Nothing to Hide

In response to surveillance, the NSA, and privacy debates, I've been one of those to utter the common refrain that I've got nothing to hide, and I really like the idea that maybe I'm safer than ever.  But maybe I should reconsider . . .

Check out this essay in The Chronicle of Higher Education, "Why Privacy Matters Even if you have 'Nothing to Hide'" by professor of law Daniel J. Solove, George Washington University. 

In response to the "nothing to hide, nothing to worry about" notion, he comments:

• So do you have curtains? Can I see your credit-card bills for the last year? 
• If you have nothing to hide, that means you are willing to let me photograph you naked. And I get full rights to that photograph-so I can show it to your neighbors.

Instead of  “nothing to hide”which implies guilt, maybe we should protect our right to privacy.  Although I may not have anything to hide, I do have things that are no one else's business.

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Now, for some fun ~
Thanks to Dan for forwarding this to me . . .

Answers to questions directed to the NSA regarding collection of Verizon phone records:

1. Will I be charged extra for this service?

No. While the harvesting and surveillance of domestic phone calls were not a part of your original Verizon service contract, the National Security Agency is providing this service entirely free of charge.

2. If I add a phone to my account, will those calls also be monitored?

Once again, the answer is good news. If you want to add a child or any other family member to your Verizon account, their phone calls—whom they called, when, and the duration of the call—will all be monitored by the United States government, at no additional cost.

3. Can the National Security Agency help me understand my Verizon bill?

Unfortunately, no. The National Security Agency has tried, but failed, to understand Verizon’s bills. Please call Verizon customer service and follow the series of electronic prompts.