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I am currently working on a fictitious legal system and am now looking for a single word describing a breach of privacy, in the sense of a home invasion but also, if possible, indecent exposure (as in a breach of one's own privacy).

I could (unsurprisingly) not find a legal term that fits.

It would be ideal if it were a noun so it could be placed in the following context:

The accused committed an act of _____

I am aware of the fact that a fictitious system would allow for any word, but am curious to hear you response.

Any and all suggestions would be welcome and I hope you enjoy the challenge.

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    Maybe trespassing!
    – Eilia
    Dec 17, 2018 at 19:58
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    Privacy and modesty can both be compromised
    – Jim
    Dec 17, 2018 at 21:00
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    The word deprivacy, normally still found in quotes as a nonce word, nevertheless has quite a healthy usage history. "15:15 – 16:00 Carl Mitcham, Colorado School of Mines - Privacy vs deprivacy: The shifting social values of public exposures
    – Phil Sweet
    Dec 18, 2018 at 4:50
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    The same comment can applied to this question as to the OP's earlier one: if one is creating a fictional legal system, one can create its terminology however one pleases. There cannot be a definite, authoritative answer to this question, as there is no established legal terminology for a legal system that does not exist. If the question is asking for help in creating it, then it belongs to the domain of fiction writing, not of exploring the existing usage of English language.
    – jsw29
    Dec 18, 2018 at 16:46
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    The problem is not with the fictional context. The problem is that SE is collecting definitive answers to questions about the English language. That is, we're writing the English FAQ. As written, this is not an FAQ. It's a request for ideas or suggestions. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with such questions, but they're not a good fit for what we're doing here.
    – MetaEd
    Dec 21, 2018 at 0:08

2 Answers 2

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Here are a few words that mean breach of privacy:

Contravention

An action which offends against a law, treaty, or other ruling.

Encroachment

Intrusion on a person's territory, rights, etc.

Infraction

A violation or infringement of a law or agreement.

Infringement

The action of breaking the terms of a law, agreement, etc.; violation.

Offense

A breach of a law or rule; an illegal act.

Transgression

An act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offence.

And obviously violation, but it has been mentioned before. My best picks from this list are Contravention, Infringement and Infraction, because (I think, at least) are the closest in meaning to 'breach of privacy'.

Hacking the system is an infringement of our privacy.

All definitions taken from Oxford Dictionaries.

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  • Some very nice suggestions! It would be nice if you could add the definitions under the individual word, just so it's immediately clear.
    – A Lambent Eye
    Dec 17, 2018 at 19:21
  • Sure! Editing right now.
    – Lordology
    Dec 17, 2018 at 19:31
  • There you go! Done
    – Lordology
    Dec 17, 2018 at 19:36
  • A beauty to the eyes...
    – A Lambent Eye
    Dec 17, 2018 at 19:37
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    Just FYI, the dictionary you got the definitions from is "Oxford Dictionaries", not "the Oxford English Dictionary" (which is a completely different dictionary). Please see here if you need more info on what I'm talking about.
    – Laurel ♦
    Dec 18, 2018 at 3:11
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The word Violation seems appropriate but several others might do.

The accused committed a violation of decency by exposing himself. The plaintiffs rights/privacy was violated by the accused.

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  • I agree, but couldn't a violation be more-or-less anything illegal, as in a violation of the law?
    – A Lambent Eye
    Dec 17, 2018 at 18:56
  • Yes, violation is used for any illegal (or perceived illegal) action. I'm trying to think of one word choices per the request. An Offence would be such a single word.
    – Elliot
    Dec 17, 2018 at 19:07

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