Episode 138 - People care about well-being more than privacy or freedom.
Added 2023-08-16 13:38:01 +0000 UTCAnd maybe it's for the better?
Comments
Here is another great quote from Glenn Greenwald from the same speech that I quoted above: "when somebody not just is being watched but thinks that they might be watched, they make much different behavioral choices. The range of available options to you for what you choose to do as a free human being is significantly reduced when you think that you're being watched. When you think you're being watched, the choices that you make are the by-product not of your own autonomy, and agency, and individuality, but the by-product of what you think societal expectations are of you, or what orthodoxy demands of you. And that's the reason that a surveilled society, a watched society, is incredibly compliant, and submissive, and obedient, and meek. It's the reason that every tyrant, from the most overt and violent to the pettiest and most subtle, crave surveillance because it keeps people in line. And so even if you think that you're not someone that has things to hide, just the fact that you live in a world in which everything that you do is susceptible to being watched, and monitored, and reported radically changes the freedom available to you and what it means to be a free individual. And that is something that, whether we recognize it or not, is a huge damage that is inflicted upon us from surveillance." I agree with him that surveillance "radically changes the freedom available to you and what it means to be a free individual." And the last part, where he says that a "huge damage is inflicted upon us from surveillance" is something that I think really drives his point. Surveillance is harmful, and so again, I would argue that privacy is an important part of a person's well-being.
night
2023-09-21 06:34:47 +0000 UTCSomething that I've heard Michael Bazzell say in his podcast, and I'm pretty he's mentioned it in his books, is that getting and maintaining privacy is exhausting. It's something that people need to do for their entire lives. At the same time, it is important to take care of yourself mentally so that you can continue living your life, and so that you don't get burned out with the whole privacy thing. In my opinion, no matter how exhausting it might be, I think it's worth it to have some privacy. I believe that autonomy is essential for true happiness, and there is no true autonomy without privacy. Glenn Greenwald said it pretty well (I think this is a quote from a speech he gave at the University of Utah): "Privacy is a critical part of what it means to be a free adult. A place to go, where people cannot judge us or monitor us, or keep track of what it is that we are doing, and thinking, and saying. Which is another way of saying that having a private realm, a place that you can go where nobody watches you, is critical because it's the place in which human creativity, and individuality, and dissent, and the opportunity to explore exclusively reside." I would argue that privacy is an important part of a person's well-being. I know it's a very important part my own personal well-being.
night
2023-09-21 06:32:54 +0000 UTCThere are different risk levels involved in different threats. In your example the risk is not obvious while tradeoffs to be made are comparable to information one have to try concealing when registering a loyalty card in a convenience store. The said store will likely put your PII like name + phone number on a WinXP potato grade hardware running in a closet and then lose it all in a lazy attack. Then it will end up in hands of voice fishers who will bleed this poor guy's pockets dry. And of course he will then run to his local government representative screeching like "REEEEEE DO SOMETHING DO SOMETHING MAKE THEM STORE THE DATA CENTRALISED AND SECURE" instead of thinking before giving up his stuff for some 0.05% discount. You don't necessarily have to be economically free to mitigate at least the most immediate risks. Pareto principle works here too. Of course that means some things like telemetry mitigation would be to much of an expense for an average person. We gonna have to cope with that AND never stop looking for ways of mitigating those cheaper.
wurdfcon
2023-08-23 12:34:03 +0000 UTCIf you have to worry about how you are going to put food on the Table you wont care if the Appstore on your Phone stealing your Data. To change that you would first have to give them the Economic Freedom to worry about Privacy. Which isnt in the best interest of the Bourgeoisie.
Avnar
2023-08-17 23:07:37 +0000 UTC
