European privacy policy is not a cynical anti-competitive plot

[Commentary] US security officials have been taken aback by the vehemence of the response to their incursions on other people’s privacy. They see themselves as doing the right thing and as trying to protect the security of American citizens (and, to a lesser degree, the citizens of America’s allies). This means that some of them are inclined to view people who disagree with them as either driven by knee-jerk anti-Americanism, or driven by other sordid motives such as the zeal to destroy America’s companies. These beliefs don’t really accord with the empirical evidence. America’s officials don’t have to agree with Europeans who see privacy as a fundamental right, but they are less likely to make serious errors if they at least understand them.

[Henry Farrell is associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University]