[extropy-chat] privacy rights

[Samantha Atkins]

On May 12, 2006, at 10:38 PM, spike wrote:

>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat-
>> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Olga Bourlin
>> Sent: Friday, May 12, 2006 8:08 PM
>> To: ExI chat list
>> Subject: Re: [extropy-chat] privacy rights
>>
>> From: "spike" <spike66 at comcast.net>
>> ...  Having a baby on the way does change one's perspective on  
>> openness.
>>
>> How, Spike?
>>
>> Olga
>
> I am an openness advocate because I am in some ways a special case:  
> I have
> nothing in my past I want to hide.  (Except perhaps my ExI posts.   
> {8^D)
> Likewise my wife has nothing that requires privacy, but while an  
> openness
> advocate, I do not wish to peer into other people's privacy.  I can  
> think of
> a zillion perfectly legitimate reasons for not being open.  While I  
> may sign
> up for openness, young Isaac may not.  My openness compromises his  
> privacy.
> I don't yet know if he will be a privacy fanatic; he isn't born yet.

Nothing to hide?  Are you sure you have never violated any of the  
many tens of thousands of laws on the books?  Are you sure you have  
never called or associated with anyone that may be now or ever under  
federal suspicion?  No?   Then you had best think much more deeply if  
your basis for being for being watched and surveilled increasingly  
continuously is that you "have nothing to hide".

If our government goes ever more draconian, paranoid and power mad  
than it arguably already is then I would suspect that all of us would  
have more and more things we would not like to have it aware of.   
Things like our thoughts, our opinions, our associations, our  
business dealings, our banking records.  Yes, many of these things we  
lost control of already but it can certainly get worse and will if  
enough of the people say "well, I have nothing to hide".  That isn't  
the point and never was the point.

> For instance, I cannot be certain I never blammisphied online any  
> religion
> that could have adherents who may akbar a knife between my ribs at any
> future date.  I think all my blammisphy has been restricted to the  
> common
> domestic varieties of religion, but I honestly cannot recall.

You would do better to fear your government.  It is far more likely  
to do you serious  harm.  However, one of things privacy is important  
for is precisely to keep any busybodies from taking objection to and  
seriously threatening your life and security.  So the underlying  
point is well taken.

- samantha