Privacy has many meanings and connotations depending on who you ask and how far along the path to liberty and self sovereignty they are. The dictionary defines it as “someone’s right to keep their personal matters and relationships secret”, but it goes a lot deeper than that.
A great example that will make even the most ardent pro surveillance advocate think twice is, imagine that while you are having a conversation with a family member or friend in your living room you have a government employee sitting right there with a notepad taking notes of everything you say. Even though you are not saying anything that might be considered illegal you would feel like this is an invasion and an overreach that will make you uncomfortable.
Usually people’s reaction to the lack of privacy is that if you have nothing to hide, then you shouldn’t care. This completely misses the point and justifies both governments and private corporations to poke into your life with no repercussions.
It is very interesting how you see new laws being passed that claim to protect consumer rights to privacy, only to then turn around and attempt to ban encryption which is one of the main tools that can be used to protect yourself.
Fear is a great weapon when injected into people’s minds, it will grow like an out of control wildfire and will keep people cheering any measures which are implemented to “keep them safe”.
There is a great quote from Benjamin Franklin that says: “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety”. It is interesting how this applies so well to today where people are told that only criminals hide their activities and that any “good” citizen should follow the narrative and not only allow but encourage further attacks on personal liberties.
Society has become soft, there is no sense of personal responsibility. This manifests itself when any unplanned issue arises and people want someone else to fix their problems.
“Self responsibility is the core quality of the fully mature, fully functioning, self actualizing individual” (Brian Tracy).
It is sad when you see people blaming their problems on anything but themselves, which is the only real way to really get a grip and advance in life.
Privacy can and should be thought of as a natural human right which must be defended at all costs.
#privacy #asknostr #surveillance #freedom #cypherpunk
