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How do you reply to people saying "i have nothing to hide?" (lemmy.ml)

submitted 4 days ago by JettuhGlowie@lemmy.ml to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Whenever i talk to people about privacy, specifically my friends when i tell them why i switched to Signal and stopped using WhatsApp, i'm always met with people saying that i'm just making no sense and "why would you care so much if you have nothing to hide? I don't care that meta sees that stuff" and some people are just so stubborn to understand that they might even settle on the "what would a billion dollar company want from me specifically?". It makes me mad how people refuse to even consider alternatives and open their mind a bit. What do you think?

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[–] garth@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 days ago

If you want to be glib: "Okay then, unlock your phone and hand it to me. Also, tell me your home address, your daily route to and from work, and your last three girlfriends. Don't worry; you can trust that nobody will ever abuse this access to your life and past, because you have nothing to hide."

Even if you "have nothing to hide," a malicious or uncaring actor can use your information to disrupt your life or cause you harm. Police agencies go after the wrong people. Crazy people stalk others. Blackmailers look for opportunities to extort victims. As Cardinal Richelieu supposedly said, "give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I'll find enough to hang him."

Google/Facebook/whatever private entity are not innocent. They will happily sell information about you to whoever is willing to pay. Government agencies subpoena data from them, too.

Wikipedia has an easy entry to further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument