Have you ever heard someone say, “Why do I need privacy if I have nothing to hide?” Or maybe you’ve even thought it yourself. This sentence reflects an idea we have about privacy: that it’s about hiding something bad, and if we have nothing to hide, we shouldn’t worry about privacy.
The idea of this blog is to challenge that kind of thinking. Let’s reflect on why we need privacy and how we’re losing it.
I recently read Data and Goliath, a book I highly recommend. I couldn’t stop reading it and finished it in a weekend. This book condensed many ideas I’d been reading or hearing about over the years and opened my eyes to new ways of thinking. That’s why I’d like to talk about some of the things that impacted me. If you want to dive deeper into these topics, I recommend reading the book.
We all know we’re not the same person when we’re at a public event, at work, at a restaurant with friends, with our partner, or alone. And I think that’s fine, it’s part of what makes us human.
The problem with our online interactions is that we struggle to differentiate between contexts. Even more so, things often get taken out of context and are misunderstood.
We’re also not the same person throughout the years. We are constantly evolving and changing our opinions. However, when we interact online, all of our interactions are stored indefinitely. This can create a sense of obligation to be consistent, which makes us more resistant to change. We tend to build a static identity online. You can read more about this idea of online identity in this article: Human identity: the number one challenge in computer science.
In general, our conversations used to be ephemeral, existing only in the minds of those who participated in them. But now, as we interact via services owned by corporations, all these conversations and interactions are stored indefinitely and contribute to our online profile. But what happens when that profile is built, not by us, but by corporations or governments?
I’m not here to accuse any company or government since I don’t feel I’ve researched enough to speak on the matter (although if you're interested in this topic, I recommend looking into Edward Snowden's leaks about the U.S. surveillance program). But it’s inevitable to wonder: What happens to our data, which is constantly collected by companies and governments?
We’ve gotten very used to free services like social media. But if we’re not paying, who is? One of the main revenue sources for these platforms is advertising companies that gain access to our information. Essentially, we’re paying with our data.
The result? Several companies know us better than we know ourselves. We often have a more intimate relationship with our search engine than with many people, we ask it about our concerns, fears, and interests. That information is used to influence our decisions and is sold to the highest bidder.
A curious example is DNA analysis services. Right now, maybe not much can be done with our genetic information, and it might be fun to do this kind of analysis (I even considered it at one point). But can we trust that our genetic data will be safe in the hands of for-profit companies? Who knows what could be done with our genetic information in the future, who will be interested in buying it, and what they will do with it. We can take it for granted: it will be sold to the highest bidder.
Governments also store too much data about us. They promise it’s done in the name of security. By spying on us, they can might catch criminals and prevent tragedies. But as a U.S. Congressman said, “It’s like scooping up the entire ocean to guarantee you catch a fish”. We need to spy on specific targets, not the entire population.
Privacy is something we value more when we lose it than when we have it. Let’s do a thought experiment: imagine the government passes a law requiring all citizens to carry a GPS tracking device to know our location at all times. This would surely anger many people. However, we’re already doing this voluntarily: our phones are transmitting our location constantly. And that data is (most likely) accessible to governments.
More and more of our interactions are happening online, meaning we need a new way to communicate, with privacy as a fundamental principle. We can’t use current technology, which stores all our interactions to potentially use against us in the future when the rules of the game change.
We need a place where we can talk, debate, share ideas, and protest without being watched, where security and privacy are priorities.
If we feel like we’re being watched, we avoid talking about sensitive topics. This fear is the enemy of freedom; it intimidates us. We don’t question authority; we become obedient, submissive, and conformist. But without stepping outside the norm, progress is impossible. Many freedoms we take for granted today were once seen as threatening or even criminal by past power structures.
Perhaps blockchain could help us with this. However, this technology is based on the idea that everything is public, which is the principle it operates on. Fortunately, recent years have seen many advancements in privacy research. I’d highlight the importance of Zero Knowledge Proofs, which you can read more about online.
The Privacy and Scaling Explorations group, part of the Ethereum Foundation, among other things, creates open-source solutions with privacy in mind, allowing people to choose what to share, how, when, and where. You can read more about them and their projects on their website: https://pse.dev/en
Aztec is also working toward privacy. It’s an Ethereum Layer 2 that puts privacy at its core. You can read more about them on their website: https://aztec.network/
There are several stories of U.S. companies being asked by the government to introduce vulnerabilities, known as backdoors, into their products to facilitate surveillance (again, I recommend looking into Snowden and the leaks about U.S. surveillance).
A serious issue is that those backdoors can be used not only by the government but also by anyone who discovers them. I recently came across an article about how a group of hackers intercepted communications in the U.S. using a backdoor required by the FBI. Highly recommended reading: Foreseeable Outcomes.
Introducing these vulnerabilities facilitates espionage for everyone, not just those who are supposed to use them “for the common good.”
It’s clear that we need tools that allow us to communicate privately and securely. But doesn’t this make it easier for criminals to operate?
This was a moral dilemma I had for a while, until I came across the idea that technology is neutral. If we blame encrypted services because criminals use them, we should also blame those who build bridges because thieves use them to escape.
The infrastructure of our society can be used for both good and evil. Innocent people and criminals alike use phones, public services, and the internet.
The most important thing we can do is talk about these issues. We cannot let our right to privacy be forgotten. The best way to defend it is by remembering why it’s important. Privacy is not a luxury; it’s a fundamental human right. It’s about having control over how we present ourselves to the world.
Let’s not make the mistake of thinking we’re too deep into surveillance to get out, that nothing can change. Each small victory counts. You can get some resources on how to be more private online here.
Just as we look back on the past and can’t believe our ancestors ignored environmental pollution, our descendants will look at the society we are today and won’t believe how much we ignored privacy.
Some countries are already implementing regulations and products designed with privacy in mind. Let’s discuss these topics, stay aware, and not let them go unnoticed.