Data privacy: how to counter the "I have nothing to hide" argument?

HandOfDoom@lemmy.world to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 491 points –

I know data privacy is important and I know that big corporations like Meta became powerful enough to even manipulate elections using our data.

But, when I talk to people in general, most seem to not worry because they "have nothing to hide", and most are only worried about their passwords, banking apps and not much else.

So, why should people worry about data privacy even if they have "nothing to hide"?

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I have nudes on my phone. I honestly don't care if they leak one day, in fact, I have been to nudist beaches and I'm pretty sure there are online pictures of me naked already.

That's completely different to showing naked pictures of me to colleagues, etc.

But if your photos leak, your colleagues could see them. Someone can blackmail you. Or do that using any other sensitive information.

But then I wouldn't be showing to them.

My problem is not they seeing me naked. My problem would be showing the photos directly to them. I mean when someone asks for my phone, im always like dont like at my photos, I have nudes, then some close friends have still go to my photos and then I dont care.

Indeed, it's quite rare to find someone who isn't concerned about their photos, messages, and other sensitive information potentially being leaked online. Good for you, though I don't believe it's representative. Even so, there are potential risks to consider. With the right information, someone could manipulate, blackmail, or coerce you without you even realizing it. Our brains are subject to numerous biases, making us susceptible to subtle manipulations. Knowing your traits and preferences allows one to tailor a persuasive message specifically to you. This strategy can be used to sell you anything, from a mobile phone to a politician. The implications of such tactics are significant, potentially affecting billions of people.

I couldn't care less if a few photos leaked. Nobody in my community would care, if they did I wouldn't care about them, and blackmail risk it's far overblown especially within the context of photos. You are far more likely to be exposed by an angry partner. Being afraid that Google had a rouge dick pic that might leak with thousands of others is absurd.

You're simplifying the issue down to a set of abstract photos that you claim not to care about, ignoring the broader implications. This tells me that you may not fully understand the complexity of our world, the ease with which you can be manipulated, and the potential consequences of such manipulation. The irony lies in the fact that you are essentially replacing my argument:

Knowing your traits and preferences allows one to tailor a persuasive message specifically to you. This strategy can be used to sell you anything, from a mobile phone to a politician. The implications of such tactics are significant, potentially affecting billions of people.

With your own:

Being afraid that Google had a rouge dick pic that might leak with thousands of others is absurd.

Then declaring it absurd. But in fact, it was your argument, not mine, that you characterized as such :)

👌👍 in just a poor confused boy who really doesn't understand the datalake and pressing systems he builds.

It never amazes me the ability of privacy advocates to just ignore what people care about and then go on to patronize someone by then just saying they don't understand.

Given that you completely ignore my arguments and replace my thesis with your, I'm inclined to think that you don't understand all implications and potential consequences. It's not like you've managed to disprove my point. You simply ignored it.

Moreover, the fact that you don't care about privacy doesn't mean that your data can't be used against you. It can be used, it is being used and it will be used in the future.