I think I will put it this way: I have nothing that I want you to see - and be a victim to your twisted imagination.
In 17th century China, Qing emperors sometimes walked the markets dressed as commoners. One day, the emperor stood at a bookstall, reading quietly. A breeze turned the pages beside him.
A nearby poet saw this and joked:
“The wind can’t read, why turn the pages?”
He was later executed. History did not even record his name.
In Chinese, “wind” shares a character with “Qing”, the ruling dynasty.
Reference: https://tinyurl.com/4ment9ud
In Chinese, “wind” shares a character with “Qing”, the ruling dynasty.
I was perplexed by this because it doesn’t, but it turns out the intellectual said ‘清风’ — cool breeze, which has ‘Qing’ in it, not just a same sound but the very character for the dynasty. I’m not trying to absolve the stupid act, but this context is kinda important and words were often given more weight than they should in historic China, imo.
For anyone interested, this refers to Emperor Shizong who is the Yongzheng Emperor (13 December 1678 – 8 October 1735)
The best commentary I’ve ever heard on privacy was from the Girl in the movie Anon:
“It’s not that I have something to hide. I have nothing I want you to see.”
This to me encapsulates perfectly why everybody should want privacy.
My favorite version is: “I need privacy, not because my actions are questionable, but because your judgement and intentions are.”
Yeah that’s one of the best counter-arguments. The bathroom door or unlocked phone isn’t really a good example because that’s not the privacy issue those people need to be convinced they need.
The bathroom door analogy is kinda weird though.
Yes, I do have something to hide. Other people don’t need to see me wipe my ass. Normal people don’t even want to see that, because they have respect and decency. Weirdos who want to see that should not be allowed to. That’s why we have doors.
I’ll have to reuse that one.
Also “why do you have a door on your toilet”.
I wonder when “None of your business” left our general speech.
Since social media came about.
I’m inclined to agree.
It’s not your business, it’s our business
When cops killed folks for not showing 🛂
We’ve had real life examples recently why this take is stupid. All the women who posted they were pregnant or wanted to get an abortion in Texas, suddenly they got prosecuted for it when the law changed and there suddenly wasn’t a pregnancy anymore. You never know what’s legal now and tomorrow not.
IMO Snowden said it best; saying I’m against privacy because I have nothing to hide is like saying im against free speech because I have nothing to say.
It was also (Goebbels?) the Nazis who came up with that phrase.
Edit: Nazis (sic) came up with the “if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear” Not the rest!
Edit2: it was not they who invented it
My favorite was a bit from the wikipedia entry for “nothing to hide” which was since removed…
“you have nothing to hide? then pull down your pants and hand me your unlocked phone.”
I agree with the first part.
But just to correct you, Goebbels didn’t say that at any time. (Don’t think the Nazis either)
Indeed, the best attribution gives it to Upton Sinclair in 1917 and likely reflected anxieties of WW1, not WW2; Sinclair wasn’t saying it themselves, but attributing it to a government employee. This doesn’t disconnect them, but shows that WW1 was the common factor.
I’m not saying I’m right (or wrong), my source was Snowden too.
Exactly. ‘I have nothing to hide’ is the surrender of a free mind.
Privacy isn’t about hiding crimes. It’s about preventing power from knowing everything — before it decides what you’re allowed to think, say, or be.
This is the core of Chat Control 2.0: not protecting children, but normalizing total surveillance.
The lie is not just dumb. It’s the foundation of the new control.
I have nothing to hide
Let me get a good look of that butthole then
I like this better:
If you have nothing to hide, give me all your passwords.
Nothing to hide but the Epstein list.
I have plenty to hide. And imma keep hiding that shit.
Part of the freedom of expression should be the freedom to share. Or not share.
Trying to think of a relatable popculture argument against this:
Maybe there is nowhere to hide
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