That only works in a well-functioning non-authoritarian state. I would suspect that every major Western democracy began in secret.

No, they're not. Privacy is a human right.

And democracy is not; if people want (say) anarchy instead, they may, but they mustn't take away others' privacy.

Under ECHR democracy is elevated to a human right: https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventio...

(well, the right to free elections by secret ballot, which is necessary but not sufficient)