Extract from Stephen Embry’s article “SXSW Privacy Discussion: The Rising Risks Lawyers Can’t Ignore”
On Friday afternoon at SXSW, Meredith Whittaker, CEO of Signal, painted a sobering and downright alarming picture of the modern privacy landscape. Whittaker argued that the world today is more surveilled than ever before, with a handful of corporations and governments wielding unprecedented access to our personal data. Her comments highlighted the risks that everyone — but especially lawyers, given our duty of confidentiality — need to take seriously.
The Erosion of Privacy
Whittaker noted that privacy is not a luxury; it is a fundamental condition for free thought, secure relationships, and democratic engagement. Yet, we live in an era where every message, search query, and interaction is recorded, stored, and could potentially be weaponized against us. The sheer volume of data collected by companies like Google, Meta, and telecommunications providers creates vast vulnerabilities. Whether through government subpoenas, corporate data sales, or hacking incidents, this information is accessible in ways many of us just don’t fully appreciate.
