T
hese are leaky days indeed, and not merely in rain-battered Chennai, from where I write. In fact, it has become more than clear that if there is information you think should remain strictly private, you can expect someone totally unrelated to you to go public with it. Sensitive details of one’s life and wealth are no longer private. They are stolen and peddled because there is a huge market for gossip and titillation. In a world that is becoming increasingly risky and combative, any stick is good enough to put the other man down. An aggressive press, nosy neighbours, hounds, sleuths and busybodies of various colours have all become such an inextricable part of our lives that there seems no point in resisting investigation—or, for that matter, inquisitiveness. In essence, we need to protect ourselves by making a large allowance for someone snooping on whatever we do each living day. Our computers and telephones are particularly vulnerable. Deviance from time-worn norms of behaviour can be expensive, and it is indeed expedient for you to be honest. Some cynics would say ethics is only incidental.