Nothing to Hide


On the Net, and especially since the advent of Facebook, the question of privacy is often responded to with the following statement that almost makes you feel ashamed to demand privacy:
“If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide.”

That line always felt wrong to me. But I never could say what exactly I found wrong about it. Until I saw the Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic explain it:
“Everyone has something to hide and usually no one cares. By surveilling everyone, you catch the benign breaches of law and taboo. If the public are all guilty, the executive part of the government can selectively enforce laws.”

The lines above from that comic hits the nail right on the head about what’s wrong with the “If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide” argument. Who says comics aren’t educational?!

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