Is Online Privacy a Generational Issue?

[Commentary] It seems like every time I talk to people about privacy, there's a feeling that younger users of online tools simply don't care about the issue. Often, I am asked why privacy advocates like CDT push government and industry to protect privacy more robustly- when "no one cares"? In short, people seem to be asserting that digital natives like myself do not value privacy online. While this point is oft repeated, I think that this argument is flawed, and does not address the subtleties of privacy in the cloud, social networks, and other new online technologies. Simply put, these technologies are giving digital natives (really, all users) greater control over their information - and we use it. Digital immigrants tend to think about privacy as the ability to conceal information from others. Digital natives instead share information within certain contexts, and with granular privacy controls on that information. And according to a new study on behavioral advertising, it is precisely the 18-24 year old age bracket that cares most about how information is used to make decisions about them to deliver news, advertisements, or discounts. In fact, one of the survey's authors told the New York Times that it's likely that young adults care more about their privacy and how companies use their information than expected.