Daniel J. Solove (b. 1972), currently John Marshall Harlan research professor of law at the George Washington University Law School, earned his J.D. at Yale Law School. In addition to writing numerous...

Daniel J. Solove (b. 1972), currently John Marshall Harlan research professor of law at the George Washington University Law School, earned his J.D. at Yale Law School. In addition to writing numerous books and articles on issues of privacy and the Internet, Solove is the founder of a company that provides privacy and data security training to corporations and universities. Among his books are The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet (2007), and Nothing to Hide: The False Tradeoff Between Privacy and Security (2011). An earlier and longer version of this essay in a law review journal included citations that had to be eliminated for publication in the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2011, but we have restored them so that you can see how Solove uses a variety of sources to support his position. Before you read, think about how (or whether) you make an effort to protect your privacy on social networking and other websites. As you read, notice the sources cited in the opening paragraphs, and consider how they contribute to your understanding of why many people think privacy is not something they should be concerned about.