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Lawrence Cappello is an award-winning professor of U.S. legal & constitutional history at the University of Alabama and a graduate of New York City Public Schools. He is the author of None of Your Damn Business: Privacy in the United States from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age (University of Chicago Press) and a certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US & CIPM). His work on the right to privacy has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The Economist, The Hill, and other media outlets. Whats the big idea? In an age of constant connectivity, privacy can feel like a thing of the pastbut award-winning professor Lawrence Cappello makes a compelling case for why it still matters. With 20 sharp, practical lessons, On Privacy explores how privacy protects free societies, enhances personal well-being, and is worth defending. Designed for those who want to stay connected without sacrificing their personal space, it offers clear, actionable steps to safeguard privacy in everyday life. Concise, practical, and no-nonsense, On Privacy is a must-read guide to reclaiming control in the digital age. Below, Lawrence shares five key insights from his new book, On Privacy: Twenty Lessons to Live By. Listen to the audio versionread by Lawrence himselfin the Next Big Idea App. 1. Why privacy matters. There are parts of your life that are simply nobody elses business. Thats not paranoiathats just being human. It doesnt matter if youre liberal or conservative, rich or pooreveryone, on a fundamental level, has a desire to keep certain aspects of their life private. Privacy is essential for human dignity. Privacy acts as a shield against people who would take snippets of information out of context to attack our reputations or manipulate us for their own personal benefit. And in the internet age, this is happening a lot more often. Privacy also creates space for intimacy. We share our secrets with the people we love and trust. Its a crucial building block for establishing the trust needed to forge and maintain deep bonds with our friends and loved ones. For many of us, these bonds are the very best part of being alive. And it keeps us from being prisoners of our recorded past. A mistake you made at 16 shouldnt define you at 40. But without privacy, our worst moments follow us forever. It also protects our mental health. Everyone needs time alone to think, to recharge, to just be. Without privacy, we never get a break from the noise Most importantly, privacy is a precondition for freedom. Tyrants invade privacy to accumulate power, suppress dissent, and control their citizens. If a society calls itself free, it must protect privacybecause without it, freedom is just an illusion. 2. How to respond when someone says: If youre not doing anything wrong, you should have nothing to hide. Youve heard it before: If youre not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to hide. That argument sounds reasonableuntil you think about it for more than five seconds. People have been throwing this line around since the time of the Caesars, and it was just as stupid then as it is now. When you look at it closely, you realize this argument is just another way of saying that all secrets are bad. That privacy is only for criminals or people doing something sinful. But thats nonsense. Secrets arent sinful. We all have secrets, and theyre not just normaltheyre essential. The secrets between romantic partners or close friends build trust and intimacy. The secrets between doctors and patients create a space where people can be honest about their health and their fears. The secrets between business associates protect innovation and keep creative ideas from being stolen. Secrets arent sinful. And really, how interesting can you really be if you dont have any secrets? The problem is that all of our personal information today exists in snippets. And when taken out of context, these snippets can be twisted, misinterpreted, or weaponized against us. In the Internet Age, this happens constantly. People make snap judgments. Bad actors manipulate narratives. Reputation-damaging leaks happen in seconds. So, no, its not about hiding anything. Its about controlling how were seen and making sure our private lives arent distorted or exploited by people who dont have our best interests at heart. 3. Three quick ways you can protect your privacy right now. Cover your webcam. It sounds paranoiduntil you realize that hackers can and do hijack webcams all the time. A simple slide cover or even a piece of tape blocks prying eyes. They cost about three dollars. Think about some of the more intimate things you do in front of your laptop. Now, think about the things your kids, your partner, or your loved ones might also do. Do you want a stranger in a position to record that? I dont know one person who works in tech that doesnt have a slide over their laptopand you should, too. Use old-school passcodes for your phone, not FaceID or fingerprints. A six-digit passcode for your phone might feel old-school, but its still one of the most effective ways to keep your data locked down. Biometric security like FaceID and fingerprints may feel futuristic, but theyre getting easier to hack. Nobody can hack your brain. You can be forced, legally or physically, to unlock your phone with your face or fingerprint. Its way harder to make you spit out your passcode. Open your phone and check your app permissions. Right now, theres a good chance some app on your phone has access to your microphone or camera, even if it doesnt need it. Some apps default to always listening, always tracking. Take two minutes to check your settings and shut off unnecessary access. Youll be shocked at whats running in the background. None of these are drastic steps. Theyre low effort, high reward ways to instantly boost your privacy. 4. If you want change, make privacy profitable. In America, money talks. We need to show companies that they can get rich by protecting privacy. The good news is that this is already happening. Have you seen an Apple commercial in the last couple of years? They built a whole ad campaign around the slogan PRIVACYTHATS IPHONE. Google, as well, runs ads for privacy all the time. Have you been on a subway or bus in a major metro area lately? Clever ads for VPNs are everywhere. Did you know that the fastest-growing company in America in 2020 was a firm that helps businesses build privacy plans? Privacy is now a commodity, and the market is responding. Privacy-first productsVPNs, encrypted messaging apps,password managersare booming. Did you know that the fastest-growing company in America in 2020 was a firm that helps businesses build privacy plans? Why? Because consumers are demanding it. So many privacy invasions revolve around money. If we want real, lasting change, we need to make privacy profitable. That means spending money on privacy-first products and calling out companies that exploit data, because bad press affects the bottom line. If you want companies to care about privacy, make it worth their while. If youre betting on Congress to fix this, youll be waiting quite a while. 5. Privacy isnt dead. People say all the time that privacy is deadand to those people, I say go hand your unlocked phone to a stranger for five minutes and try not to have a panic attack. If privacy were truly dead, cybersecurity wouldnt be a trillion-dollar industry. Companies spend fortunes protecting their data. Governments guard their secrets. Even the people who claim they dont care about privacy still use passcodes, delete messages, and think twice before posting certain things online. Ive never met anybody who wants their text messages exposed to the public. Or their emails. Or their search history. The truth of it is that we have way less privacy than we used to, and people are exhausted. Theyve been told privacy is dead for so long that they no longer know what to fight for. Ive never met anybody who wants their text messages exposed to the public. So, lets get real about it. Instead of making privacy some impossible, all-or-nothing battle, we need to cut through the noise and focus on what kinds of privacy actually matter to peoplewhat they instinctively protect in their daily lives. And because this issue has become so tangled, the last thing we need is academic jargon or overcomplication (and I say this as a professor). What people need are clear, practical solutions. The first step to protecting privacy is being able to explain why it matters in a way anyone can understand. Thats what this very short book isa practical guide, written in plain-spoken language, that cuts through the complexity. So, if youve ever felt overwhelmed by privacy debates or know someone who has, On Privacy was written with you in mind. Lets start having smarter, saner conversations about privacybecause its not dead. Privacy matters. And it is worth protecting. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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It’s fair to assume that most of us can relate to the famous saying, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” This is just the second half of one of Benjamin Franklins last great nuggets of wisdom, but more on that to come. As Franklin would likely have reminded you, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, is the last day to file your federal income taxes for 2024. With everything going on at Elon Musks so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), including reported layoffs at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), it might be tempting to try and fly under the radar this year and not file your taxes, hoping to dodge an audit. However, even with all the cuts in government jobs, this life decision will have consequences. Heres a deeper look at Franklins words, an overview on potential IRS job cuts, and what could happen if you dont file by the April 15 deadline. Some of Benjamin Franklins last words What the average Joe might not know is that Franklin’s proverb was first penned in November 1789 in a letter to French scientist Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, according to the National Constitution Center. It became public knowledge in 1817 when it was translated from French and printed as part of a larger collection of Franklins private correspondence. The reason for the letter was twofold. Franklin wanted to check up on his old friend because he hadnt heard from him since the start of the French Revolution. He also updated Le Roy on America’s beginnings. The full quote reveals Franklins cautious optimism for the new country he helped create. Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes, he wrote. He went on to discuss his own well-being. My health continues much as it has been for some time, except that I grow thinner and weaker so that I cannot expect to hold out much longer. Franklins words turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts as he died just five months later on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia. How DOGE cuts will affect the IRS Since Franklin valued the checks and balances found in the constitution and spoke out against authoritarianism, it is fair to say that he might have concerns about some of the Trump administrations actions. Its likely he would have agreed with Theodore Chuang, a U.S. District Court judge for the District of Maryland, who claims that Musks leadership position is unconstitutional, as Inc. reported. According to Chuang, Musks position violates Article II, Section 2 of the constitution, otherwise known as the appointments clause, because he has not been properly appointed by the president and approved by the Senate. For now, Trump and Musk plan to continue their cuts. In March, CNN reported on a leaked email from DOGE that called for a 20% reduction of the IRS, which would put 18,200 individuals out of a job. According to the nonpartisan Budget Lab at Yale University, although this would save $1.4 billion in 2026, it would ultimately cost the federal government $6.8 billion in lost tax revenue. If there are fewer people to collect taxes, fewer people pay. So what if I don’t file my 2024 taxes? Just because the IRS is laying off workers, that doesnt mean you should blow off your taxes. They help fund everything from roads to education to defense of our country. If you miss the April 15 deadline and you owe, you could be slapped with interest and fees. The amount would depend on just how late you are and how much you owe. The IRS has a breakdown of failure-to-pay penalties on its website. If you owe the federal government money, the failure-to-file penalty is around 5% of the unpaid taxes due each month until you hit the 25% maximum. After 60 days, you will be charged $485, or 100% of the tax due, whichever figure is less. If you dont pay on time, there is an additional penalty of 0.5% of the unpaid taxes for each month. You are able to appeal penalties if you can prove that you missed the deadline due to a reasonable cause. These include serious illness, natural disasters, death in the family, and more. Typically, the IRS does not accept an incompetent tax professional or absence of funds excuses. I don’t owe any taxes. Do I still have to file? If you are due a refund but have not filed your taxes, you wont face penalty fees. However, you also wont receive your refund if you dont file within three years. For context, the ultimate deadline to file for 2024 tax refunds is April 15, 2028. If you dont file by then, Uncle Sam will keep your money. How do I avoid fees and interest? If you havent filed your taxes yet, you have until April 15 to file an extension. Use Form 4868 to give yourself the gift of more time. Its important to note, though, that even with this extension, you still need to pay your estimated taxes to prevent pesky penalties and inconvenient interest charges.
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E-Commerce
As the federal government moves to eliminate U.S. climate rules, companies still face pressure to be better stewards of the planet from their customers, investors, employees, local communities, lenders, insurers, global trading partners and many states. Each of those groups knows it will face increasing costs from rising temperatures and extreme weather if corporations dont rein in their greenhouse gas emissions. Many companies will find that returning to past polluting ways isnt in their best interest. Over 60% of chief financial officers surveyed by global management firm Kearney in December 2024 signaled that they intended to invest at least 2% of their revenue in sustainability in 2025. These companies may maintain a low profile about climate change while the Trump administration is in power, but they have strong financial incentives to continue to reduce their emissions and their own climate risks. We study private environmental governance the ways companies and organizations work outside government to improve the nations sustainability and reduce environmental damage. Our work finds that, in this polarized era, addressing climate and sustainability challenges is not just a matter of government action. Thats because a lot of climate and sustainability progress is underway in the private sector. Sustainability matters to companies bottom lines Businesses have used climate and sustainability initiatives for years to make their operations and supply chains more efficient and to reduce their long-term costs. When McDonalds faced public pressure to reduce waste in the late 1980s, the company teamed up with the Environmental Defense Fund to analyze the problem. It was able to reduce its waste by 30% over the following decade, saving the company US$6 million a year. This early risk-taking by McDonalds opened the door for other environmental groups to help businesses understand how to reduce their environmental impact, including emissions, while boosting the companies profitability. Maersk, the logistics giant responsible for nearly a quarter of global shipping, has responded to pressure from its corporate customers with a plan to reduce carbon emissions by one-third from 2022 to 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2045. It expects the combination of low-emissions vessels and a more efficient delivery network with hubs and shuttles to help meet its climate goals while increasing productivity. Companies have also helped drive the expansion of renewable energy, motivated by the competitive economics of renewables and business opportunities. Facebooks parent company Meta and Google invested nearly $2 billion in projects to provide renewable energy in the Tennessee Valley Authority service area, even though no government required them to do so. And major companies continued signing renewable energy power purchase agreements in 2025. Microsoft and Amazon are responding to massive new power demand by trying to locate data centers near existing nuclear power plants for cleaner energy supplies. Thousands of companies report emissions via private systems Another sign of companies continuing commitment to sustainability is how many of them measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions even when governments do not require them to do so. Nearly 25,000 companies representing two-thirds of total global market capitalization and 85% of the S&P 500 report their emissions to the nonprofit CDP. Disclosing emissions is like keeping a fitness journal with a personal trainer. It helps a company track its progress and plan for future financial and environmental risks. More than 12,500 small- and medium-size companies also dislosed emissions to CDP in 2024. Many of these companies were initially motivated by pressure from environmental groups or corporate customers. Today, they have more reason to continue paying attention to emissions. California has its own formal reporting requirements designed to encourage companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. And other states are considering setting climate disclosure rules. The Trump administration has promised to challenge them, and announced that it also plans to cut federal greenhouse gas reporting standards, but companies will likely still face reporting rules in the future. The European Union also has reporting requirements. It delayed their start date in April 2025 to give companies more time to comply. Cleaner supply chains can also be more efficient Managing supply chains with climate and environmental risks in mind can also help businesses increase their efficiency and reduce the risk that climate change will disrupt their operations. The supply chain is the largest source of the average companys emissions and may be particularly vulnerable to climate shocks. A storm can easily disrupt vital production or shipping, and droughts or heat waves can damage crops, stop work and increase costs. Companies estimate climate-related supply chain risks at $162 billion, nearly three times the cost of mitigating those risks. Many companies therefore have incentives to reduce emissions and their exposure to related hazards. Nearly 80% of the largest companies across seven global economic sectors had set environmental requirements for suppliers within their value chains as of 2023. These requirements include reporting carbon emissions, reducing emissions and using sustainable forestry practices. Walmart eliminated 1 billion tons of carbon emissions from its supply chain in less than seven years by sharing its expertise with suppliers and working with them to reduce their emissions. Walmarts global director of sustainable retail noted in 2024 that the effort made its suppliers more efficient, too. Keeping employees and customers happy Companies also face pressure from average people both employees and customers. More than two-thirds of Americans support action to address climate change. Even companies that are not consumer-facing need retail customer and employee support. Pro-climate actions have been found to improve employee and customer loyalty. The outdoor clothing company Patagonia ranked third out of over 300 brands in a 2024 customer experience survey, in part because of its reputation for sustainable practices. Many of the over 10,000 respondents cited the companys sustainable practices as the leading reason for their support. Many companies also face pressure from lenders and insurers who want to reduce climate risks to their own bottom lines. Dozens of insurers have committed to ending or restricting underwriting for new fossil fuel projects. Others use incentives, such as lower premiums for companies that reduce emissions or invest in climate adaptation. Climate change may accelerate the current 5% to 7% annual increase in insured losses, according to estimates from insurer Swiss Re. That has led some insurance leaders to recommend insurance companies take bigger steps to reduce emissions through their investments and policy underwriting. Private climate governance can help buy time Media attention and interest group advocacy is often focused on government actions, but decisions made in boardrooms and through initiatives with nonprofits have created an important kind of private climate governance. As companies respond to their own economic risks and incentives, they help buy time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change until the political system recognizes the financial risks posed to the entire country. Ethan I. Thorpe is a fellow at the Private Climate Governance Lab at Vanderbilt University. Michael Vandenbergh is a professor of law and co-director of the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program at Vanderbilt University. Zdravka Tzankova is an associate professor of the practice in climate & environmental studies at Vanderbilt University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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