Privacy or freedom of speech; my preference.

Choosing between the right to freedom of speech and the right to privacy is a hard nut to crack. I cherish both very well.

For many reasons, the right to privacy is difficult to be done away with. Our safety to an extent depends on how we manage our privacy. There are some things kept private by an individual and when made public, it poses danger on many fronts. Imagine having some information about yourself like access to your accounts and wallets to the full glare of the public, that's very dangerous.

Some enemies need some private information about you to strike and once they get this information, your safety isn't guaranteed. I had an experience in this regard during my undergraduate days. I was involved in campus politics and there was a particular election in which I served as the chairman of the electoral committee. Some of the candidates tried to bribe me in order to favorably influence the process for them but I refused. It graduated from bribery offers to threats. At the heat of it, my instinct told me to stay off my residence for some time. On my second day at an undisclosed friend's house, a report came in that some guys forced themselves into my apartment to attack me. Unfortunately for them I was smarter. That experience proved to me the importance of the right to privacy.

Without the right to privacy, I don't think anyone can survive in the smallest position of leadership.

It was reported that Murtala Muhammed, former Nigerian head of state was killed because he relaxed his security arrangements by choosing to queue in traffic in order to preach adherence to due process. It cost him his life as he was killed while on his way to work.

Privacy of a leader in all ramifications is important especially in this part of the world to protect the life of the leader.

I have read about how some people disclosed their locations for fun and lost their lives as a result. The right to privacy is important.

On the other hand, no society can flourish without the right to freedom of speech. Human nature welcomes commendation more than criticisms mostly.

When someone has power within his coffer, he may likely misuse it if the people lack the freedom to question or criticize some of his actions.

In a society where there is no freedom of speech, justice evades such society. This is recognized by the people that make our laws and that is why the people fought for the right to freedom of speech to be incorporated in our laws and constitution.

When Nigeria was under military rule, for example, there wasn't freedom of speech. You either accept every action of the government or you remain quiet. It got to a point that you may be forced to talk and if you must talk, you have one option if you love yourself and the option is to affirm the actions of the government. Many Nigerians ran away and sought asylum elsewhere at the peak of military dictatorship. People were killed for having the guts to question inhumane policies of the government.

The lack of freedom of speech thereof was responsible for the effort some citizens put in place to make sure that democracy was restored.

Lack of freedom of speech makes the citizens of a country live as slaves. I read of a case of suppression of freedom of speech that happened in Burkina Faso recently. A Medical Doctor criticized the military leadership of the country for failing to put the insecurity in the country under control. He was arrested and handed a rifle to go to the battle front with the insurgents in the country. He was being handled that way because he wasn't expected to complain even if all his family members were wiped away by insecurity. This is a good example of how the people suffer in the absence of freedom of speech.

On a personal note, I can be depressed if I am forced not to talk where I am supposed to. I want to own my voice and opinion. This is one of the major reasons that attracted me to hive blockchain in the first place. The freedom of a user to express himself without the fear of censorship from a centralized authority. I faced a lot of such suppression of freedom of speech in web2 platforms.

Beyond myself as an individual, I see the lack of freedom of speech as a threat to the existence of the people in the society. If you don't have the freedom to say things the way you see them or to talk about the ills of the society or how things can be done better, then one is living the life of a prisoner.

---

Whereas the lack of the right to privacy poses danger to an individual, the lack of the right to freedom of speech poses a greater threat to the generality of the people.

Consequently, if I am to jettison one, I would do away with the right to privacy, though painful and embrace the right to freedom of speech.

Thank you for your time and anticipated comments.