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Why is online privacy so important? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Firstly, I'm not against privacy or anything, just ignorant. I do try to stay pretty private despite that.

I wanted to know what type of info (Corporations? Governments? Websites??) Typically get from you and how they use it and how that affects me.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Why do you need curtains on your windows?

To make sure the whole world isn't just a window for the HR department. I can have "dissident" views, or just talk trash with my friends, and not get fired since it wasn't at the office.

To make sure real dissidents (from totalitarian countries) can express their political views.

So a lady can send her husband feet pics without some secret agent spy gawking at them too.

So I can share my family's secret BBQ sauce recipe with my cousin without Arby's stealing it (they have eyes everywhere).

But these are all specific things. The truth is that we simply cannot trust institutions with all our data. I don't need a reason for privacy. They need a reason to have my info. Security is a legit reason to seek citizens' info, generally, but you should need a specific security-related reason to access a specific person's data.