I'm here to report that privacy is dead!

Privacy, at least the privacy that we currently understand is gone. But let's take a step back a hundred years or so. The house on the side of a mountain or down a country road was off the grid. It was "your privacy" and it was no one else's business. However, today you can find that obscure home with the click of a button. It's there in full "electronic" sight. And while some might get upset about this revealing reality, for most, it's just the world we live in today.

The key—to open our doors and minds—is electronic.

The vast interconnectivity of society is changing and is creating a more seamless environment where "the lock" is less important than the engagement and exchange. This connection is becoming the locking mechanism itself. Simply put, "your privacy" is transforming to "our privacy" and it's only just beginning. You might have heard a little bit about this—it's called the blockchain.

The blockchain is a digital ledger that tracks transactions. And this ledger doesn't reside with a third party but is shared and continually updated. From finance (think cryptocurrency) to the lock on your front door, the electronic ledger is the new privacy game in town. But it's privacy that is both strong and transparent that gives rise to the destruction of the old paradigm. 

But there's someone else knocking on your door. Well, maybe they're actually not knocking but coming right in. It's Amazon Key. It's an interesting service that allows an Amazon delivery person access to your house for deliveries. The system combines an electronic key with a camera to allow and track access. If you can hear past the screaming of privacy intrusion, you'll begin to hear what's really happening. The walls of privacy are falling and giving way to a new context of privacy that springs forth from technology. Amazon Key will pave the way for the delivery of fresh food (oh dear, they're in my fridge now!) to other potentially perishables like drugs. Amazon is establishing a reciprocal transaction where both parties engage and track. That's the new privacy!

So, maybe it's best to let privacy rest in peace, or perhaps rest in privacy. But the "key" here is to recognize that yesterday's standards of privacy need to be revised by the emerging new standards of communication, commerce, and technology. As we move into a broader level of connectivity, we will find that privacy itself will take on a new form, established around connections—trusted connections—and not walls.