Wasn't Cardinal Richelieu reputed to have said, "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him."? It doesn't matter if...
Wasn't Cardinal Richelieu reputed to have said, "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him."?
It doesn't matter if you think you have nothing to hide because you "aren't doing anything wrong". What matters is how easy it is for the authorities to find an excuse to come after you, should they get it into their heads to do so.
It's like getting pulled over for having a busted taillight. If you're white, polite, and don't have anything suspicious out where Johnny Law can see it, you can probably get away with a warning or, at worst, a ticket. But if Johnny Law sees an open bottle, he's gonna get curious. If he sees a baggie of white powder or a baggie of chopped leaves, he's gonna get really curious.
Honestly, I think "I have nothing to hide" has become for digital and privacy rights what "But it snowed last december" is for the climate debate. Neither should really be a debate, both arguments...
Honestly, I think "I have nothing to hide" has become for digital and privacy rights what "But it snowed last december" is for the climate debate. Neither should really be a debate, both arguments have been countered countless times, yet they still stick around like a whack-a-mole, just waiting to annoy you.
Whenever someone "has nothing to hide", I reflexively ask them if they would like to give me their email account passwords. I mean, what should they be afraid of if they are an open book anyways, right?
As someone who has read a lot of Russian history, "I have nothing to hide" isn't going to help you if there's a technicality in the law you're not aware of, or a third party decides to plant...
As someone who has read a lot of Russian history, "I have nothing to hide" isn't going to help you if there's a technicality in the law you're not aware of, or a third party decides to plant something illegal for their own gain.. A lot of fools got sent to the gulag in the 1930s and 1940s because they had nothing to hide and "did nothing wrong".
Wasn't Cardinal Richelieu reputed to have said, "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him."?
It doesn't matter if you think you have nothing to hide because you "aren't doing anything wrong". What matters is how easy it is for the authorities to find an excuse to come after you, should they get it into their heads to do so.
It's like getting pulled over for having a busted taillight. If you're white, polite, and don't have anything suspicious out where Johnny Law can see it, you can probably get away with a warning or, at worst, a ticket. But if Johnny Law sees an open bottle, he's gonna get curious. If he sees a baggie of white powder or a baggie of chopped leaves, he's gonna get really curious.
You don't want Johnny Law getting curious.
Honestly, I think "I have nothing to hide" has become for digital and privacy rights what "But it snowed last december" is for the climate debate. Neither should really be a debate, both arguments have been countered countless times, yet they still stick around like a whack-a-mole, just waiting to annoy you.
Whenever someone "has nothing to hide", I reflexively ask them if they would like to give me their email account passwords. I mean, what should they be afraid of if they are an open book anyways, right?
I have yet to receive a single set of login data.
As someone who has read a lot of Russian history, "I have nothing to hide" isn't going to help you if there's a technicality in the law you're not aware of, or a third party decides to plant something illegal for their own gain.. A lot of fools got sent to the gulag in the 1930s and 1940s because they had nothing to hide and "did nothing wrong".
The Eternal Value of Privacy, by Bruce Schneier, 2006.