Why Is Security More Important Than Privacy

Security and privacy are two important elements aimed at protecting information and ensuring that no external factors interfere with them. These two elements may be incorporated in any instance of life, from personal information all the way to corporate information. The National Security Agency considers these two elements as necessities to ensure protection of citizens against criminal activities and attacks. However, each of these elements is significant in its own way as they have difference in meaning. In the next discussion, we shall explore the reasons why security is more vital in comparison to privacy. To properly do this, the paper will first elaborate the meaning of these two terms. It then look into different opinions given by various authors regarding privacy and security. In the paper, we will argue the importance of proper security over privacy.
According to Kunelius (p.27), security refers to the state of protecting someone or property from external harm. Depending on the situation at hand, several measures may be implemented to ensure safety of people and property as well. Privacy on the other hand refers to a state of seclusion and disruption from other people. Young (p.603) describes it as a state of freedom from the public eye. …show more content…
In doing so, national security will automatically generate itself. Lack of privacy prevents individuals from expressing themselves as they fear criticism by others and external attacks. If your actions and programs remain private, there is a low likelihood for you to experience cases of vandalism and theft. Once people monitor your moves, they can easily plan attacks on you. As said earlier, some agencies providing security services are the same which plan robbery cases. They use the lack of privacy of individuals as a loop hole for their attacks. If privacy is ensured, such individuals will not find a way of attacking