> On the Art of Privacy and Writing Together
This is a reflection – a story, really – about the kind of relationships we’re trying to build, the shared spaces we want to create, and how we'll write and think together. All of it is grounded in the idea of privacy – not just in the surface-level, checkbox sense, but in the rich, nuanced, human sense. Because privacy is not simply public or private, nor does it fit within only three tidy categories. It mirrors the subtle dances of human interaction – the unspoken rituals, rules and fluid boundaries of what we share, how, and with whom.
In fact, there are as many forms of privacy as there are styles of conversation. Across cultures and communities, we recognise intricate etiquettes — soft customs and hard rules—that shape not only the substance of communication but the very frameworks of trust. And what we aspire to build are story-driven structures that honour and reflect those complexities.
These ideas emerge in the context of governance, political deliberation, transparency, and collective decision-making. We aim to design systems—legal and cultural—capable of navigating this terrain. And by ‘legal’, I mean something that stretches beyond current law: dynamic codes and systems, digital yet human, grounded in values and likely to become tomorrow’s law. These are structures shaped by stories—what constitutes a secret, an open secret, the public sphere, or transparency. They echo one another with what Wittgenstein would call “family resemblances”: familiar yet not identical.
So the work begins with gathering stories and perspectives—through dialogue, through reflection—and distilling them into something formal, something digital. We aim for institutions in code that are explainable, usable, and accessible, no matter where someone is in the world. Structures that are not only functional but emotionally and culturally intelligent.
Now, in practical terms, let's explore how this translates into our writing practice—a fundamental act of co-creation at the heart of what we’re doing in the Hitchhiker's project. We are using a set of tools, particularly federated wiki, and others that support structured, social writing. Tools that help small groups and global communities alike come together to produce evolving guides—living documents rooted in many perspectives. While federated wiki offers unique affordances for collaborative work, the goal is not to force everyone down one path. A Word doc might do just fine for some. What we are doing is creating the kind of collaborative architecture that makes something richer possible.
To frame this writing practice, we've identified four dimensions: Secret, Private, Open, and Public. Each dimension reflects a different kind of interaction, a different level of exposure and intent.
- Secret Writing – The Deepest Layer - Private Writing – Shared, But Only Among Us - Open Writing – In the World, But Tucked Away - Public Writing – Open and Proud - Flow Between Dimensions
There will be many other species of privacy and transparency too: indexed, syndicated, intentionally obfuscated, public yet encrypted. But these four — Secret, Private, Open, and Public — cover the major terrains that most people traverse. Those working with deeply personal material, risky ideas, or sensitive conversations need a truly Secret space. Those collaborating meaningfully in communities require Private space. People building quietly, hoping to be found by kindred spirits, flourish in the Open. And those issuing calls to action, making statements, creating visible shared knowledge—that’s what the Public sphere is for. And layered atop this spectrum is the philosophy guiding it all: working with strangers, writing together as citizens of a shared digital landscape, and allowing transparency and complexity to co-exist with intimacy and trust. That, in essence, is the story of our approach to privacy—and the structured writing practice that supports it.
# See also - Dimensions of Privacy - Art of Privacy