In QFT there is an algebra of operators attached to any spacetime region. Simple degradations of the most harmonious possible relation between algebras and regions are shown to encode generalized symmetries. Nets of algebras with these symmetries allow for a non uniqueness of the algebras that can be assigned to a given region. This non uniqueness suggests a simple geometrical order parameter in terms of a relative entropy. These satisfy a ''certainty relation'' connecting the statistics of the order and disorder parameters for complementary regions. We describe how the lore about phases of theories with generalized symmetries is seen in this new picture.
