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There is an argument to be made that privacy is just a polite euphemism for (mostly white-) privilege that is really an anti-democratic shield from accountabili

There is an argument to be made that privacy is just a polite euphemism for (mostly white-) privilege that is really an anti-democratic shield from accountability for propagating hate and intolerance. In democratic societies that put equality and diversity first, the only people who could have something to hide are sexists, racists, homophobes and white supremacists, because we live in an open society where we have fought so that historically oppressed people no longer have to hide who they are. If that statement is uncomfortable, this is the level of criticism that anyone building a new, divergent, or privacy focused technology or platform can expect from mainstream institutions in the current political climate. We can rail and write screeds against how insane it is, or we can write the code that gives people the tools to preserve the human dignity and freedom that individual privacy makes possible. (mods, please delete if this crosses the provocation line, it seemed important and topical enough to take the risk.)

Bancakes 6y ago
What's wrong with being anonymous by default? The EU has been fighting for 'functional deanonymisation' and they raise some good points. There's nothing to lose and only to gain when you have privacy by default and only release information as the situation requires it - like online purchases. Likening anonymity to being silenced is a little far-fetched idea when compared to simple acts like avoiding data leaks.
raspyberr 6y ago
I personally think that all the new diversity are the ones that would want privacy. So they can communicate and form ideas in confidence that they can then use to tell the rest of society. When gay people congregated in secret to talk about their position in society, they were happy they could do it in secret. That statement doesn't make me uncomfortable, it just makes me think that the view behind that statement is far too optimistic about how tolerant people are in society. Racism will be around in 100 years. Privacy helps any human being.
luckygladiator 6y ago
Well if a mainstream institution makes a similar argument then they are missing the whole point of privacy, there is the usual point about how everybody has something to hide. If you do not think so then please forward me all your private account information and <i>i promise</i> to not look into everything you have done on them. Even just taking that arguments and dissecting it to reveal the hidden agenda behind it is way too much effort. But the main point is that there is no need to explain why you need basic privacy, it is already revealed why you need it when the NSA goes on a manhunt when somebody reveals that they can search every information on you with a single click. Or when the big five get their shady practices revealed they get defensive and start making bull crap points, or that there are laws on privacy for a reason. Their arguments always have a ton of flaws because they are only after an agenda, public shaming is the answer to their bull crap. "If you aren't doing some shady stuff with that binary then why aren't you releasing the source code?"
nicbou 6y ago
This reads like a variant of the "if you have nothing to hide" argument. I don't value anonymity because it allows me to say offensive things without consequence. I value anonymity because mob justice is arbitrary and disproportionate. People can and will harass you over the stupidest perceived slights, or just because you're hot. Some people won't be satisfied with just attacking your arguments, no matter how petty the subject. If you're given sufficient attention, you're bound to make someone unreasonably angry, no matter your stance. Privacy protects you from those loonies.

Bancakes 6y ago

What's wrong with being anonymous by default? The EU has been fighting for 'functional deanonymisation' and they raise some good points. There's nothing to lose and only to gain when you have privacy by default and only release information as the situation requires it - like online purchases. Likening anonymity to being silenced is a little far-fetched idea when compared to simple acts like avoiding data leaks.

raspyberr 6y ago

I personally think that all the new diversity are the ones that would want privacy. So they can communicate and form ideas in confidence that they can then use to tell the rest of society. When gay people congregated in secret to talk about their position in society, they were happy they could do it in secret. That statement doesn't make me uncomfortable, it just makes me think that the view behind that statement is far too optimistic about how tolerant people are in society. Racism will be around in 100 years. Privacy helps any human being.

luckygladiator 6y ago

Well if a mainstream institution makes a similar argument then they are missing the whole point of privacy, there is the usual point about how everybody has something to hide. If you do not think so then please forward me all your private account information and <i>i promise</i> to not look into everything you have done on them. Even just taking that arguments and dissecting it to reveal the hidden agenda behind it is way too much effort. But the main point is that there is no need to explain why you need basic privacy, it is already revealed why you need it when the NSA goes on a manhunt when somebody reveals that they can search every information on you with a single click. Or when the big five get their shady practices revealed they get defensive and start making bull crap points, or that there are laws on privacy for a reason. Their arguments always have a ton of flaws because they are only after an agenda, public shaming is the answer to their bull crap. "If you aren't doing some shady stuff with that binary then why aren't you releasing the source code?"

nicbou 6y ago

This reads like a variant of the "if you have nothing to hide" argument. I don't value anonymity because it allows me to say offensive things without consequence. I value anonymity because mob justice is arbitrary and disproportionate. People can and will harass you over the stupidest perceived slights, or just because you're hot. Some people won't be satisfied with just attacking your arguments, no matter how petty the subject. If you're given sufficient attention, you're bound to make someone unreasonably angry, no matter your stance. Privacy protects you from those loonies.