this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2024
938 points (99.0% liked)

Privacy

29784 readers
713 users here now

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Related communities

Chat rooms

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
 

The most common argument used in defense of mass surveillance is ‘If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear’. Try saying that to women in the US states where abortion has suddenly become illegal. Say it to investigative journalists in authoritarian countries. Saying ‘I have nothing to hide’ means you stop caring about anyone fighting for their freedom. And one day, you might be one of them.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 23 points 6 days ago (1 children)

As Doctorow points out, 'Saying security and privacy don't matter because you have nothing to hide is like saying freedom of speech doesn't mater because you have nothing to say.'

It's a very short-sighted view. Those rights will be taken from you if you don't protect them.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago (2 children)

That doesn’t work for the “the big companies know everything about me anyway” line though

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago

They may know everything about you right now. But they don't know about your future self, how you can change, how you may be an entirely different person in as little as a year. Data is useful, but it is more useful the more updated and recent it is.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Well I think it does, because they don't know literally everything about us yet. But they will one day if we don't fight back.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

You’re missing the point. It doesn’t matter what you or I believe, if a person has accepted that a big corporation knows everything about them and use this as a reason not to take action or prevent them from knowing more, then the Doctorow quote doesn’t apply.