Privacy Lets You Be You [VIDEO]

We often take our online privacy for granted — but it allows us to be safe, curious and authentic on the Internet

It’s easy to take online privacy for granted. Often, it functions out of sight and behind the scenes. Our eyes skip over the “s” in “https,” and we pay little attention to the small lock icon that sits next to our URL bar.

But online privacy enables something incredible: It allows us to be ourselves on the Internet. It protects our online financial details and medical information. We can communicate, shop, and browse, free from prying eyes and judgement.

What if online privacy weren’t a matter of course? At first, we might shrug. There’s that platitude: “I don’t have anything to hide.” It’s a dangerous line of thought — the belief that just because we’re law abiding, we don’t have secrets in our lives worth protecting.

Imagine a world without online privacy; imagine an Internet where all your activity was public. Countless personal details — from bank balances and emails to credit card information and medical records — exist out in the open.

Are you still sure you have nothing to hide? We created a video that shows why controlling your personal information is important:

Privacy matters, and it’s an indispensable part of online life. Without it, we become guarded, suspicious and restrained. The Internet quickly loses its vibrancy.

In 2016, Mozilla is stepping up our advocacy for online privacy. Why? Because we don’t want the Internet to become less safe. It should remain a resource that belongs to everyone and is capable of tremendous good.

We’re launching a campaign to spotlight the importance of online privacy, with a special emphasis on the role encryption plays and why it’s worth protecting. Our first effort, the short video above, explores what a world would look like without online privacy. Even though our video takes a light-hearted approach to answering this question, the consequences are actually quite troubling.

We hope you’ll stand up for online privacy and encryption alongside us. Watch the video and visit Mozilla’s encryption campaign website in order to see additional content in the coming weeks. You can also join the conversation here on Medium by adding a comment and telling your own story about the value of online privacy.