We often think of privacy and discoverability as opposing forces online. A conversation is either public and searchable by anyone, or locked away in a private chat, invisible to others. But in our everyday lives, privacy works in more nuanced ways. Think of a coffee shop - you may have deep conversations at a small table, but still overhear snippets from nearby that might be interesting. Or consider a conference, where people share ideas publicly, but the most valuable connections often happen in the sidelines, between talks.
Contextual Privacy
Recognizing this real-world complexity, we're developing a concept called contextual privacy—essentially, contextual discovery. It breaks down the outdated binary of "public versus private," instead mirroring the way privacy works in our everyday lives.
How It Works
Stage 1 - Composable Privacy: With LLMs, users can now compose their context, giving them full control over what to discover. We're applying the same principle to privacy. Imagine being able to specify when you want to be discoverable.
Stage 2 - Contextual Discovery: Now imagine delegating this capability to agents. Picture every conversation as private, but with agents making it visible only to relevant people. Each message and interaction becomes a privacy setting, enabling constant negotiation and adjustment of privacy boundaries. This way, interactions are social but still contextually private, just like in real life. This dynamic approach allows for a more natural flow of information and connection.
Implicit Trust Mechanisms
We've finally broken the binary privacy concept of the web, enabling interactions that blur the lines between public and private. Your unfinished thoughts are discoverable, and relevant strangers are joining your conversations. This new mode initially feels strange, not knowing for whom it will be visible, but you control it. Some boundaries are more permeable, allowing more information to pass through. Similar to hotel bars: public, but mostly relevant people come.
A new social paradigm, blending privacy with discovery
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A More Human Web Experience
By integrating these elements, we are creating a contextual environment that closely mirrors the complexities and dynamics of real-life social interactions, ensuring that privacy and discoverability coexist together, leading a more secure, personalized, and intuitive web experience.
One might see it as the perfect filter bubble, while another might view it as a breakthrough in personalized interactions. We are deeply curious about your perspective on its value compared to the current paradigm and how you think it will change the way we interact online.
