Privacy and the "Nothing To Hide" Argument

privacyprof writes "One of the most common responses of those unconcerned about government surveillance or privacy invasions is 'I've got nothing to hide.' According to the 'nothing to hide' argument, there is no threat to privacy unless the government uncovers unlawful activity, in which case a person has no legitimate justification to claim that it remain private. The 'nothing to hide' argument is quite prevalent. Is there a way to respond to this argument that would really register with people in the general public? In a short essay, 'I've Got Nothing to Hide' and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy, Professor Daniel Solove takes on the 'nothing to hide' argument and exposes its faulty underpinnings." At the base of the fallacy, as Bruce Schneier has noted, is the "faulty premise that privacy is about hiding a wrong."

Comments

OK...

[Anonymous Coward]

...so what's Bruce got to hide?!

Re:OK...

[hawkinspeter]

He's got many secrets http://geekz.co.uk/schneierfacts/fact/726

new definition of "short essay"

[Gospodin]

It's a 23-page PDF. I read up to the table of contents and gave up.

Proper response?

[oskay]

"So why are you wearing clothes?"

Re:Proper response?

[SnowNinja]

So why are you wearing clothes? I'm not ;)

whatever

[Anonymous Coward]

All attractive people *should* be legally required to stay naked on warm days because they have nothing to hide.

Re:Wired: The Eternal Value of Privacy

[Anonymous Cowpat]

Also, if they spot you doing something today which is not illegal and then make it illegal. They can't (in theory) prosecute you for it, but they could, say;

• arrest you because you have a history of doing it and they can now probably pin it on you
• get some big men in dark suits to accost you in the street and remind you that what you did on the 22nd March last year is now illegal
• Flag you for extra surveillance involving 24 hour watching on CCTV and a camera strategically positioned in your bathroom
• Put around the story that you did it before it was illegal and sociopathic perverts like you can't help themselves from doing it again now that it is illegal

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to catch up on Big Brother

If you've got nothing to hide...

[ReverendLoki]

If you've got nothing to hide, then you won't mind taking off your clothes for me.

Don't know about how well it works in a realm of debate and discourse, but so far it hasn't gotten me anything but slapped in the singles bars.

Privacy and the Bush Administration

[RNLockwood]

So, let's see if I understand the privacy argument. One don't deserve privacy if one has something to hide and one shouldn't care about loss of privacy if one has nothing to hide. Is that right?

Therefor the Bush Administration's refusal to allow staffers to testify to congress regarding the Justice Department purge proves that they do have something to hide.

Re:It's hardly a "fallacy"

[miskatonic alumnus]

The entire concept of privacy is based around concealing "wrongs"

Like fucking, for instance. Everyone knows that fucking is wrong, yet we keep doing it. We damned sure don't want our children to know about fucking; and we do what we can to conceal it from them. We ought to plant cameras in everyone's homes to make sure that they don't fuck. All these fucking people should be shot --- evil, sinning bastards.

There's a difference

[Dancindan84]

There's a difference between having nothing to hide and having nothing illegal to hide. I'm a fairly law abiding citizen, but there's still legal things I do that I don't want people to know about. Should the government be able to subpoena my cable company to find out I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer?... I hope not.

Re:Wired: The Eternal Value of Privacy

[StikyPad]

Except that's ridiculous. He doesn't even define line length, so we'll assume length is unimportant:

01 The number 1
02 The number 2
03 The number 3
04 The number 4
05 I eat babies
06 The number 6

Oh shit..

Re:Wired: The Eternal Value of Privacy

[Tackhead]

>> "If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged."
>> - Cardinal Richelieu
>
> He doesn't even define line length, so we'll assume length is unimportant:
>
> 01 The number 1
> 02 The number 2
> 03 The number 3
> 04 The number 4
> 05 I eat babies
> 06 The number 6
>
> Oh shit..

See? He uses a programming language with line numbers. Hangin's too good for 'im! But at least he kept his line length below 80 colum--oh shit.

Re:Wired: Emaculate Election

[nschubach]

... if that is true... God's got a wicked sense of humor...

God made Woman, right? I'd say that's about as wicked as someone could get.

Re:It's hardly a "fallacy"

[harrkev]

I wish I had mod points right now. Someone mod parent Insightful, please?

OK. I just did.

Big Brother loves you...

[Dragoon235]

The Thought Police only arrest those devious perpetrators of thoughtcrime. Therefore you have nothing to worry about. Those guilty of thoughtcrime will be rehabilitated in room 101.

Doubleplusgood duckspeaking:

        * WAR IS PEACE
        * FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
        * IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

And now for something completely different: Big brother comedy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYQKDqjCEBQ

Re:Wired: The Eternal Value of Privacy

[Anonymous Coward]

That's why I stopped smoking. And will soon kill myself.

Re:Wired: The Eternal Value of Privacy

[pegr]

If they can do it to a scumbag, they can do it to you too.
 
I am a scumbag, you insensitive clod!

Re:Every bit collected makes you closer to jail

[computational super]

Are you sure this girl was 21?

Although you make some valid points, remember your audience - you're talking to Slashdot here. If there haven't been any, it's easy to be sure of their ages.