Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have 'Nothing to Hide'
In this much-discussed subject, I'm surprised that two huge points never arise:<p>1. The "if you have nothing to hide..." line is predicated on the <i>viewer</i> having final say about whether something is right/wrong, thus subordinating the subject to the viewer. This is repulsive to the notion of liberty as protected by the American "4th Amendment" right of freedom from governmental inspection without an adjudicated warrant. To wit: it's not that I have something to hide, it's that someone else is going to be obnoxious if they see it.<p>On a related but semantically distinct note...<p>2. Those pushing "if you have nothing to hide..." have suspect & ulterior motives. Their existence (income, job, power, prestige) <i>depend</i> on finding something "wrong". They are, by job description, hostile to me. If they derived nothing from inspecting others, they would not care whether anything was hidden or not. Remember: they seek the power to <i>punish</i>, not just what they find wrong, but what they cannot inspect. Your exposure nets you little, but gains them so much they want to reprimand you for any concealment.