“Privacy is when restrooms have doors”

As kids, it’s something that our parents try to invade. Sometimes the only place we can find it is in the bathroom. On this year’s Data Privacy Day, we explore what privacy means to us.

“Privacy is a universal right” – that’s the definition our VPN service has upheld since the beginning. But what do the individuals that make up Team Mullvad think? We asked what privacy means to them and got a diverse range of answers.

“Privacy, for me in short, means that I am not being watched or tracked. I get to decide who/when/what information I want to share with the world.” — Mullvad UX/UI designer

“The freedom to limit how I expose myself to the world.” — Mullvad Android app developer

“Privacy for me is largely about self-determination. The definition of Alan Westin sums it up pretty well: ‘The right of the individual to decide what information about himself should be communicated to others and under what circumstances.’ This view implies the right to be "left alone" (Warren and Brandeis).” — Mullvad software developer

“Privacy is when restrooms have doors.” — Mullvad iOS app developer

“To me privacy means having a trusted space (physical or digital) where I can discuss, message, or write about matters that I define as private and with whom I invite into that space.” — Mullvad communicator

“Privacy prevents what I do, say, think, or feel from being used to manipulate or nudge me or those around me into thinking or doing things according to someone else's agenda. This is especially true on modern computers and phones that are connected to the internet where tracking is so fine-grained, all in a world where disinformation is abundant.” — Mullvad infrastructure engineer

What are your views on privacy? Feel free to join our conversation on Twitter or Mastodon, or find your own private space to discuss with people of your own choosing!

For the universal right to privacy,
Mullvad VPN