Editing Right to privacy (section)

== As a collective value and a human right ==
There have been attempts to reframe privacy as a fundamental [[Human rights|human right]], whose social value is an essential component in the functioning of democratic societies.<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnson|first=Deborah|title=Ethical theory and business.|year=2009|publisher=Pearson/Prentice Hall|location=Upper Saddle River, NJ|isbn=978-0136126027|pages=428–442|edition=8th|author-link=Privacy|editor1=Beauchamp |editor2=Bowie |editor3=Arnold}}</ref>

Priscilla Regan believes that individual concepts of privacy have failed philosophically and in policy. She supports a social value of privacy with three dimensions: shared perceptions, public values, and [[Collectivism and individualism|collective]] components. Shared ideas about privacy allow freedom of conscience and diversity in thought. Public values guarantee democratic participation, including freedoms of speech and association, and limit government power. Collective elements describe privacy as a collective good that cannot be divided. Regan's goal is to strengthen privacy claims in policy making: "if we did recognize the collective or public-good value of privacy, as well as the common and public value of privacy, those advocating privacy protections would have a stronger basis upon which to argue for its protection".<ref>Regan, P. M. (1995). ''Legislating Privacy: Technology, social values, and public policy''. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. {{ISBN?}} {{page needed|date=April 2022}}</ref>

Leslie Regan Shade argues that the human right to privacy is necessary for meaningful democratic participation, and ensures human dignity and autonomy. Privacy depends on norms for how information is distributed, and if this is appropriate. Violations of privacy depend on context. The human right to privacy has precedent in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Shade believes that privacy must be approached from a people-centered perspective, and not through the marketplace.<ref>Shade, L. R. (2008). "Reconsidering the right to privacy in Canada". ''Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society'', 28(1), 80–91.</ref>