Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why was this secret?

sivers.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 219 posts

Re: Why was this secret?

#61

Post by amirmc »

jacalata wrote: post #47
jfoutz wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, the information asymmetry is what's upsetting. Everyone's location data being free and public seems, well, ok to me. But no exceptions for any reason.

Really? You think that, for instance, someone trying to leave an abusive partner doesn't have more reason to want their whereabouts unknown than someone with no psychotic acquaintances? Someone who turned state's witness against their drug dealer friends?

Let's flip that around. The key point would be "everyone's location ... No exceptions". Then you'd know if that abusive partner was approaching you (and call relevant authorities). The dealers would probably also be known without needing a witness. Of course, we'd also know who was sleeping with whom and when.

It's an interesting thought experiment to imagine such a world but for it to be viable, society would have to have very different views on a lot of things.

Re: Why was this secret?

#62

Post by Peaker »

JimboOmega wrote: post #12
Qantourisc wrote: post #4

"So if someone is going through my private things, for example, and gets upset about what they find, then that’s their problem, not mine!” Must agree... until someone makes it your problem, by social standards, laws, or anything else they can use to make your life harder.

My thoughts almost exactly. It's all fine until you wind up on some sort of watchlist because of something "someone" found, and then travelling by air is a nightmare. I'm not sure why, exactly, we decided that people we don't like but we can't pin any crimes on are punished by having limited access to air travel, but that's how it is! On a related and more personal note, I once got in a large amount of trouble for a…

If finding a job isn't difficult for you, would you stay?

I wouldn't stay for a company that shows such contempt for its employees and such incompetent waste of everybody's time.

Re: Why was this secret?

#63

Post by natch »

Is Sivers really suggesting that just because she was OK with him reading the diary, she would be OK with anyone reading it? That seems like a highly naive assumption.

And seriously, this is your entire project list? "Everything is listed..." As a programmer and someone who sees how other programmers work, I am not buying it.

Please don't lecture us on secrets with weak false examples. It comes off as disingenuous.

Re: Why was this secret?

#64

Post by neura »

andrewfong wrote: post #49

"We got two ciders and she patiently waited while I spent 20 minutes reading through it. Pages filled with words about processing family drama, formulating goals, plans for life changes, romantic details, lists of regrets, contemplations, etc." "I was surprised it was all meaningless to me. These pages meant the world to her, but to me they meant no more than any non-secret conversation we’d ever had. It was the same…

This is mostly how i feel about it. With the addition that, there's a big difference between a friend asking to read your diary (who, we'll note, was not in the diary, as he pointed out) and a friend (or anybody) asking to distribute your diary to the public. I think that's the main thing most other people are commenting on as well. There are many levels of private and making something public is not the same as making it publicly accessible.

Re: Why was this secret?

#65

Post by jaynos »

Lagged2Death wrote: post #40
samstave wrote: post #7

> "I was surprised it was all meaningless to me. These pages meant the world to her, but to me they meant no more than any non-secret conversation we’d ever had. It was the same stuff that we all think. " Uh - yeah this is completely naive. Here is why; the informatin is meaningless to you only if you are not looking to manipulate, exploit, blackmail or have the upper hand of the person holding the secrets . This is…

If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him. -- Often attributed to Cardinal Richelieu

"Often attributed"...I like that hedge.

Re: Why was this secret?

#66

Post by enraged_camel »

No one cares about other people's family drama. But if Valerie led a secret life as a private escort or ran a sex-cam operation from her bedroom to make ends meet, I doubt she would be OK with Derek reading about them.

Re: Why was this secret?

#68

Post by soneca »

ZoFreX wrote: post #44
m0nastic wrote: post #34

I can't even imagine about what privacy is going to look like in 20 years, or how society will adapt to deal with it. What seems missing from his thought experiment is how to address privacy for things that concern more than just a single participant. I don't particularly worry about my individual privacy, or care about securing my things. If someone managed to get a hold of my email, I wouldn't be very put out. I do…

> I can't even imagine about what privacy is going to look like in 20 years, or how society will adapt to deal with it. You might like the book "The Light of Other Days"!

Aldo the webcomic Private Eye. Google it, you will find it interesting

Re: Why was this secret?

#69

Post by memracom »

coldtea wrote: post #56
blah32497 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reasons for privacy are always so contrived. "Dystopian futures", "enemies trying to ruin lives" etc. etc. It never resonates with me. I think what the author is trying to say is that if you live an open life with few secrets, then your life will be less stressful. He's encouraging us to really reevaluate what we keep secret b/c when you sit down to think about it, it's most likely all in your head.

> The reasons for privacy are always so contrived. "Dystopian futures", "enemies trying to ruin lives" etc. etc. It never resonates with me. That's because you're an average Joe. And even you, you use a pseudonymous account name here on HN. Now think of all the lives of change-makers, dissidents, activists etc that were fucked up with the use of such private information (from their sexual preferences to who they meet…

Rumor has it that President Obama met with the dictator Raul Castro recently. If only there was a photo of that meeting, it would destroy his career!

Re: Why was this secret?

#70

Post by BHSPitMonkey »

amirmc wrote: post #61
jacalata wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? You think that, for instance, someone trying to leave an abusive partner doesn't have more reason to want their whereabouts unknown than someone with no psychotic acquaintances? Someone who turned state's witness against their drug dealer friends?

Let's flip that around. The key point would be "everyone's location ... No exceptions". Then you'd know if that abusive partner was approaching you (and call relevant authorities). The dealers would probably also be known without needing a witness. Of course, we'd also know who was sleeping with whom and when. It's an interesting thought experiment to imagine such a world but for it to be viable, society would have t…

The abused wouldn't be able to track their abuser's allies without knowing who they all were.
Post reply on HN