Definition
Plain language
The idea that information is private not by being secret but by belonging in one context rather than another.
As stated in the literature
Helen Nissenbaum's framework defining privacy as the appropriate flow of information across contextual norms; invoked when AI agents move data across context boundaries without consent.
Why it matters: It reframes AI privacy risks around inappropriate flow between contexts, which captures many of the leaks agents cause that simple secrecy rules miss.
For example, sharing your medical history with your doctor is fine, but having an AI assistant paste it into a calendar invite to your boss violates contextual integrity even though the data wasn't strictly 'secret.'
Heard on the show
“And the contextual integrity question — was it appropriate to take this person's resume from the proxy and email them?”Episode 061 — When Helpful Agents Go Sideways: A 404 Error, Campus Security, and Why Alignment Misses This