'Why should I care about privacy, I have nothing to hide" is one of the most harmful, narrow but yet common arguments put forward for this.<p>I <i>strongly</i> recommend people with viewpoints on either side of the argument to go read D. Solove's essay on the subject over at <a href="http://crysp.uwaterloo.ca/courses/pet/F07/cache/solove.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://crysp.uwaterloo.ca/courses/pet/F07/cache/solove.pdf</a> - it's quite short and a great read.<p>His "Understanding Privacy" work is a fantastic book which develops this and his other essays, and provides a great methodology for understanding the scope of - and breaking down the harm inherent in - modern privacy problems. I studied it for my Master's in Cyberlaw, and would highly recommend anyone with an interest in IT / cyberlaw / philosophy to track down a copy and read it.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Privacy-Daniel-J-Solove/dp/0674027728" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Privacy-Daniel-J-Solove/...</a>