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The very purpose of privacy is to break laws. Privacy is the space where laws do not apply. I don't remember where I heard it, but I really like this definitio

The very purpose of privacy is to break laws. Privacy is the space where laws do not apply. I don't remember where I heard it, but I really like this definition of privacy. It's a defense against bad laws and there are quite a few of those, including child porn and child abuse laws that actually lead to prosecution of adolescents (sending nudes to each other) and loss of access to medical information for kids (anyone tried to search for "12yo penis" images?).

bpfrh 4y ago
No privacy can also be that you vote for measure x but nobody knows that but you, e.g. you can have an opinion/hobby without anyone knowing about it but you and people you trust.
- guy98238710 4y ago
  Indeed, privacy protects from social pressure in addition to protecting you from the government. In any case, it's intended for things other people do not approve of.
kragen 4y ago
privacy is the space where coercion does not apply; law enforcement is necessarily coercive, but not all coercion is legal not even all police coercion is legal; when the police disappeared tens of thousands of people here during the last dictatorship, the police were breaking the law, and in some cases the disappeared were not also, privacy can protect people from repercussions from activities that are legal at one time but prohibited later, perhaps after a change of government, such as celebrating passover
ivan_gammel 4y ago
No, that is wrong. It is the purpose of the laws to protect privacy, which is our right to protect ourselves by prevention of sharing sensitive information with bad actors. Our privacy means that others cannot exploit our weaknesses to get our money or to bully us. It means that rogue cop cannot blackmail us by exposing details of our private life to public. There are many scenarios when too much data landed in the wrong hands. People may use privacy as an excuse to hide their crimes, but criminals are minority and lawful citizens will be exposed to criminals and police states if privacy shield no longer exists. As for child abuse, when we have to seek for evidence, the crime has already happened. Solving it is important, but what is more important than that? Prevention.
- guy98238710 4y ago
  It's not just a few bad cops. No matter how well the law is written and executed, it is always bad from the point of view of some people. There is no universal agreement about what should be illegal. People who lose the fight over laws can use privacy as a refuge.
  - _vertigo 4y ago
    Framing privacy in this light is a surefire way to lose it.

bpfrh 4y ago

No privacy can also be that you vote for measure x but nobody knows that but you, e.g. you can have an opinion/hobby without anyone knowing about it but you and people you trust.

guy98238710 4y ago
Indeed, privacy protects from social pressure in addition to protecting you from the government. In any case, it's intended for things other people do not approve of.

kragen 4y ago

privacy is the space where coercion does not apply; law enforcement is necessarily coercive, but not all coercion is legal not even all police coercion is legal; when the police disappeared tens of thousands of people here during the last dictatorship, the police were breaking the law, and in some cases the disappeared were not also, privacy can protect people from repercussions from activities that are legal at one time but prohibited later, perhaps after a change of government, such as celebrating passover

ivan_gammel 4y ago

No, that is wrong. It is the purpose of the laws to protect privacy, which is our right to protect ourselves by prevention of sharing sensitive information with bad actors. Our privacy means that others cannot exploit our weaknesses to get our money or to bully us. It means that rogue cop cannot blackmail us by exposing details of our private life to public. There are many scenarios when too much data landed in the wrong hands. People may use privacy as an excuse to hide their crimes, but criminals are minority and lawful citizens will be exposed to criminals and police states if privacy shield no longer exists. As for child abuse, when we have to seek for evidence, the crime has already happened. Solving it is important, but what is more important than that? Prevention.

guy98238710 4y ago
It's not just a few bad cops. No matter how well the law is written and executed, it is always bad from the point of view of some people. There is no universal agreement about what should be illegal. People who lose the fight over laws can use privacy as a refuge.
- _vertigo 4y ago
  Framing privacy in this light is a surefire way to lose it.