Privacy
The most common retort against privacy advocates -- by those in favor of ID checks, cameras, databases, data mining and other wholesale surveillance measures -- is this line: "If you aren't doing anything wrong, what do you have to hide?"
Some clever answers: "If I'm not doing anything wrong, then you have no cause to watch me." "Because the government gets to define what's wrong, and they keep changing the definition." "Because you might do something wrong with my information." My problem with quips like these -- as right as they are -- is that they accept the premise that privacy is about hiding a wrong. It's not. Privacy is an inherent human right, and a requirement for maintaining the human condition with dignity and respect.
Tags
- privacy
- human rights
- government
- my comments
- politics
Comments
Two cheers that, finally, the privacy meme seems to be gaining virility within a broad constituency.
Let's save our third cheer for when government ministers unblock their ears...
Certainly you are spot on re teens not being concerned with governmental intrusions into their privacy. But give me a break ... to "figure out how to give youth privacy in their personal lives" is to figure out how to abdicate our obligation to parent.
Seth,
Actually, I agree with your observation that the concept of "rights" with respect to privacy is problematic.
I prefer the concept of negotiation of information control (privacy), as this avoids the trap of pseudo-objective morality.
After all, the boundary between "my" data and "your" data is quintessentially fuzzy (as when I shop at a supermarket: do I own the data so generated, or does the supermarket, or perhaps both or neither?).

Me i think we need to refine what privacy is and should be about in this modern world.
Is more privacy really what this world needs ... or does it need less privacy ?
... note it doesn't say that whatever others can get away with by whatever means are available is OK. Although this is aimed at the several governments & police, I don't see how private people & corporations have the right to invade that privacy either. In fact, I do not see how these words are restricted in application to the law, governments or police either.


Incidentally that same house had left their WiFi unsecured ... i was able to use it to check my email one day. Was that also a violation of their privacy?


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