The right to privacy was analyzed by the President's Commission on Science and Technology in 1972 as follows:
Privacy is the right to live one's life in one's own way, to formulate and hold one's own beliefs and to express thoughts and share feelings without fear of observation publicly beyond that which one seeks or acquiesces in. The claim to privacy is fragile, but persistent; it is as subtle and powerful as the need for personal dignity; it is a fundamental aspect of individual freedom and worth.