There are a lot of people that get up in arms about privacy, asserting that personal freedoms are the most important things under the sun. And in America, those freedoms have stood against various assaults over centuries, so the point made is legitimate. But is there a much deeper implication to the depth of one’s need for privacy? How much crime has been covered up, or gotten away with, under the guise of privacy? With freedom comes responsibility, and yet more people than ever before seem to turn a blind eye to crimes that occur in their own neighborhoods. If criminal activity doesn’t involve someone directly, they are more likely, in the 21st century, to turn a blind eye to the activity than at seemingly any point in prior history.

And that, of course, is an extension of the idea of privacy. To ignore that which has occurred, or is occurring, right in one’s field of vision. To not get involved, to stay separate – these are all choices and decisions that are permissible when privacy rules the day. And that could be the downfall of a relatively safe and crime free neighborhood – that individuals begin to choose their own privacy over other concerns.

Sure, it’s a hassle to deal with police when a crime doesn’t involve oneself. But whether a crime happens down the street or via online methods – there are a host of new ways to engage in criminal activity now that the Internet is pervasive in people’s lives – it should still be important to step forward to stand against wrongdoing. Privacy should not be a banner to hide behind, causing laxity in the citizenry. Just as free ringtones shouldn’t cause one to change their phone’s sound twice a day every day for a year, privacy shouldn’t be a catch-all phrase that allows people to shirk their basic human duties.