3 ms·

Yes. This is all over HN and Reddit, but when I try to introduce my friends to Signal (or encryption in general), they shrug and say they have nothing to hide.

Yes. This is all over HN and Reddit, but when I try to introduce my friends to Signal (or encryption in general), they shrug and say they have nothing to hide. Hate to say it, but the general public needs Kim Kardashian or some tastemaker to make privacy and security "cool".

matte_black 9y ago
But privacy and security are not "cool", and never will be. People like transparency, people are drawn to dangerous things. Hiding shit behind closed doors or being super paranoid is not cool, and will not get you fans. The only security most people need is herd security. As long as your data can blend into a mass of other people's data to the point where you're just an anonymous face in the crowd, there's no harm. Sure, if you're some important individual who can be compromised by someone motivated enough you might have something to be afraid of, but most people never rise to that level of importance.
- proofbygazing 9y ago
  > The only security most people need is herd security. As long as your data can blend into a mass of other people's data to the point where you're just an anonymous face in the crowd, there's no harm. Sure, if you're some important individual who can be compromised by someone motivated enough you might have something to be afraid of, but most people never rise to that level of importance. Well, yeah, maybe, but the Kardashians certainly fall into that group, and there is a cult of narcissism that would find the idea fashionable if given direction from actually famous individuals. That said, I think you're right that very few will ever give a shit about privacy and I'm not terribly convinced they are wrong, since very few have anything interesting or meaningfully criminal/subversive going on.
  - matte_black 9y ago
    So then is there a problem? Probably not. Just a way to grab headlines.
    - proofbygazing 9y ago
      Well there is a problem when it's now incredibly easy for say, a government to profile and find dissidents, etc. Most people don't fall into this bucket and thus don't care, but the overall effect is to highlight deviations from the norm.
- manjushri 9y ago
  >But privacy and security are not "cool", and never will be. Ever heard of James Bond? He was kind of cool, private, and secure.
rm_-rf_slash 9y ago
Jennifer Lawrence? I can’t think of any other mainstream celebrity whose public image/history is as tied with privacy and internet security.
Angostura 9y ago
I explained to a friend that since WhatsApp demanded full access to all contact details it, and by extension Facebook now knew his full postal address, which bank he used, where he worked, the identity of his boss, his therapist and his parent's address and possibly birthdays. He looked a bit thoughtful, at least. Its not the encryption, its the meta data.
- confounded 9y ago
  Really, it’s the the organization that wrote the software, and their motivations.

matte_black 9y ago

But privacy and security are not "cool", and never will be. People like transparency, people are drawn to dangerous things. Hiding shit behind closed doors or being super paranoid is not cool, and will not get you fans. The only security most people need is herd security. As long as your data can blend into a mass of other people's data to the point where you're just an anonymous face in the crowd, there's no harm. Sure, if you're some important individual who can be compromised by someone motivated enough you might have something to be afraid of, but most people never rise to that level of importance.

proofbygazing 9y ago
> The only security most people need is herd security. As long as your data can blend into a mass of other people's data to the point where you're just an anonymous face in the crowd, there's no harm. Sure, if you're some important individual who can be compromised by someone motivated enough you might have something to be afraid of, but most people never rise to that level of importance. Well, yeah, maybe, but the Kardashians certainly fall into that group, and there is a cult of narcissism that would find the idea fashionable if given direction from actually famous individuals. That said, I think you're right that very few will ever give a shit about privacy and I'm not terribly convinced they are wrong, since very few have anything interesting or meaningfully criminal/subversive going on.
- matte_black 9y ago
  So then is there a problem? Probably not. Just a way to grab headlines.
  - proofbygazing 9y ago
    Well there is a problem when it's now incredibly easy for say, a government to profile and find dissidents, etc. Most people don't fall into this bucket and thus don't care, but the overall effect is to highlight deviations from the norm.
manjushri 9y ago
>But privacy and security are not "cool", and never will be. Ever heard of James Bond? He was kind of cool, private, and secure.

rm_-rf_slash 9y ago

Jennifer Lawrence? I can’t think of any other mainstream celebrity whose public image/history is as tied with privacy and internet security.

Angostura 9y ago

I explained to a friend that since WhatsApp demanded full access to all contact details it, and by extension Facebook now knew his full postal address, which bank he used, where he worked, the identity of his boss, his therapist and his parent's address and possibly birthdays. He looked a bit thoughtful, at least. Its not the encryption, its the meta data.

confounded 9y ago
Really, it’s the the organization that wrote the software, and their motivations.