Privacy Versus Collective Security Drivers and Barriers Behind a Trade-off

Many decisions concerning technological development and related policies in the field of protecting the privacy of individuals and security at the societal level include a perceived trade-off between these two interests. Sometimes, this trade-off is made explicitly, but often it is an implicit choice, driven by external factors. This paper assesses a set of factors acting as drivers or barriers towards the development of technologies for privacy and/or societal security. While some of the individual drivers and barriers do not show a clear bias towards security or privacy technology development, the overview gives a clear indication that some powerful factors are biased towards developing and using security technologies, and some other factors are biased towards hindering the development and use of privacy technologies. This bias may threaten the privacy of individuals on the long run and may obscure potential solutions that enhance both security and privacy.