I got someone to use Signal recently, because I don’t text outside of it. Last week, she asked me why that is. I sent this Bruce Schneier essay on the eternal value of privacy to someone who knows absolutely nothing about tech, and she understood.
I’m gonna try it again next time it comes up with someone else. I think this essay does a really good job of putting it into perspective, so I’m hoping this is the silver bullet I can continue to send when someone asks.
Overall, in general, I try to keep it in real world terms. Why do you close the door when you go to the bathroom? Why do you lock your doors? Why do you have curtains/blinds? etc., along with what some other intelligent people responded here.
Generally I’ve found the people who say this get privacy and secrecy confused. You close the door when you go to the bathroom because you want privacy, not because you have anything to hide. Everyone has a pretty good idea what you’re doing in there but you close the door anyways. Secrecy would be if you were cooking Meth in the bathroom and wanted to keep it a secret.
“The you won’t kind providing me with your full birth name, ss#, address, mother’s maiden name, bank account number, pin, computer login, phone login” etc, etc.
Let me scroll through your phone, see if there are some nice pictures or chats, the google search history, browser history… Uuh what’s that Lovense Buttplug App for? Do you have any medical conditions or mental health struggles? How do you approach people on Tinder? What’s your salary?
You unfortunately can’t teach something like this to someone who doesn’t even understand the consequences of it. Or care. Leading a horse to water n all that.
You unfortunately can’t teach something like this to someone who doesn’t even understand the consequences of it. Or care.
You can absolutely explain it and teach it and make people care. It’s just not easy.
I’ve only ever encountered uninformed “I have nothing to hide”-responses to equally lackluster throwaway explanations . It’s a very difficult and abstract topic, it doesn’t come naturally! Don’t treat privacy concerns as equivalent to pointing out dirt on someone’s clothes, treat it like calculus. Successfully conveying it requires time, conversation and didactics.
Yeah, that is the most common response I get. Not quite sure what the best approach to deal with that is.
“The rights we enjoy today may become illegal tomorrow”
Yeah, I tend to like that response, sometimes it works but people seem to think it would never happen here…
True, you just can’t reason with some ppl.
I got someone to use Signal recently, because I don’t text outside of it. Last week, she asked me why that is. I sent this Bruce Schneier essay on the eternal value of privacy to someone who knows absolutely nothing about tech, and she understood.
I’m gonna try it again next time it comes up with someone else. I think this essay does a really good job of putting it into perspective, so I’m hoping this is the silver bullet I can continue to send when someone asks.
Overall, in general, I try to keep it in real world terms. Why do you close the door when you go to the bathroom? Why do you lock your doors? Why do you have curtains/blinds? etc., along with what some other intelligent people responded here.
Thank you for that article, it is brief, to the point and easy to understand. I will try giving that to people in the future.
Generally I’ve found the people who say this get privacy and secrecy confused. You close the door when you go to the bathroom because you want privacy, not because you have anything to hide. Everyone has a pretty good idea what you’re doing in there but you close the door anyways. Secrecy would be if you were cooking Meth in the bathroom and wanted to keep it a secret.
That’s the right response!
“The you won’t kind providing me with your full birth name, ss#, address, mother’s maiden name, bank account number, pin, computer login, phone login” etc, etc.
Suddenly they’ll be worried about privacy.
send me a naked picture of yourself might work
Let me scroll through your phone, see if there are some nice pictures or chats, the google search history, browser history… Uuh what’s that Lovense Buttplug App for? Do you have any medical conditions or mental health struggles? How do you approach people on Tinder? What’s your salary?
Offer to install a security camera in their restroom, duh
Hah, fair enough, most people don’t seem to understand that it is so close to that though.
Better in every room, even the bathroom
“I too have nothing to hide but that doesn’t mean that it is something I want others to see”
“Can I please use your phone?” and then just start scrolling through their texts and pictures
Ask them when you can install the bug on their phoneline, open their mail and remove their bathroom door.
Worth a try, I suppose.
You unfortunately can’t teach something like this to someone who doesn’t even understand the consequences of it. Or care. Leading a horse to water n all that.
You can absolutely explain it and teach it and make people care. It’s just not easy. I’ve only ever encountered uninformed “I have nothing to hide”-responses to equally lackluster throwaway explanations . It’s a very difficult and abstract topic, it doesn’t come naturally! Don’t treat privacy concerns as equivalent to pointing out dirt on someone’s clothes, treat it like calculus. Successfully conveying it requires time, conversation and didactics.