Mal Fletcher comments on the value of privacy

Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire founder of Facebook, famously said, 'Privacy is dead - get over it.' His statement sounds shocking to many, yet it reflects the mindset of many of his peers and, perhaps more so, the next generation.

The younger end of the Millennial generation and the generation following them (Gen Z?) both appear more relaxed than older cohorts when it comes to yielding personal information online. In the process, they often overlook the fact that strangers can access this information.

They also forget that what goes digital usually stays digital - either because we simply forget to remove it or, more often, because you can't completely expunge a digital echo.

Many people, including the not-so-young, frequently upload personal data which they might later find embarrassing - or even damaging to their job prospects. In doing so, they also unwittingly open themselves to very personalised and intrusive online advertising.

When it comes to the young, this taste for risk may seem predictable, given their natural urge to explore lifestyle options and to develop identity beyond a role in the immediate family.

The internet promises attractive opportunities for mass collaboration and a buy-in to tribes beyond the front door.

Though it carries benefits, digital identity also carries a sometimes heavy price tag.

For example, cyber-bullying is a growing problem in this country, as is the ease of access to pornography among children.

In the UK, says the NSPCC, 38 percent of young people have been affected by cyber-bullying and 28 percent do not report the abuse, which often comes via emails and text messages.

According to Childline, its web and phone-based counselling service, cyber-bullying is particularly insidious because it circumvents the normal protections children might expect when they come home and close the front door. In the age of fully wired homes and 3G and 4G mobile technologies, cyber-bullies can seem ubiquitous.

Cyber-bullying can also involve more than one perpetrator, taking on a viral impact, as young copy-cats - who may not even know the victim - jump on the bandwagon. To make matters worse, cyber-bullies often hide their identities behind fake social networking avatars.

This is a growing problem in much of the developed world. According to a 2012 report by the US Department of Health and Human Services, 52 percent of American students have been cyber-bullied. Meanwhile, 25 percent of teens have been bullied repeatedly through their mobile phones or the internet.

The Nine television network in Australia announced in 2009 that 25 percent of the nation's children had experienced cyber-bullying. Meanwhile, 22 percent of parents of children aged 4-18 admitted that they had no control over their children's online activities.

Only one third of parents had internet monitoring in place.