I think that we should also demand laws requiring hardware manufacturers to implement physical switches for controlling the cameras and microphones of devices they produce. There are so many software exploits that nowadays no one could be sure whether her/his smartphone or laptop is not filming/listening to her/him when in private. It seems like an easy thing which can be done to improve privacy, but it seems like the governments all over the world are moving in the opposite direction as it was disclosed by Snowden.
Privacy is the most important concept of our time
151–160 of 226 posts
Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time
#152Some interesting thoughts in the article.
I definitely agree with the necessity of having clearly defined and apparent spaces of privacy on social media platforms and this is actually something I am working on developing.
It’s funny they mention that content posted to a public space should possibly be color-coded in red, because this is exactly what we do on our platform. We have three shareability control options: On/Off the platform (public) – labeled in red, On the platform (can be shared with others, but only others that are on the platform) – labeled in white, Unshareable (truly private, only the people you sent the message/post to can view that content) – labeled in green.
The app is called Omnii and is focused on allowing people to own and control their data. The app is currently in Beta on the Google Play Store if anyone is interested :)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.twistedapp...
Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time
#153Skipping the semi-clickbait title. I like how the author goes into a deeper analysis of the concept, but I, too, don't agree with stressing the privacy-freedom of speech link. Privacy is about denying other people the information that they may use to obtain power over you in some way. This may include politics, but mainly the personal things that shouldn't concern other people at all. Being able to say anything contr…
I am the original author. I don't disagree with anything you said here, but it does not seem it contradicts what I am trying to say. Probably my article was a bit unclear on this point. The connection between freedom of speech and privacy was just an example of how privacy affect other rights, too. I used it because I did not want to be too abstract. I used just one example, because I did not want to write too much o…
> I don't disagree with anything you said here, but it does not seem it contradicts what I am trying to say. Probably my article was a bit unclear on this point.
Maybe, maybe not: it always also depends on your reader how your message is read :) I only wanted to point out that the broad freedom of speech debate is by itself very complex nowadays. People have different stances, even if they think themselves broadly liberal (in the political science sense). I think there's some value in keeping the cause of privacy mostly unbundled from all this mess in the public conversation. This is a strategic opinion, not some profound philosophical disagreement, I think.
(I certainly see the problem that it's hard to show to many people convincingly, in their face, the importance of privacy. It's an abstract thing, like freedom or equality.)
Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
at the very least, the speaker should probably have to indicate in some way that what they're saying is private. like if I invite you into my home and we have a discussion about the best brand of kitchen sponge, you shouldn't automatically be prohibited from sharing my recommendation with others. > If I was flat out telling my family I didn't like race X and wished that religion Y could be outlawed, and then shared i…
> perhaps it's because I'm privileged, but I don't really see how this is a problem? does it really matter if someone holds abhorrent beliefs privately if everything they do in public (and at their job) is consistent with their publicly espoused views? If somebody has both expressed abhorrent views and made deceptive statements, why on earth would one assume they could be trusted to only act in accordance with their…
that's not quite an answer to the question I asked. people don't always behave in a way that's consistent with the privately or publicly held beliefs, and I think it would be foolish to expect them to.
suppose you have a hiring manager that's secretly a racist, but nevertheless hires a diverse group of talented engineers because that's what's in their job description. doesn't it only become a problem if people find out?
Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time
#155This is a much more compelling piece and it is what brought me here this AM because it was an email in my inbox and if you haven't seen it, I think it gives good context for this piece (which is why I am sharing it, not to dis this piece): Social Cooling https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24627363 From this article: Privacy is about boundaries. It is not about hiding something from someone but allowing to create a…
I saw an interview with Jerry Seinfeld once and the interviewer asked him something like, "What's your most memorable interaction with a fan?"
He described a moment when he was in a tiny midwest town, walking down the sidewalk, and a fella passed him and said, "Hi Jerry." very casually and kept walking. He said that was the greatest thing ever.
- - - -
You're right that "something" is threatened. I once tried to offer to help people quit smoking on a "quit smoking" support forum and my God did they ever give me hell for it. I'm sure that if it had been IRL I might have been in physical danger.
I had found a technique that helped me quit smoking and I wanted to try it out with other people. The folks on the forum were outraged. Howling mad. They called me a scammer and worse, and clucked to each other about "how dare he?", and basically did their best to make me feel like shit.
It was shocking, I was shocked.
I can't imagine (despite being something of a "fringe" character) what it would be like for a major portion of your life to fall into the burn-the-heretic category. You have my sympathy! Hang in there! "Don't let the turkeys get you down!"
Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time
#156I 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.
> To believe that borders are conducive to peace sounds like a bad case of internet-brain.
There's an old saying about this: "Good Fences make Good Neighbors". A fence (border) make it easy to say "you can't plant that tree there."
Borders (largely) define where one government can affect resources claimed by another government. For example, it would suck if it was easy for the US to send loggers into Canada's forests because the US claims that those forests belong to them. A border makes it clear that "forest X is within Canada's borders, and thus belongs to Canada".
The location of the border may still be disputed, but it simplifies a lot of other interactions.
On the flip side, borders also make it easier to create accountability for a resource (like who maintains roads near/between countries).
Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you saying that privacy should be trade for less poverty, less unemployment, less debt, etc? Lot of people do not have the luxury to focus on privacy concerns, the same way lot of people do not have the luxury to care or focus on climate issues. Does that make privacy and climate concerns something reserved for "people with privileged life"? It seems quite clear to me that's not the case. They are both a concern…
No, it doesn't mean privacy is a luxury. It means privacy is less important than those things.
Caring about privacy is the luxury. Not privacy itself, neither does it imply that privacy is less important. Just that people who have to care about more urgent dangers won't always have to capacity to take in account something like privacy issues. But these people still deserve of privacy, and we should try to build solution that embrace both privacy AND helping them with their unemployment, poverty, or other more urgent issue.
Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time
#158Climate Change is.
Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time
#159Earlier 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.
> ... 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 immigrant…
> A much better solution is to overhaul our immigration system
Why not instead fix this problem?
> Most undocumented workers in the US come from countries where their next best alternative is being exploited by cartels.
Re: Privacy is the most important concept of our time
#160I 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.
I've always wondered how people who advocate for
more open borders justify their position.
Mind you, my position isn't "open all borders now, and damn the consequences!" It's a goal for the world to work towards, not something that we can do without accounting for economics, law, and xenophobia.