants some personal space in his/her life, because, one cannot share each and everything with others. In fact no one wants to talk about what’s going on in their personal life. Hence, a certain degree of privacy is every person’s need. Privacy is a state when a person is free from public interference while if we talk about Confidentiality, it speaks about a situation when important information is kept the secret between two individuals until the person to whom the information belongs permits to disclose it.
In short privacy is when someone remains undisturbed by the people, but confidentiality is when something is kept secret. To distinguish the given terms correctly is quite strenuous, as the meaning of the two, too nearly resembles. Here in this article, we have compiled the most important differences between privacy and confidentiality, have a look at it.
Content: Privacy Vs Confidentiality
- Comparison Chart
- Definition
- Key Differences
- Conclusion
Comparison Chart
| Basis for Comparison | Privacy | Confidentiality |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The state of being secluded is known as Privacy. | Confidentiality refers to the the situation when it is expected from someone that he will not divulge the information to any other person. |
| What is it? | It is the right to be let alone. | It is an agreement between the persons standing in fiduciary to maintain the secrecy of sensitive information and documents. |
| Concept | Limits the access of the public. | Prevents information and documents from unauthorized access. |
| Applies to | Individual | Information |
| Obligatory | No, it is the personal choice of an individual | Yes, when the information is professional and legal. |
| Disallowed | Everyone is disallowed from involving the personal affairs of an individual. | Only unauthorized persons are disallowed from using the information. |
Definition of Privacy
Privacy is the state when an individual is free from public interruption and intrusion. The word privacy is derived from the word ‘private’ whichmeans the role of the public is limited, so the term privacy refers to a condition where a person is apart from public attention and observation. It is the right of every individual to be left alone in his personal matters because everybody has his personal life. He can draw a boundary on the access of hisinformation from the use of others.
Moreover, it is a human tendency to hide certain facts about himself or else people will use themagainst him.
Privacy is a matter of choice of an individual if he doesn’t want to disclose his / her matter in front of people. For example, It is quite logical that if aperson wants to take a bath or change his clothes or he wants to have a personal conversation with someone he will seek some privacy because he does notwant anybody’s interference in his private moments.
A good example of Internet privacy is here; you can set privacy on your social networking site account to limit the access of your personal stuff like who can seeyour stuff, profile picture, photos etc.
Definition of Confidentiality
Confidentiality refers to a state when it is intended or expected from someone to keep the information secret. The term confidentiality extracted fromthe word ‘confidence’ which means ‘trust.’ In this way, confidentiality is when it is entrusted that the information which is told in confidence to someone, will be kept secret from the reach of unauthorized people until the parties agree to uncover the information.
In Medical, Legal, and other professions, it is common that the information shared between client and solicitor or doctor and patient, will not betold to the third party. In the military, this term is used scores of times that only authorized officers are allowed to access the confidential information. It prevents the access of sensitive information from being public.
Here is an example for you to understand confidentiality easily like your bank details like an account number or ATM pin or user id and password of anysocial networking site or an email account.
Key Differences Between Privacy and Confidentiality
The following are the major differences between privacy and confidentiality:
- Privacy is a situation when a person is free from public interference. Confidentiality is a situation when information is kept secret from the reach of any other person.
- Privacy talks about a person, but Confidentiality is about information.
- Privacy restricts the public from accessing the personal details about a person, whereas Confidentiality protects the information from the range ofunauthorised persons.
- In privacy, everyone is disallowed from interfering in the personal matters of a person. Conversely, in confidentiality some specified and trustworthypeople are allowed to have access to the information.
- Privacy is at the voluntary; it is the choice of a person. In contrast to Confidentiality, it is compulsory if the relationship between parties is a fiduciary.
- Privacy is a right. However, Confidentiality is an agreement.
Conclusion
Privacy and Confidentiality are the two terms which are commonly juxtaposed with each other. Privacy is about personal or private i.e. the range willbe limited to yourself only while if we talk about confidentiality, it is professional. The range will be limited to the persons, to whom the individualhave trust. There are only a few differences between the two terms, but Confidentiality is an advanced version of Privacy.
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Alright, let's dive into the concepts of privacy and confidentiality! These are often intermingled but hold distinct meanings and implications. Privacy involves the right to be undisturbed and free from public interference, essentially the idea of personal seclusion. Confidentiality, on the other hand, is more about the secrecy of information between two parties, especially in professional or legal settings where sensitive data is shared under an understanding that it won't be disclosed without permission.
Privacy: This term is about personal boundaries, stemming from the notion of being "private." It grants individuals the right to limit public access to their personal matters. For instance, your actions, conversations, or personal information that you don't wish to share with everyone fall under the umbrella of privacy. It's a matter of personal choice and often involves setting boundaries, like controlling who can access your social media profiles or private information.
Confidentiality: Derived from "confidence," this term is rooted in trust. Confidentiality is the agreement between parties to keep shared information secret from unauthorized access. In professional fields like law, medicine, or even within the military, certain information is entrusted and expected to remain confidential. For example, conversations between a doctor and patient or discussions between legal advisors and clients fall under this category.
Key Differences:
- Nature: Privacy pertains to personal freedom from interference, while confidentiality involves the safeguarding of information.
- Scope: Privacy restricts public access to personal details, whereas confidentiality protects information from unauthorized individuals.
- Permission: Privacy disallows everyone from intruding into personal matters, while confidentiality allows specific, trusted individuals access to information.
- Voluntary vs. Obligatory: Privacy is a personal choice, while confidentiality is obligatory in professional or fiduciary relationships.
- Right vs. Agreement: Privacy is a right individuals possess, while confidentiality is an agreement between parties.
In summary, privacy focuses on personal boundaries and individual rights, while confidentiality is more about professional or entrusted information sharing. While the differences are subtle, confidentiality is a more advanced and specific form of privacy, primarily applied in professional or sensitive contexts.
If you'd like, I can delve into the distinctions between other pairs of concepts, like equity and equality, public and private sectors, or objective versus subjective perspectives. Just let me know!
