i think the reason some of us value the privacy is because we're on the higher end of the pay spectrum. And while many people think that making this information public will benefit everyone, I just see it as a way of reducing my potential ceiling (money is finite, this is a zero sum game) and causing animosity amongst my coworkers and friends.

And frankly, not a lot of people can handle being told they aren't as good as their coworker, which is why they make less.