A growing number of people argue that the notion of having a private life in which we carefully restrict what information we share with others may not be a good idea. And this is not just a fringe movement.

Each of us needs a personal privacy strategy governing what information we release and to whom. Rather than default to openness we should default to privacy, and then choose to share information where the benefits outweigh the dangers.

Even though the human condition requires connection, we also need to feel confident that we can be alone and unwatched when we want to be. It may seem an odd notion today, but initially the Internet was a favorite refuge for many seeking privacy.

Just as parents caution their children about the dangers of playing in the street or running with scissors, they must also educate and work with their children in developing personal privacy strategies.

The most powerful forces making the case for sharing personal information are not philosophers or media pundits -- they are social media companies and other corporations who have a lot to gain from our social norms about privacy changing.

If history is any guide, advances in privacy have tended to arise in the wake of widespread privacy abuses. Something similar may be happening today with data breaches and identity theft, as more and more people come to understand the pain and consequences of personal data misuse.

Here is my bottom line: By all means, be as open as you want online; but realize that with openness can come vulnerabilities, especially for your children.