Paul Bernal provides a timely example on how privacy is crucial for free expression:
Privacy, like so many things, is a double-edged sword: the Nightjack saga shows that all too clearly. Nightjack was a blogger, a police ‘insider’ – and in order to get his stories out into the world, he needed to be able to protect his identity. He needed to be able to control who knew what about him – and that, ultimately, is what privacy is about. Having some control – albeit inherently limited – over what information about you is made public, and what remains private.
For Nightjack, losing that privacy meant losing his online identity: ‘Nightjack’ effectively ceased to exist.
Read his full blog entry here.