Privacy, Security and Politics:Current Issues and Future Prospects

Overview Individual privacy and national security have been regarded as notions with a conflicting impact. As seen in the UK general election 2017, security has taken a prominent role on the Conservative Party agenda while public perceptions on privacy were split. This article reviews the election manifestos of three political parties on privacy and security. We use the pre-election YouGov survey of 2017 UK respondents to understand the views of the public by age groups and gender. While there is general support for legislation aimed at strengthening national security and crime prevention, such as the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, the younger segment of the UK population is increasingly concerned with the infringement of their privacy (both in traditional and online settings). These contrasting views may explain the outcome of the general election in 2017, and offer open questions for legislators