Privacy is about having the personal liberty to choose, or not choose, who you share what information with.

Absolutely. Privacy is a fundamental human right. No one else should be able to choose to whom I disclose information about myself or when I choose to do so. Losing that right makes us all susceptible to the biases, whims, and agendas of those who wish to collect, (mis)interpret, and manipulate information about us:

We used to live in a world where privacy only worried celebrities. Now, we live in a world filled with questionnaires, application forms, and silicon gadgets — from credit-card readers to personal computers — that leave electronic tracks. ...

[And organizations ha]ve mistaken data for people and statistics for character. As a result, they've created a world where people should be worrying about what their credit cards might say about them or whether a phone call or E-mail message could be misinterpreted by a bureaucrat or a piece of software.

But organizations have no inherent right to data about us. Their "mining" of electronic networks, for browsing habits and communication patterns, is invasive. Their forms, which require us to divulge information to them that they have no reasonable use for, are obnoxious. Their habit of keeping, even relevant, information about us much longer than is necessary for them to do their jobs is irresponsible. Their notion that information about us is some sort of commodity, which they can sell and trade to each other, is contemptible. And their willingness to let statistics tell them who we "really" are, and what we are liable to do, is dangerous.

And people who are only worried about the government are being naive. Employers, landlords, bankers, and schools are all making assumptions about you from this data too.