It was over ten years ago. Scott McNealy was then the Chief Executive Officer of Sun Microsystems. He was quoted as saying “there is no privacy… get over it“.

There are two news stories this week that illustrate the validity of Scott McNealy’s quote.

The first example is the liver transplant that Steve Jobs had. His medical procedure and the health concerns that led to the surgery were closely guarded secrets. It was only weeks after the fact of the operation that the story reached the print media. There are many in the business community who have issues with the secrecy. These people believe that Steve Jobs should have been required to disclose the details of his health.

Was Steve Jobs required to self disclose the details of his health issues? As a private citizen, is Steve Jobs entitled to his privacy? Some would argue that since Steve Jobs is associated so closely with Apple that he is obligated to disclose any and all health issues. Apple is a publicly traded company and many investors link the financial health of Apple with Steve Jobs’ well being. Many people would argue that, by the role he plays in Apple’s fortune, Steve Jobs forfeits any rights to his own medical privacy.

The point is subject to debate.

The second news story is equally as contentious. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford admitted publicly to marital infidelity. Within hours, email exchanges between Governor Sanford and his South American liaison were in the press, on television and certainly on the internet. There were even YouTube postings of Governor Sanford moving through the airport, when he left the country.

Certainly, these email exchanges to and from Governor Sanford were intended as private communications. Making the emails public certainly drove up ratings and sold newspapers. However, there was a salacious aspect to the exposure of these correspondences. Was it really necessary? Governor Sanford had made a public admission and a public apology. Were the prurient details necessary?

The availability of Governor Sanford’s private email correspondence raises questions about privacy and security. Are all of Governor Sanford’s email available for public scrutiny? Certainly there must be matters of state that are sensitive and confidential. Has security been compromised totally? Or, is there simply no privacy whatsoever?

One would think that as a leading state official, Governor Sanford has at his disposal the finest in privacy / security technology. If a state governor’s most private correspondences are so available, what chance is there for the private citizen?

Certainly, the often told admonition is that email is like an open post-card and that email may live on some server for who-knows-how-long. Perhaps each and every one of us forgets that as we type into email some of our most personal thoughts. And who among us would not be embarrassed if some email were to be exposed for public viewing. If one of the highly protected state officials in the country cannot keep email private, then the private citizen in the technological age has far less of a chance at privacy.

It may be easy to agree with Scott McNealy initial assessment - “there is no privacy“. It is the second part - the “get over it” part - that is tougher to do. And the “getting-over-it” aspect may be one of the key variables that shape this internet / technology culture.

Catherine Forsythe