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Great point, and this is a big reason why the "I have nothing to hide" argument comes from a position of childlike naivety. Even if you have nothing to hide, w

Great point, and this is a big reason why the "I have nothing to hide" argument comes from a position of childlike naivety. Even if you have nothing to hide, what about your members of parliament? CEOs? Mayors? President or Prime Minister? Judges? Police chiefs? Is there a single one that has never written an email or made a phone call that could destroy their career? What lengths would they go to in order to keep it private? Do you honestly expect them to fall on their sword for the good of the nation? Giving a shadowy group with essentially no oversight access to damn near every skeleton in the closet society has under the guise of "security" is analogous stuffing your house with munitions and trusting your kids not to play with matches.

MaysonL 13y ago
Do you want the NSA or GCHQ knowing that your teenage daughter is pregnant before you do?
- ynniv 13y ago
  I would certainly expect it if Target already does, but then this just highlights how pervasive the problem is. [http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-targe...]
- Torgo 13y ago
  The nude pictures she texted to her boyfriend are now part of her permanent file as well.
maaaats 13y ago
Wow, good point. Never considered it that way, only my own personal reasons.
- npsimons 13y ago
  It is interesting to reflect upon the phrase "I have nothing to hide". The first thing to note is that it is very selfish and self-centered: "I have nothing to hide". People who say the phrase don't seem to realize that other people may be doing perfectly harmless things in private that are illegal, or at least would get them ostracized. The second point about the phrase is it has an implicit timeframe: "I have nothing to hide right now". Those who say it regularly seem to lack any foresight (or memory of history) or imagination and can't seem to visualize a future in which they might (even unintetionally) do something which will put them on the bad side of the law. They also don't seem to consider the possibility that the prohibition against ex post facto laws could be suspended.
sixothree 13y ago
Agreed. If you cannot rely on the people you elect to not be blackmailed then the system is essentially worthless.
talmand 13y ago
People who say they have nothing to hide feel that way because they think they've done nothing wrong. They fail to realize how easy it is to take something you've done that was considered legal and suddenly make it illegal. Once the now illegal activity has become a social stigma then the information that you once participated in those activities can be used against you. Example? Once upon a time sending an email to a person in a foreign country wasn't suspect. Now it is. Sending it to someone in a certain country can likely make you a target of the government. Whatever label is attached to the person you are corresponding to will then be attached to you. This was how it was done during the Communism scare in the US after World War II. You spoke with a known Communist? Then you must be a Communist. Never mind easy blackmail material that people in positions of power tend to get themselves into.

MaysonL 13y ago

Do you want the NSA or GCHQ knowing that your teenage daughter is pregnant before you do?

ynniv 13y ago
I would certainly expect it if Target already does, but then this just highlights how pervasive the problem is. [http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-targe...]
Torgo 13y ago
The nude pictures she texted to her boyfriend are now part of her permanent file as well.

maaaats 13y ago

Wow, good point. Never considered it that way, only my own personal reasons.

npsimons 13y ago
It is interesting to reflect upon the phrase "I have nothing to hide". The first thing to note is that it is very selfish and self-centered: "I have nothing to hide". People who say the phrase don't seem to realize that other people may be doing perfectly harmless things in private that are illegal, or at least would get them ostracized. The second point about the phrase is it has an implicit timeframe: "I have nothing to hide right now". Those who say it regularly seem to lack any foresight (or memory of history) or imagination and can't seem to visualize a future in which they might (even unintetionally) do something which will put them on the bad side of the law. They also don't seem to consider the possibility that the prohibition against ex post facto laws could be suspended.

sixothree 13y ago

Agreed. If you cannot rely on the people you elect to not be blackmailed then the system is essentially worthless.

talmand 13y ago

People who say they have nothing to hide feel that way because they think they've done nothing wrong. They fail to realize how easy it is to take something you've done that was considered legal and suddenly make it illegal. Once the now illegal activity has become a social stigma then the information that you once participated in those activities can be used against you. Example? Once upon a time sending an email to a person in a foreign country wasn't suspect. Now it is. Sending it to someone in a certain country can likely make you a target of the government. Whatever label is attached to the person you are corresponding to will then be attached to you. This was how it was done during the Communism scare in the US after World War II. You spoke with a known Communist? Then you must be a Communist. Never mind easy blackmail material that people in positions of power tend to get themselves into.