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Privacy and democracy are inseparable. http://51elliot.blogspot.ca/2008/07/your-privacy-is-your-freedom.html http://51elliot.blogspot.ca/2008/07/your-privacy-is

Privacy and democracy are inseparable. http://51elliot.blogspot.ca/2008/07/your-privacy-is-your-freedom.html http://51elliot.blogspot.ca/2008/07/your-privacy-is-your-fre... "If your private thoughts were broadcast on a television screen above your head for everyone to see, its fair to say we'd all be more careful what we thought about. We would be forced to practice thought control to give others a good impression. Mental self-discipline is great, but this imaginary scenario illustrates a critical point: the absence of privacy has the ability to influence. Moreover, the one who usurps privacy is the one who wields that influence. And such control at the cost of privacy is the opposite of freedom. Democracy and freedom are upheld by the individual's right to form thought and opinion and to communicate within the haven of privacy."

iy56 14y ago
If yours were, perhaps. But if everyone's thoughts were constantly being broadcast, we'd learn to accept that sometimes people think strange thoughts, and that it's silly to care so much about it.
- drderidder 14y ago
  That's another way of phrasing the "if you have nothing to hide" argument. A simpler example of the link between privacy and democracy is that voting is private. There's a reason for that.
  - koide 14y ago
    Although using this argument promotes the idea that privacy equals secrecy. Privacy is a lot more than secrecy. You expect in day to day life to be ignored by most people, and certainly are not expecting that your every move is recorded. If you were, and knew about it, your behavior would be affected. That's another dimension of privacy that's not usually discussed, there are more.
- koide 14y ago
  The problem is not "strange thoughts" but hurtful thoughts, even about your loved ones. Everyone has them once in a while, but they never would say them aloud.

iy56 14y ago

If yours were, perhaps. But if everyone's thoughts were constantly being broadcast, we'd learn to accept that sometimes people think strange thoughts, and that it's silly to care so much about it.

drderidder 14y ago
That's another way of phrasing the "if you have nothing to hide" argument. A simpler example of the link between privacy and democracy is that voting is private. There's a reason for that.
- koide 14y ago
  Although using this argument promotes the idea that privacy equals secrecy. Privacy is a lot more than secrecy. You expect in day to day life to be ignored by most people, and certainly are not expecting that your every move is recorded. If you were, and knew about it, your behavior would be affected. That's another dimension of privacy that's not usually discussed, there are more.
koide 14y ago
The problem is not "strange thoughts" but hurtful thoughts, even about your loved ones. Everyone has them once in a while, but they never would say them aloud.