This seminar explores the historical origins and philosophical underpinnings of the right to privacy with an emphasis on how the meaning, scope, and value of the concept have evolved with the emergence of new technologies. Privacy has historical origins in well-known philosophical works, such as Aristotle’s distinction between the public and private spheres, as well as in sociological and anthropological discussions about how its value varies across cultures. Today there is renewed interest in the concept due to recent advances in computing and information technologies that are able to track and collect information about people on a more granular level than ever before, thereby threatening our privacy in new ways. Yet, there remains much confusion and disagreement over what exactly the right to privacy is, what it should protect, and why we should value it.