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Privacy is the most important concept of our time

inre.me

121–130 of 226 posts

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#121

Not destroying our planet with GHG and rendering it inhospitable for millions of species, including humanity, is more important than a couple generations' data being spied on.

The model of global warming you believe in is hyperbolic and ascientific. No legitimate climate scientist is worried about "rendering the earth inhospitable".

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#122

If you think privacy is the major concern of most people then no offence, but you've had a pretty privileged life. I doubt it's even the major concern of most people in Western countries due to unemployment, poverty, debt etc. let alone developing nations which have the real risk of actual famine and so on.

Interesting comment. What is the argument you're trying to make? I am from a western country, and I do see privacy as one of the most important concepts of our time. And I do feel privileged that I am in such a position that I can think of it. Especially since privacy is so easily traded in poorer countries for needs like internet and communication. Yes these problems as famine and unemployment need attention they do. But in the meantime, privacy needs a lot of attention too. And like Europe started with GDPR it paves a way for other countries to follow or draw inspiration. It's not one or the other. And to be honest I am happy that I can ask these questions before it takes a larger hold on society. And again, yes we need to help other countries with those issues.

When those nations are solved from their immediate problems, they will also need to deal with privacy and these ethical questions. We just have a head start and we can already ask the the questions and find solutions for it.

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#123

If you think privacy is the major concern of most people then no offence, but you've had a pretty privileged life. I doubt it's even the major concern of most people in Western countries due to unemployment, poverty, debt etc. let alone developing nations which have the real risk of actual famine and so on.

What matters is not how much people care about it but rather how much it shapes our lives every day, how much it shapes the geopolitical landscape, and how much of a negative influence it threatens to have over us all.

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#124

If you think privacy is the major concern of most people then no offence, but you've had a pretty privileged life. I doubt it's even the major concern of most people in Western countries due to unemployment, poverty, debt etc. let alone developing nations which have the real risk of actual famine and so on.

Yes, you may have a pretty privileged live. In my opinion your obligated to think and care about such things, when you have a privileged live. I don't expect a poor 3rd world family to save privacy or the climate--but I expect it from people who have the luxury to spend time on these issues. Everyone will get reckt by lacking privacy or the collapsing climate if we don't do something about it.

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#125
I think this essay conflates the notion of privacy and property and goes off the rails from there. I get what he's trying to say, but I don't think it has much to do with the the ordinary sense of the word privacy. If he's saying that the boundary between the individual and the collective is a core social construct, then, sure. But there are other, much better discussions of that topic, going back thousands of years.

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#126
post #98
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The title uses the word "concept", you're replacing it with "concern" - the two words mean different things

Did you click on the article? Quoting from the top of the landing page, "It [privacy] concerns the very fabric of society." Writing about privacy as a concept isn't nearly the same thing as trying to draw legitimate concern to an important issue. An important issue, but inarguably neither the most pertinent concept or concern of our time - currently.

I did. That part doesn't prop it up as the most important concern.

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#127
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same you can say about global warming. Is this immediate threat? This year? Next year? In 10 years? Violation of privacy might lead to the situation that someone will be unemployed forever because of something that he or she wrote 20 years ago on Facebook or employees managed to fetch data that a person was depressed, has many kids, etc. Massive abuse of privacy will lead sooner or later to some kind corporate versio…

It's not about immediacy of it, privacy will never be high priority to someone whose very day to day existence is uncertain and/or who already lives in a system with much worse human rights abuses, corruption and injustices (and that describes a big part of the developing world). Not saying that it's not the real threat, but it's the 1st world type of priority for many...

It's an immediate threat because it is (via their credit score, health records, criminal record) being used to repress them.

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#128

If you think privacy is the major concern of most people then no offence, but you've had a pretty privileged life. I doubt it's even the major concern of most people in Western countries due to unemployment, poverty, debt etc. let alone developing nations which have the real risk of actual famine and so on.

Yes, and in my casual discussions across the US over the last few years:

Health care -- it's too expensive

Wages -- Working a 40 and being able to make it in a reasonable, modest way.

Environment -- Things are changing rapidly, risk goes up, cost goes up

People are concerned about privacy, and it's important, but basic life is well above it on the radar.

Your comment seconded, the point being "most important" is very highly debatable, depending on what one may be experiencing.

And I would add, improvements on all those fronts would free people to get more involved, and that may well impact how well we can address privacy.

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always wondered how people who advocate for more open borders justify their position. Could you expand? Naively I would think regulating borders is an essential function in maintaining rule of law - undocumented workers are fodder for exploitation. But I'm honestly open to being wrong.

Of course you could always document them.

God be praised i like the thought of what you say in this: in essence if people want to come into the country and abide by the laws it is a good thing for the country.

Now in terms of documenting people and this may be your original intent, to allowing them to work for a while, protecting somehow well, i think that there should be a good process for this. While i am in favor of giving good forms of asylum and aid, i am not convinced about any extreme like having totally open borders with immediate citizenship. This should be a process of at least 8 or more years i think. A process i see that would take into account a problem such as the following for world as it is:

I am concerned that if people entering into the country do so with the mindset of overturning their laws, to the disfavor of current citizens in it.

So on one hand those who open borders could desire to have a set of laws that are selfish towards their party (and no human party is totally unselfish), and gain votes by doing so in order to pass laws that may not benefit the current majority and perhaps even what is truly morally beneficial.

Further concerning, when we have a nation that has traditionally been both Democratic and Judeo-Christian, receiving and sponsoring an influx of we could say Muslim people who may express desire to gain a majority and could vote to impose thing like Sharia law.

From my impression the treatment and persecution seen in countries where there is a Muslim or most other majority towards Christians (or even their own people) is worse in forcing them to behave contrary to their principles than the Christian majority nations to Muslims.

God is good, sorry, i was just attempting to write a short reply about it being an interesting comment and then found these issues to wrestle with. Guidance un to Jesus Christ be to us all.

Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time

#130

I wanted to like this essay, because I also worry about the loss of privacy today, but the goofy paragraph about borders turned me off. To believe that borders are conducive to peace sounds like a bad case of internet-brain.

I've always wondered how people who advocate for more open borders justify their position. Could you expand? Naively I would think regulating borders is an essential function in maintaining rule of law - undocumented workers are fodder for exploitation. But I'm honestly open to being wrong.

> ... undocumented workers are fodder for exploitation

There are a number of good arguments for stopping undocumented workers but I don't think "keeping them from being exploited" is a very good one. Most undocumented workers in the US come from countries where their next best alternative is being exploited by cartels.

A much better solution is to overhaul our immigration system to make it effortless to get immigrants on the books and paying into our system while we deal with the much harder problem of finding them a forever home

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