Why should I care about privacy if I have nothing to hide?

The nothing-to-hide argument frames privacy as something only criminals and other bad actors would demand, but nothing could be further from the truth. Privacy is about the freedom to make choices without fear: how you want to live, what you believe in, who you are friends with, and what you want to share with whom.

Is privacy valuable even if you have nothing to hide?

In many instances, hardly anyone will see the information, and it won’t be disclosed to the public. Thus, some might argue, the privacy interest is minimal, and the security interest in preventing terrorism is much more important. In this less extreme form, the nothing-to-hide argument is a formidable one.

Why do I need so much privacy?

Privacy helps people protect themselves from these troublesome judgments. People establish boundaries from others in society. These boundaries are both physical and informational. We need places of solitude to retreat to, places where we are free of the gaze of others in order to relax and feel at ease.

Is privacy a human need?

In summary, privacy regulation is necessary for intimate communication with others and it allows us to maintain a sense of control, autonomy, self-identity, and well being in our lives. It also allows for an emotional release that might be inappropriate under other circumstances.

Do we need privacy?

Privacy rights ensure we have control over our data. If it’s your data, you should have control over it. Privacy rights dictate that your data can only be used in ways you agree to and that you can access any information about yourself. If you didn’t have this control, you would feel helpless.

Why is giving privacy important?

Privacy helps us establish boundaries to limit who has access to our bodies, places and things, as well as our communications and our information. The rules that protect privacy give us the ability to assert our rights in the face of significant power imbalances.

Do you have nothing to hide about your personal information?

When the government gathers or analyzes personal information, many people say they’re not worried. “I’ve got nothing to hide,” they declare. “Only if you’re doing something wrong should you worry, and then you don’t deserve to keep it private.” The nothing-to-hide argument pervades discussions about privacy.

What is your response to the “you have nothing to hide” argument?

So my response to the “If you have nothing to hide ” argument is simply, “I don’t need to justify my position. You need to justify yours. Come back with a warrant.” I don’t have anything to hide. But I don’t have anything I feel like showing you, either. If you have nothing to hide, then you don’t have a life.

Is the ‘nothing-to-hide’ argument about privacy all-too-common?

The nothing-to-hide argument pervades discussions about privacy. The data-security expert Bruce Schneier calls it the “most common retort against privacy advocates.” The legal scholar Geoffrey Stone refers to it as an “all-too-common refrain.”

Do we really have nothing to hide online?

The ‘I have nothing to hide’ response does just that, implying that government and corporate surveillance should be acceptable as the default. Privacy should be the default. We are setting a new standard of trust online and believe getting the privacy you want online should be as easy as closing the blinds.