Adversary
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What it is
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A person or entity that poses a threat to your assets — could be a former partner, an employer, a business competitor, a hacker on public Wi-Fi, or a government.
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Why it matters
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Different adversaries have wildly different capabilities and motives, and that difference should drive completely different defenses. Defending against a nosy roommate and defending against a state intelligence agency are not the same problem, even if the "asset" (your private messages) is identical.
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Example
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Your mobile carrier technically has the capability to access all your call and location data — but the risk they'd post it publicly to harm you is low. A targeted political opponent, by contrast, might have lower access but much higher motivation to actively seek out and expose your private data.
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