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The point is that the majority of people live boring lives and don't have enough wealth to be a valuable target. I certainly fall into this category. I'm not im

The point is that the majority of people live boring lives and don't have enough wealth to be a valuable target. I certainly fall into this category. I'm not important or interesting enough that anyone is going to look into me. It's possible that one day I'll become very important and then I'll wish that I had kept various embarrassing things from getting out. It's also possible that I'll become a billionaire. Neither outcome seems likely enough for me to change my daily behavior. People are generally not willing to endure even the slightest inconvenience for the sake of a philosophical concept like privacy. I've seen people make big changes in response to widespread negative outcomes (ie, coronavirus), but I couldn't imagine a similar response to an intangible issue like potential privacy violations.

pksebben 6y ago
the point of making a philosophical argument about it is to avoid the inevitable practical problems posed. We're there already, too. Adtech data has been bought by the Pentagon for use in targeting individuals overseas for military operations. This is quite literally not a drill. Whether or not you believe you have nothing to hide is immaterial, too; there are some people in the world who might disagree with you (for religious, political, or moral causes) and they could potentially be very interested in your data. Do you think the people who worked at the world trade center felt they had anything to hide? how about the folks at the Olympics in Munich? Hell, I bet the people we (US) drone strike don't feel like they have anything to hide; after all, they're the good guys, and those invading Americans are the aggressors. This is far more complex than "I'm not valuable". Perhaps, philosophically, if you lived a perfectly saintly life and never made any enemies or had an opinion that upset anybody ever, you could say you had nothing to hide.
- novaRom 6y ago
  It also works in reverse. I argue many politicians are being controlled, mostly unconsciously, or with gentle hints.

pksebben 6y ago

the point of making a philosophical argument about it is to avoid the inevitable practical problems posed. We're there already, too. Adtech data has been bought by the Pentagon for use in targeting individuals overseas for military operations. This is quite literally not a drill. Whether or not you believe you have nothing to hide is immaterial, too; there are some people in the world who might disagree with you (for religious, political, or moral causes) and they could potentially be very interested in your data. Do you think the people who worked at the world trade center felt they had anything to hide? how about the folks at the Olympics in Munich? Hell, I bet the people we (US) drone strike don't feel like they have anything to hide; after all, they're the good guys, and those invading Americans are the aggressors. This is far more complex than "I'm not valuable". Perhaps, philosophically, if you lived a perfectly saintly life and never made any enemies or had an opinion that upset anybody ever, you could say you had nothing to hide.

novaRom 6y ago
It also works in reverse. I argue many politicians are being controlled, mostly unconsciously, or with gentle hints.