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FTA: > “We value your privacy…” There's a special place in hell for the originators of this Orwellian triple-speak. Three meanings overlapped: meant to give u
by titzer 3y ago
FTA:
> “We value your privacy…”
There's a special place in hell for the originators of this Orwellian triple-speak. Three meanings overlapped: meant to give users the impression that "we respect your privacy" or "we protect your privacy"--but it doesn't say that. It says they value your privacy, which is literally true; they're happy to put a dollar amount on it and sell or mine it, because it's of value to them. That's two true senses; one inferred and one real. But the second gives rise to the third, Orwellian meaning: these people actually don't value your privacy at all. It's a lie, pure and simple. A special kind of lie that has such a flippant, corporate-speak, technically-accurate dry meaning that is meant for a court of law--it holds up when lawyers start arguing long technicalities before a judge--but just one level deeper it is despairingly careless and dystopian.
When I see this phrase I just know I don't want whatever it is these people are going to do with my data. They benefit and I don't.
- aidenn0 3y agoAs a rule, the more that marketing language tries to imply something, the less it is likely to be true. See e.g. "fat free" labels on sugar-candy.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- jhpacker 3y agoThis is a great way to unpack that phrase, thank you! I started the article with that phrase because of the insincere absurdity of it exactly as you describe.
- glitcher 3y agoOr said another way, they can't say "we take your privacy seriously" without first saying "we take your privacy"!