It would be an intrusion or invasion of their privacy if any one or more of the other N - 1 people, say by means of a hidden microphone, somehow acquired the information they shared between themselves. Privacy is often discussed in these terms. Conditions of intimacy do not always involve the symmetric exchange of personal information. Some very important relationships are asymmetrical. Personal information is shared in these relationships mostly one way between two people.
Relationships involving asymmetric information exchange have two significant characteristics.
First, the recipient of personal information gains a power advantage over the giver - information is power. Second, the giver - penitent, patient, or client, however could not receive the services desired if he or she did not reveal a great deal of sensitive information about themselves to the service provider. For these reasons, many societies accord decision structures that are based on the asymmetric exchange of personal information conditions of privileges. This means that personal information received by this type of decision structure should not be disclosed to others except in rare and exceptional circumstances. Dyads, however, are not the only form of social groupings.