“隐私”是个公德概念
“Privacy” Is a Sense of Public Morality
林巍
Lin Wei
“隐私”，作为一个相对现代的概念，应当说是改革开放若干年之后的事；在此之前，则是另外一个概念。
The concept of “privacy” in our society is something relatively modern – a term publicly talked about only since the recent Reform and Opening Up.
改革开放前，我们的社会受“极左”思想影响深重，那时任何沾“私”的事情都与“公”相对立，都是落后、不光彩、甚至是反动的；而“隐私”更是“见不得人”和“肮脏”的代名词。
Before this historical change, China was under the influence of ultra-left thought, where everything related to “self” was deemed as backward, shameful, even reactionary, since they might be in contradiction to public interest. Needless to say, “privacy” which was almost a synonym for shamefulness or dark soul.
然而，随着我国商品经济的进程及日益参与国际事务，人们逐渐发现，“隐私”其实是每个人所不可或缺的。道理很简单，一个人——无论其职业、地位、身份、年龄等——在24小时的生活中，不可能时时刻刻都以同一种面目出现。若有人这样，要么他是个十足的伪君子，要么他就是不懂得如何担当自己不同的角色与责任。
With the development of the commodity economy and China’s increasing engagement internationally, however, Chinese gradually realized that privacy is actually in everyone’s interest. Put simply, regardless of a person’s profession, position, status, identity or age, it is impossible for him or her to appear the same 24 hours a day unless a hypocrite or hiding failure to perform.
通俗来说，“隐私”是指那些与他人无关、或是不愿意让他人知道的私人信息。这些信息可能涉及到宗教、信仰、爱好、性取向、私人活动等，而一旦透露，则会给本人带来歧视与难堪。一个隐私没有安全感的社会，不是安宁的社会。
Privacy is normally regarded as personal information that is unrelated to others, or that a person is unwilling to reveal. Information such as person’s religion, belief, hobbies, sexual orientation or personal activities may cause discrimination or embarrassment if they are unfavorably disclosed. People may lack a sense of safety in society where privacy cannot be properly protected.
二十年前，我移民国外，当时感受最深的一点，是对于他人私人空间的尊重。譬如，排队时在人与人之间留够了距离，不像在中国时“贴”得那么紧。又如，对于他人的私人信息绝不打听，而中国人则视之为对于他人关心的细致入微。
One thing that impressed me most in a country where I emigrated twenty years ago was the personal space people left for others. For example, when people are queuing up they keep quite a distance from one another, unlike the Chinese always jostling each other. Concern for others’ personal information is traditionally a way the Chinese care for others, but in a western country can be regarded as instructive.
一般公认的最基本的隐私信息，例如：政治信息、财务信息、医疗信息、家庭信息等等，都应具有相应的保护措施，甚至是法律。
Essential personal information may include a personal’s political affiliation, financial status, medical conditions, family affairs and so on. These ought to be appropriately protected, even by law.
只有具有相当道德的人，才会认同和尊重他人的隐私；而每人如此设身处地，自己的隐私才会得到尊重。这样的人达到一定的数量，才能形成气候和文化，那便是公德。让每个人的隐私都得到认可和尊重，是构成社会安定、和谐的重要因素。可见，“隐私”绝不是一个简单的私人概念，而是一个社会文明程度的标志。
A moral person should recognize and respect others’ privacy, and deserve the same treatment. Social ethics and a healthy culture are thus formed when moral people are evident. Respecting individuals’ privacy is an integral part of a stable and harmonious society. In a way, privacy shouldn’t be simply viewed as a personal concept at all; rather, it indicates how civilized a society is.
（林巍 译）
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