Privacy In The 17th Century

Medieval people did not have the concept of privacy and there was no privacy because nobody was alone. There was no private space and houses were tiny and crowded which allowed everyone to engage in a face-to-face community. Even though it was almost impossible to get privacy, many desired it and greater riches meant more privacy. Privacy became an issue during the growth of literacy where people began using private letters for correspondence. The initial use of letters in the 17th century was not private because it was difficult to seal them. Although there was a formal post system, there were suspicions that the postal clerks were reading the letters. Some individuals deliberately wrote their letters in code to ensure they were private. Privacy was an issue and postal workers had to swear an oath not to tamper with the mail.
With the emergence of the telegraph, messages had to be passed manually and there were concerns about privacy from the onset. During this era, privacy started to be considered as a right and the government took the right to read telegraph messages if the need arose. Different states started passing laws that outlawed eavesdropping on telegraph
Privacy becomes a luxury good because obtaining it means a level of computer literacy that is not accessible to an average person and is associated with high education levels, higher income and certain classes of people that reflect the dominant inequalities in society. The right to privacy as a luxury good divides users into those who have and those who do not have, therefore, creating a privacy divide. This divide is further increased by high-income elasticity of demand. People who are ore literate can afford greater access to privacy. The goal of regulations on privacy are intended to turn it into a normal good or a public good that everyone can