The old, the poor, the disabled and others in need of various life support services must usually barter away their privacy in exchange for these services. The bartering typically revolves around the disclosure of certain personal information such as money, personality and/or the body. Since privacy connotes possession which can take on the equivalence of time, space and/or property, the question of disclosure should logically center around a choice--is the good exchanged worth the good received? When a person has a real choice the disclosures about the self are made voluntarily and it can be viewed essentially as a quid pro quo arrangement. The crucial factor seems to be choice and not the objective content of the information. For instance, when an individual applies for a Diner's Club card there is perhaps as much personal information required in terms of revealing money matters as an application for public assistance. The difference is the person applying for the credit card has more of a real choice to take it or leave it than does the person who makes application for a nursing home. In the former case what is involved is a matter of convenience, in the latter case it could mean sheer survival.