Protecting Yourself

Used to be that privacy was about safeguarding personal space -- keeping voyeurs and eavesdroppers at bay. Today, says Larry Ponemon of privacy think tank Ponemon Institute, it's also about staying out of the clutches of social media companies such as Google and Facebook.

Bloomberg Rankings investigated the cost of privacy for a gadget-equipped married couple with two children. Prices are for a family living in a 4,000-square-foot home, with a pool, in a well-to-do northern suburb of Atlanta.

Note: Data providers are on the final slide. Brand mentions are not endorsements; many expenses are not recurring.