Whenever i talk to people about privacy, specifically my friends when i tell them why i switched to Signal and stopped using WhatsApp, i’m always met with people saying that i’m just making no sense and “why would you care so much if you have nothing to hide? I don’t care that meta sees that stuff” and some people are just so stubborn to understand that they might even settle on the “what would a billion dollar company want from me specifically?”. It makes me mad how people refuse to even consider alternatives and open their mind a bit. What do you think?
Do they know about algorithmic pricing? Most people don’t like the idea of a company charging them more based on how desperate they are.
Do they know about DHS’ new Predictive Policing.
Do they know that scammers can use info they gather about them to run scams on their loved ones pretending to be them?
Do they know that there are legitimate reasons to want privacy? Ex. a journalist investigating a politician or corporation, or a single mom trying to keep themselves and their kids away from a crazy ex.
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Then why do you close the door when you take a shit?
Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different from saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say. - Edward Snowden
Ask them to unlock their phone and hand it to you. Let you go through whatever you want.
Can I come and search your house? You have nothing to hide so what’s the problem?
Unlock your phone, open WhatsApp, hand it to me.
Saying privacy doesn’t matter because you have nothing to hide is like saying free speech doesn’t matter because you have nothing to say
Ask to see their butthole
I know people that would actually do that, it’s tpo risky.
Not caring about privacy because you have nothing to hide is the same thing like opposing freedom of speech because you have nothing to say.
Dynamic pricing.
Your grocery store will know enough about you to charge the maximum amount you’re willing to pay and not a penny less.
You will see me on the news when I set the speed record for breaking every single electronic price tag in an entire grocery store.
Ask to put a camera in their bathroom
“Okay, unlock your phone and hand it over so I can go through it.”
That’s where they all get cold feet. All of them.
You might just be in a bubble of privacy-minded people. I know many people who would hand over their phone unlocked at the drop of a hat. Their digital lives just don’t mean anything to them. But more likely, they don’t appreciate the damage someone can do with that access.
They need to consider the difference between having something to hide and having something to protect. Privacy is something to protect, regardless of what it might be in aid of.
You could make a super long argument against this but I think there’s a few simple points (that you can use any number of, you don’t really need all of these at once for most people) that usually get it across to people, at least from my experience.
There’s the moral/emotional argument:
“You do have something to hide. Wanna unlock your phone and let me go through all your messages/photos/emails, leave the bathroom door open all the time, and never close your blinds? Even if you aren’t doing something illegal AND have no problem with me seeing all your conversations and data, privacy is still a comfort for many people”
…and there’s the monetary arguments:
“If a company is collecting that data, it’s because they make money off it. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry, and it’s the only reason Google, Facebook, etc can physically exist. If they know more about you, they can manipulate you into spending money with advertisers easier, allow political campaigns to manipulate your opinion more effectively, etc”
“You might not have a problem with how your data is used now, but if the law changes, or a corporation decides to do something different, suddenly data about your health and finances that was just for ads might then become a way to increase your health insurance pricing to the max you can afford”
You have nothing to hide from the people currently in power
The people who used to say “I have nothing to hide” the loudest to me changed their tone real quick once Flock cameras started being used for ICE pickups, arresting people for traveling to other states for abortions, etc
