Privacy

Privacy concerns appropriate control, expectations, and risk around how information about people is collected, inferred, used, shared, retained, and deleted.

Plan for this page

Understand one concept in plain language and connect it to nearby ideas.

You will leave with: It is broader than secrecy and includes purpose, consent or other authority, proportionality, access, correction, dignity, and effects on individuals. Privacy risk can arise even when data is technically secure.
Time: 3–8 min
Before you begin: No prerequisite. Keep one real example in mind.
Do this now: Read the explanation, then compare the example with the common misunderstanding.

Prepared next stepMap privacy, permissions, and control

PrivacyPrivacy concerns appropriate control, expectations, and risk around how information about people is collected, inferred, used, shared, retained, and deleted.

Permission
Personal data
Sensitive data

Plain explanation

It is broader than secrecy and includes purpose, consent or other authority, proportionality, access, correction, dignity, and effects on individuals. Privacy risk can arise even when data is technically secure.

Example

A study tool explains which learner activity stays on the device, what is sent to a provider, why it is needed, and how it can be deleted.

Why it matters

AI systems can combine, infer, and reuse data in ways people do not expect. Before sharing, examine the real product, account, retention, recipients, and consequence—not only the chat interface.

Common misunderstanding

Misconception: data is private if it does not show a name. Correction: combinations, identifiers, content, and inference may still relate the data to a person.

Related concepts

Follow relationships, not only the alphabet

PermissionA permission is an authorized ability to access information, use a tool, or perform an action under defined conditions.Personal dataPersonal data is information that relates to an identified or reasonably identifiable person, directly or through combination and inference.Sensitive dataSensitive data is information whose exposure, misuse, inference, or alteration could create substantial harm or requires heightened protection.

Map privacy, permissions, and control

Sources and scope

What supports this object

NIST Privacy FrameworkU.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology

Provides a voluntary framework for identifying and managing privacy risk in data processing; legal rights and duties vary by jurisdiction.

Open source

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