Privacy harms taxonomy: collection, processing, dissemination, invasion
Privacy Harms: A Taxonomy of Where Things Go Wrong
four families of harm, in the order data flows through a system
DATA FLOWS THIS WAY
1. Collection
watching and asking
Surveillance
always-on tracking
Interrogation
forced questionnaires
Insecurity
careless storage
Over-collection
grab everything
fix: minimize at source
collect only what serves
the stated purpose
2. Processing
combining and scoring
Aggregation
mosaic from pieces
Re-identification
re-linking the anonymous
Secondary use
new purpose, no re-ask
Exclusion
no say, no appeal
fix: purpose limits
retention caps, real
deletion on withdrawal
3. Dissemination
spreading it around
Disclosure
true facts revealed
Exposure
intimate life laid bare
Blackmail
leverage over victims
Distortion
false, unfair portrait
fix: breach discipline
access control, audit,
no silent sharing
4. Invasion
intruding on the person
Intrusion
unwanted watching
Decisional push
nudged, scored, filtered
Exclusion spiral
score locks doors
Chilling effect
self-censorship
fix: appeal paths
human review, opt-outs
that actually work
harms compound left to right: collected once, processed many times, spread widely, felt personally