Privacy

Ernest Hemingway survived war and many other privations. He thrived in adversity and conflict, that would lay other men low. And yet it seems that in the end he was unable to prevail against his own government watching him. Then again, it's very hard to fight against a shapeless, vague threat as compared to, say, a plane crash. In the latter one's priorities are clear.

Scrutiny does change how people behave - you only need to look at all of those fallen stars that litter every country's social scene. Being looked at is disconcerting - many convince themselves that it is a good thing just to escape from the unease. Ultimately, they try to dull their senses or withdraw. Anything to keep away from the eyes.

There are good arguments out there for protecting the right to be left alone. We are prone to biases; we think that such surveillance won't really be directed at us. Or even if it were, that the authorities will not find something. To that I say - the determination is not up to us. More to the point, them knowing so much about us makes it so much easier for them to use us however they like. 

But perhaps greater than all these arguments is that our privacy is fundamental and inalienable to our psychological make-up. We need that space to share only the parts of us that we want to share; and it shrinking can only bode bad things for our future as a species.