It feels a bit crazy / that anyone should have to say this. // But if you’ve built a chaos factory, / you can’t dodge responsibility for the chaos. // Taking responsibility means / having the courage to think things through. // And there are few areas / where this is more important than privacy. // If we accept as normal and unavoidable / that everything in our lives can be aggregated, / sold or even leaked / in the event of a hack, / then / we lose so much more than data. // We lose the freedom to be human. // Think about what’s at stake. // Everything you write, / everything you say, / every topic of curiosity, / every stray thought, / every impulsive purchase, / every moment of frustration or weakness, / every gripe or complaint, / every secret shared in confidence. // In a world without digital privacy, / even if you have done nothing wrong / other than think differently, / you begin to censor yourself. // Not entirely at first. // Just a little, / bit by bit. // To risk less, / to hope less, / to imagine less, / to dare less, / to create less, / to try less, / to talk less, / to think less. // The chilling effect / of digital surveillance is profound, / and it touches everything. // What a small, / unimaginative world we would end up with. // Not entirely at first. // Just a little, / bit by bit. //