As I fight, once again, with Facebook to maintain the privacy settings I so carefully put in place, I began to think about privacy itself. While I understand the Facebook is free and as such has no legal obligation to honor my privacy settings, I feel like a fool today for having believed that using the privacy settings had any effect.

That was just stupid on my part. But it did create feelings of anger within me. So let’s explore my privacy issues.

Privacy

Dictionary.com defines privacy as:

1) the state of being private; retirement or seclusion; 2) the state of being free from intrusion or disturbance in one’s private life or affairs; and 3) secrecy.

We seek “retirement” and “seclusion” for many reasons. Some seek seclusion because they are doing things they don’t want others to see, maybe illegal things or maybe just unseemly or unpopular things. Some seek seclusion simply because they enjoy silence and solitude.

“Free from intrusion or disturbance” also has various levels. While most of us would agree that intrusion from enemy combatants is unwelcome, we vary in our desire for unexpected company to drop by on a Monday night. For some this is pleasurable, for others, an intrusion of privacy.

The third definition, “secrecy,” has a very different connotation, to me. It involves harboring some knowledge that will create harm or distress if others know of it. I personally believe privacy and secrecy to be slightly different.

So which signs of the zodiac are private, secretive and dislike “intrusion?”

The Most Secretive Sign

Traditionally, the most secretive sign of the zodiac is Scorpio. Why is Scorpio so secretive?

As a water sign, Scorpio is sensitive. Don’t be fooled by your Scorpio friends – because they have awesome insight into others, they are brilliant and strategic in their responses. But that doesn’t mean they are not sensitive.

Scorpio sensitivity, I believe, leads to another trait known to Scorpio – revenge. If we didn’t hurt deeply, would we want revenge?

When someone bumps into you on the bus, you don’t seek revenge. It’s when someone violates trust that you (may) harbor thoughts of how you can hurt back. The ability to let go is not part of Scorpio DNA so obsession can feed on itself leading to the acting out of revenge.

Because of that sensitive nature that will torture itself with obsessive thoughts, Scorpio is probably wise to seek privacy. Scorpio normally shares with only the most trusted. I haven’t asked Scorpio friends for a count, but I’m guessing those that learn Scorpio secrets can be counted on one hand.

By the way, I think we all have secrets. Non-Scorpios may treat their secrets like love letters that are right up there in the attic at the bottom of a box but that no one will ever bother to sift through. Or they may put their “secrets” on the mantle and talk about them all the time.

Scorpio puts its secrets in a safe, a one-ton safe, that also has a secure lock. Because of that, people may be piqued by the secrets because of the intense security that surrounds them.

Other Secretive Signs

As with Scorpio, the other two water signs (Cancer and Pisces) may also become secretive due to a sensitive nature. Cancer, however, would share openly with family. Pisces, on the other hand, may openly share but you need to check that what Pisces shares is truly the bottom level or somewhere higher.

There are two earth signs that are also secretive but possibly for different reasons that water signs – Taurus and Capricorn.

Taurus, the fixed earth sign, is simply not expressive and may not have the need that other signs have to reveal secrets or share all activities since the last time we spoke. There is an internal centeredness to Taurus that precludes the need to involve everyone in its business.

Taurus secretiveness, to me, is merely natural discretion. In today’s world of autobiographies written by 20 year olds, I applaud Taurean discretion. I’d start a Taurus discretion movement, but may have trouble motivating the methodically discreet Taurus to rise to the occasion.

Capricorn secretiveness stems from Capricorn need for control. Yours truly was having a fit of anger at Facebook for sending friend requests to individuals that I did not deliberately friend. Some of those friend acceptances create awkward and unusual situations – i.e., a “lack of control” type situation.

Facebook Privacy

While Facebook made me feel a lack of control, I stepped away from the site to regain my self-control.

My initial response was to exit Facebook entirely, but then I would no longer see pictures of my friends’ children and events as this is currently the only way many friends communicate this type of information. If I leave Facebook, I’m effectively leaving the village in self-banishment.

The creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, is a Taurus sun and Scorpio moon – both secretive signs. One way to keep one’s own secrets is to hold those of others (see J. Edgar Hoover – the Power of Secrets) as collateral.

While I don’t consider my postings or others to be “secrets,” allowing others into a profile, no matter how innocuous, is like Google allowing others to read my email (which could happen).

When I began studying Chinese long ago, I was told that ancient Chinese had no word for “privacy.” Possibly soon in English there will also be no such word.