And if privacy threatening technologies, human error and malicious predatory individuals (all of which are usually beyond our control) are not enough to strip us of who we are, let us give strangers the freedom to roam in our houses whilst we are abroad - roaming in their homes, exploring around their things and learning a thing or two (maybe more) about their lives, as they simultaneously learn about ours.

Perhaps our one safe place, where we are who we truly are, where our core identities hover, where children once looked upon as their own, is given away practically for "free" for a budget vacation - home exchange.

So what is home exchange? It is a fashionable and cheap way of holidaying where you exchange your home with another from a different area and agree to live in each other's homes during the period of your holiday. The database of available homes for exchange can be found on the website of a home exchange company.

Websites offering such services are filled with happy stories and wonderful testimonials of cheap holidays and free accomodation practically anywhere in the world. And another absolutely important reason for taking up this opportunity is the fact that you are immersed in the culture and lifestyle of your exchange partner.

All you need to do for this exchange:

• make contact,
• share enough about who you are and your family (including photos of your home),
• have a mutual agreement,
• cover your property with the necessary insurances,
• provide sufficient information about things to do/places to visit in your area,
• prepare your house (cleaning, tidying, preparing sheets, preparing your computer - perhaps changing your log in information and password?, cleaning up those cookies in your browser - all of which actually leads to giving someone a very good story about YOU)
• hide as much of your confidential and personal information such as bills, letters, ...)
• ... 
• Oh yes, and pay a very small membership fee to the home exchange company who is doing you the favour.

So how can one say no to such an offer with all the numerous benefits?

Well, apart from the time and expense actually spent (if you include spending your free/not so free-time on all the above before the trip and perhaps even getting an insurance coverage for something you would not have done if this did not come up), this is a chance of a lifetime.

Afterall, what is so bad about them knowing all about you and your family? The risk is minimal if you will know just as much about them right? There is no trump card held. It's all in good faith. A bond of trust formed between you and your exchange partner.

And any processing done purely in the course of personal or household activity is exempted from the law - hence, your exchange partner could say that whatever processing he did is within this exception. In addition, the Belgian data protection law acknowledges the data subject's free and informed consent to the processing of his personal information, which is the case before us isn't it?

All very good  - except when it comes to confidentiality and private life, even with the best of friends, and the closest of family, some things are better left guarded and unsaid. Food for thought?