Privacy Matters
People underestimate privacy; so much so, that the value of privacy has become hidden, non-obvious. Why? The public is disillusioned and disinterested, with people holding these typical views: a lack of awareness (or disbelief) of the level of surveillance, they have “nothing to hide,” they assume nothing is private anymore, so what’s the point of being reminded of it? (the futility of privacy), or the convenience of modern life is worth giving up privacy (defeatist). Let’s break down each of these arguments. Lack of awareness of privacy intrusion, is a case of not being informed . To be clear, governments, companies, and adversaries can view your most intimate details today. The “nothing to hide” argument is a fallacy for two reasons: (1) The connotation that things discussed in private are bad. True, criminals may discuss illegal activity in private, but that does not mean everyone’s private conversations are illegal. (2) The notion of what needs “hiding” is sub...