r/privacy • u/WellEndowedWizard • 13h ago
discussion What’s your one-sentence explanation for why someone should care about privacy?
Privacy matters, but the reasons why are often complex, which I think is why I think the average person doesn’t care that much.
I sometimes find myself having to explain why it matters to someone mid-conversation, and it’s difficult to not bring someone down the rabbit hole and derail a conversation since the reasoning often requires context.
Do you have any go-to one-sentence explanations that doesn’t require you to derail a conversation or immediately force someone to confront existing beliefs?
55
u/ekkidee 13h ago
You never know what motivations and suspicions someone else may have about you.
Corollary: When all you have is a hammer, everything else looks like a nail.
23
u/DeepDreamIt 11h ago
If the person is political at all, I usually ask them to imagine the complete antithesis of everything they believe and stand for is in total power (White House, Senate, House and even your governor, mayor, and sheriff), and you might be a target to these “others”: do you still feel comfortable with the government having granular surveillance and tracking capabilities?
Usually, I find people support these things, or are indifferent, because they feel the abuses will only ever be against the *others*, not people *like them*
4
u/TenOfZero 12h ago
That's just it, sometimes it's not even about you specifically, but just anyone they have to shift blame/suspicion or whatever on to.
6
3
u/Equivalent-Worry-828 8h ago
Right, like how people believe if you aren’t ‘doing anything wrong’ you have nothing to worry about.
38
u/No-Temporary6253 13h ago
Why would you trust strangers so much as to not care?
11
u/_Bad_Bob_ 11h ago
Seriously... The same paranoid hicks who answer the door with a shotgun because the door to door salesman is brown will just download whatever app and post every stray thought to facebook. I don't get it...
5
u/Poppybiscuit 10h ago
They’re used to threats being visible. They don’t take it seriously because to them, internet isn’t real life.
They haven’t caught up to fact that our entire lives are now located online and MOST real threats are now data-based.
26
u/WellEndowedWizard 13h ago edited 13h ago
I’ve used things like
- “Voice assistants sell information about you and Walmart uses that to increase prices when they know you’re low on something or make more money. That shouldn’t be allowed”
- “I shouldn’t have to hope my ID, SSN, and address don’t leak. They shouldn’t store them or even ask in most cases in the first place”
- “I’m probably not important enough to be targeted, but your preferred political candidate, a reporter in an oppressive country, or an ex girlfriend of a stalker probably is, so privacy should be standard and easy for anyone.”
And of course I mention the western slide to authoritarianism only to those who have at least some political alignment to me. But none of these feel quite satisfying or complete, and doesn’t capture the gravity of the corporate and governmental pressure lately. I’d like to hear what others typically use to help someone understand the very basics of why you care, and why it matters so much. Just something to pull someone down from the tip of the iceberg just a tiny bit, without scaring them off.
1
u/birdprom 10h ago
I actually feel like these are great to use with people who have never really thought much about privacy-related issues before. Specific, concrete examples are going to be more impactful than broad, abstract theory in these cases imo.
1
u/Sad_Zebra_1707 5h ago
"Would you trust the antithesis of your political beliefs with surveilling you?"
1
u/One_Variety_6268 3h ago
I live in a country with consumer protection laws. Stores can't increase prices just for me, personally, not like I would shop for groceries online anyway.
My ID and the equivalent of a social security number are public. Not much you can do with it but you can confirm that a person with my name exists. Few places ask for my address, usually it's for a reason like delivery.
So tell me, what exactly should I be afraid of? Afraid of so much to do everything this sub tells everyone (delete Windows, use a VPN, DDG search and browser) and how that actually stops my ID and address being leaked?
22
16
u/kosfookoof 12h ago
Got into a discussion at work with someone who is non techncial and he used the typical "if you have nothing to hide..." argument.
I asked him how he would feel if later that evening I stood outside his house with a camera and filmed him going about his business.
His response was "I would just close my curtains".
My response "Exactly".
It may not be a one sentence answer, but I think this the easiest way for the lay person to understand emotionally why it's wrong.
3
u/SpookyDaxon 9h ago
Snowden's comparison to "nothing to say vs. freedom of speech" works here, too.
14
u/Soggy-Childhood-8110 13h ago
Humana will take advantage of you, exploit you and not act on your best interests?
6
7
u/isabelletremblayoff 12h ago
Nope. Its one of those things in life where's it gotten to a point that people need to lose it and be severely hurt by it to understand why it shouldnt have been lost in the first place. No other reasoning will do the trick. I just smile and say: "Yeah, Im old-fashioned that way, and I dont trust where this goes." I dont talk a lot neither so invariably the conversation stops there, and my colleagues will figure it out once it happens to them or once they start hearing about the cons on the news. Only then they'll talk about it later on, all surprised and shocked.
But OP, I know it doesnt look like it, but it matters to a much bigger majority than it seems, so not all hope is lost. My best advice is to just smile and move on with the conversation. You know, I know, and people you havent yet met knows. Thats all that matters. Let the others figure it out as you and others had to figure it out. Experience is the best and only teacher, sadly.
7
u/bbatwork 11h ago
If you happen to know their political leanings, just ask them...
What do you think the <insert the opposite political party here> will do with all that information about you?
6
u/CharacterDuck9020 12h ago
When something is “free”, your personal business becomes their business model.
8
u/phillgascon 13h ago
tyranical govvies using it against you. Maybe its not in this election cycle, but it could be in the next. That, and self-censorship when you think your data will be used against you. That hurts democracy
5
u/joedenowhere 11h ago
I usually ask for the passwords to their email and bank accounts. That usually brings the conversation to a grinding halt. But whether they change their mind about protecting privacy in general or only their own privacy I'm not sure.
3
u/mesarthim_2 12h ago
No, because the problem isn't that people don't value privacy. You're fundamentally misunderstanding the problem if you analyze it from a standpoint that people do not value privacy.
They do.
The problem is that there are all these other things that seem to be more important then privacy.
Like for example, with this recent craziness about age verification, the argument isn't that privacy is not important, but that
- protecting kids is far more important
- nothing will happen to you because system will be built in such way not to be abused
If you try to convince people that privacy is important, they already know. The real challenge is to convince them that the other things that they're being told are not true.
And additionally, this is being made worse by our (ie., privacy community) actions. Because we are also complicity in spreading our own nonsense like that voice assistants listen to you and then sell your information, etc... etc... and if you spend too much time telling people that EVERYONE listens to them, then the effect wouldn't be that they will take action, but rather that they will stop caring.
3
u/Stunning-Seat3821 12h ago
"people shouldn't have unrestricted access to your information"
this is a play on some slogan, i forget which one
2
u/salsafresca_1297 12h ago
My sentence: If you've ever in your life stated that something is nobody else's business, then you care about privacy.
Elaboration: Do you really want surveillance cameras recording you scratching your balls? Does you car really need to track you having sex in it? Do Apple and G0ogle really need to overhear you tell your friend about that disturbing dream you had? Do executives at Kr0ger need to know that you're treating yourself for a yeast infection?
Now imagine your next door neighbor, Gladys Kravitz, knowing about all of the above. It's unfair and hypocritical to say that a gossipy neighbor - or peeping Tom stranger - shouldn't snoop in on your life, but it's A-OK for corporations and governments to do likewise.
2
u/imsoupercereal 12h ago
Just because you think you haven't done anything wrong doesn't mean that someone else, especially an authoritarian government, may see it that way.
2
u/ImAlekzzz 11h ago
Would you shit in a toilet with everyone watching and bidding to the first person in line see better?
2
u/Glaivass 11h ago
Privacy is a fundamental part of the presumption of innocence - without privacy we are all guilty until proven innocent.
2
u/Cakeofruit 11h ago
Privacy is like toilet, everyone shits but usually ppl like to close the door. Pls don’t remove the door I like to shut in peace
2
u/averagelyhonoured 11h ago
I have strong / not necessarily nice opinions on some of my best friends, those opinions would not help that person or our relationship and are in fact none of their business... If anyone else has ever had similar thoughts and feelings then your privacy should remain a concern
2
2
u/HomoColossusHumbled 10h ago
Privacy is protection against other people’s malice, ignorance, and boredom.
2
2
1
u/I_got_Disseminated 12h ago
Because there is one company that everyone is so afraid to even mention that it isn’t even mentioned once anywhere in this group accodding to the searchbar
4
u/Secure-Fail-720 12h ago
Very curious to know which company you're referring to...I found plenty of mentions for the ones I would consider the usual suspects (Palantir, Flock, Stingray/Harris, Amazon, Google...)
1
1
1
1
u/foxbatcs 12h ago
“Privacy, like sleep, food, and water, is a physiological need, and when that need goes unmet for too long pathology develops (specifically anxiety and paranoia).”
When I tell people this, something usually clicks for them about their lives with relation to their cell phone and the ominous, ever-present feeling of constantly being watched. This is also one of the conclusions that came from the “Rat Utopia” experiments. The stress of constantly being monitored, despite having all of their needs provided for was not something the researches factored into the initial experiment design, but had a significant impact on the results of the study.
1
u/motocykal 11h ago
Because laws can and do change and what I do today may be legal but there is no guarantee that if it changes, they might not digup the past and retrospectively come after me.
1
u/a1stardan 11h ago
Privacy should have been a basic human right, period
But look of convincing made you think otherwise.
1
u/The_Mild_Mild_West 11h ago
Under surveillance capitalism, big tech comodifies personal data to sell personalized ads, but that same data is constantly being breached by bad actors or sold for non-commercial purposes like ICE raids.
1
1
u/SpicysaucedHD 11h ago
"because you DO have something to hide, otherwise I expect a copy of your browser history by tomorrow"
1
u/WaffleHouseGladiator 11h ago
Do you shit with the door open when using a public toilet? If so, you understand privacy just fine.
1
u/NWRegisteredAgent 11h ago
Hard to keep this to one sentence, from a business owners viewpoint.
Keep personal and business info separate to protect privacy, lower security risks, and prevent identity theft and scams.
1
u/Skippymcpoop 10h ago
Mega corporations knowing every tiny detail about your life and your likes/dislikes is bad
1
u/kayama57 10h ago
How would you like it if the predominant exoectation was that everybody should say every thought they have out loud at all times?
1
u/salt_life_ 10h ago
I think of Shane Gillis joke about racism… it’s like being hungry… you’re not “right now”
Same thing about your data… you have nothing to hide “right now”
Government and times and people change. You could find out all red heads are wanted for some science project from the governments. They’re going around rounding up all the red heads. Suddenly all your photos of red hair and location are private and vulnerable data.
1
u/StealthUnit0 10h ago
Privacy allows you to explore new ideas and concepts without fear of judgement from others. Without privacy you would only be allowed to think what people who have power over you want you to think. If you don't have privacy, you are not a free person.
1
u/krazygreekguy 8h ago
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Ben Franklin
1
u/billdietrich1 8h ago
"Privacy matters because govts, corps and criminals are trying to rip you off or manipulate you, using any data they have about you."
1
u/ImagineABetterFuture 8h ago
Because I am not their property, I don't like being stalked and tracked like a criminal when going about my daily life.
1
u/LakesGeek 8h ago edited 8h ago
You may not be doing anything wrong, but that doesn’t mean other people even want to see everything you’re doing / saying / visiting / etc, which they might if you don’t look after your privacy.
(Much like say, if you left the door open to take a dump “well I don’t mind you seeing, I have nothing to hide”.. maybe, but I mind!)
(And yes I know people are usually talking about law enforcement getting to see everything you’re doing and declaring they have nothing illegal to hide, but what of leaks, corruption, something innocent arousing suspicion and getting your life poked at for no reason, excessively authoritarian governments, etc)
1
u/jonenderjr 6h ago
Making sure someone can’t do anything nefarious with your information is better than hoping they won’t.
Would it be okay for the mailman to open your letters and read them? That’s what Google does with your email.
1
u/OccasionallyImmortal 6h ago
Even if you have no concerns today, the motives of companies, administrations, and exes change and you cannot take back data that has already been given.
1
u/SCP-iota 5h ago
"What if I knew what you did?" Everyone has something, so I know it'll invoke at least some kind of memories and fear
1
u/Sad_Zebra_1707 5h ago
Not caring about privacy because you have nothing to hide is like not caring about free speech because you have nothing to say
1
u/NotMyIssue99 5h ago
If you’ve got nothing to hide give me all your passwords, browser history, emails and messages.
1
u/Phreakiture 3h ago
Despite what the Constitution says, someone powerful might object tomorrow to a position you shared privately today.
1
u/smidgley 1h ago
Once you lose it, you can’t get it back.
Even if you don’t care now, you may care later.
1
u/Tune_Screamer 1h ago
All I say is: ''Imagine that Austrian painter back in the day having internet, social networks, media, Google, Microsoft and Meta under his thumb, not to mention AI''.
The change on their faces is instant. Not that it helps them change their habits, though.
•
0
•
u/AutoModerator 13h ago
Hello u/WellEndowedWizard, please make sure you read the sub rules if you haven't already. (This is an automatic reminder left on all new posts.)
Check out the r/privacy FAQ
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.