So much for "don't be evil".
It seems like he's actually telling you, the user, not to be evil. Sad.
Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
31–40 of 172 posts
Re: Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
#32reminds me of this riff on privacy by Bruce Schneier from a few years back addressing the same notion that Schmidt is quoted here to believe http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/05/the_value_of_p...
Privacy protects from abusive power, and privacy protects from irrational judgment: true but incomplete. Privacy allows us to tolerate these problems - rather than being forced to confront them. That may not be a good thing.
Re: Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
#33My corollary: if you have something to hide, and doing it is a good or neutral thing, then you have identified a bug in society. You probably ought to fix that.
I would rather hide, thank you. In a fight between me and the world, my bet is on the world.
Who else does the good/neutral thing? Make common cause with them.
Re: Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
#34In twenty years, does privacy still exist? What about in a hundred?
I'm definitely not a fan of exposing data that people wish to keep private. It seems conceivable, though, that privacy is an idea that won't survive time and technology.
Re: Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
#35My corollary: if you have something to hide, and doing it is a good or neutral thing, then you have identified a bug in society. You probably ought to fix that.
Cf: wikileaks
Re: Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
#36We need a privacy contract similar to Richard Stallman's GNU General Public License. Something standard that both parties can quickly understand and agree to. Idea: A new competing search engine could release a General Privacy Agreement along with their search service.
If only search engines weren't expensive to launch and run... it's about making the money back.
Re: Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
#37"If you have something to hide, maybe you shouldn't be doing it" is valid not only in the context of net privacy but much more so as a general rule.
Do you close the door when you go to the bathroom?
Re: Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
#38I'd like Eric Schmidt to publicly release his search history, both his work-related and private searches.
At least he is telling you that all your searches are forwarded to the authorities under the patriot act.
The cell phone companies haven't got round to warning you that your phone's location is given to the police 8million times.
Re: Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
#39"This seems backward. Almost certainly, there is something wrong with you if you don't think things you don't dare say out loud."
Re: Eric Schmidt: "If you have something [to hide], maybe you shouldn't be doing it"
#40I don't quite understand why this recent trend has started, but things are showing up on HN that were on Reddit a few days ago.
3 days ago in this case.
http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/ab8jt/googles_ce...
It's like a very slow echo.