Re:Why Privacy Matters
by violetgarden on Wednesday September 02, 2020 @12:16AM
(#24349929)
I found the anecdote really helpful too. Privacy almost feels like an instinctual desire, so I often have a hard time articulating why it’s important. The anecdote gave me a good example of how something that seems benign to disclose can be used to a terrible end. I actually wished the article continued on this path because it was so interesting to read about.
Two things struck me: the Jewish census and the human smugglers. I would have to look up the origin and intent of the census, but the moral is that the existence of such records put people in peril. As for the smugglers, the lesson is that trusted people can use that information to betray you.
How this relates to the modern world is an open question, but the author goes on to suggest parallels: governments persecuting entire peoples, trusted parties collecting data; and solutions: being able to inspect what our software does.