Good answer to "If you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be worried"

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Reading comments to stories like this one:

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/05/federal_source_.html

it starts to bother me more and more that so many people use
"I have nothing to hide, so i don't care" thing.

Bruce Schneier says in his blog:
"One of the problems we have in the privacy community is that we don't have a crisp answer to that question."
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/02/police_cameras.html

There are some suggestions in the comments (link above), my favourite being "Why are there padlocks at the lockers of the police changing rooms ?", but really, what would be a good answer to that?

― scnnr drkly (scnnr drkly), Thursday, 18 May 2006 16:29 (nineteen years ago)

Pet Shop Boys to thread!

― JimD (JimD), Thursday, 18 May 2006 16:32 (nineteen years ago)

the chief of police in a smallish arkansas town told me that once during questioning as i sat across from him in his office. he said, "if you haven't done nothin' you don't have nothin' to worry about." i replied, as calmly and businesslike as i could in order to mask my nervousness, "yes sir, i do because as soon as something happens again you'll come right back to me." fortunately, as far as i know, nothing happened and they didn't track me down again.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Thursday, 18 May 2006 17:50 (nineteen years ago)

Good answer? "Take off all your clothes."

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Thursday, 18 May 2006 17:51 (nineteen years ago)

There's only one answer, and it's a paraphrase of Jesus: "Everybody's done SOMEthing wrong."

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 18 May 2006 17:52 (nineteen years ago)

If you're being watched then you don't live in a free society.

― mcd (mcd), Thursday, 18 May 2006 18:03 (nineteen years ago)

i don't have something to hide, except ......... your mama!

― timmy tannin (pompous), Thursday, 18 May 2006 18:56 (nineteen years ago)

CROTCHKICK

― SQUARECOATS (plsmith), Thursday, 18 May 2006 18:57 (nineteen years ago)

I thought that it's because in the U.S. one is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty and not the other way around.

― patita (patita), Thursday, 18 May 2006 19:05 (nineteen years ago)

isn't the problem with having a "crisp answer" to this comment that the comment totally misses the point? any retort that grants the premise is a problem.

― horseshoe (horseshoe), Thursday, 18 May 2006 19:07 (nineteen years ago)

Whatever -- if anyone says this to you in person, just ask them to strip naked. Or strip naked yourself. C'mon, nobody has anything to hide, etc.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 18 May 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 18 May 2006 19:14 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know how he's so sure about the monkey, actually.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 18 May 2006 19:19 (nineteen years ago)

isn't the problem with having a "crisp answer" to this comment that the comment totally misses the point? any retort that grants the premise is a problem.

-- horseshoe (rosalind51...), May 18th, 2006.

DUUUUUUUUUUUUDE CROTCHKICK

― SQUARECOATS (plsmith), Thursday, 18 May 2006 19:28 (nineteen years ago)

heh. somehow I missed that. good call.

― horseshoe (horseshoe), Thursday, 18 May 2006 19:31 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.boingboing.net/images/monkeystealspeach.jpg

― TOMBOT (TOMBOT), Thursday, 18 May 2006 19:39 (nineteen years ago)

I thought that it's because in the U.S. one is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty and not the other way around.
-- patita (baitbai...), May 18th, 2006. (patita)

and

If you're being watched then you don't live in a free society.
-- mcd (srmcd...), May 18th, 2006. (mcd)

and

isn't the problem with having a "crisp answer" to this comment that the comment totally misses the point? any retort that grants the premise is a problem.
-- horseshoe (rosalind51...), May 18th, 2006. (horseshoe)

- agree with all of the above, but that's the problem - those people are willing to sacrifice some privacy for some safety (yes, i know about the infamous Franklin's quote), but how would you argue with that? "Take off your clothes" makes sense to me but it will be disregarded as a joke if i use it as an argument. Or you get "well, next time thousand people dies in a terrorist attack you'll come screaming for help and you'll be blaming CIA/NSA/whatever for not doing enough".

― scnnr drkly (scnnr drkly), Thursday, 18 May 2006 20:05 (nineteen years ago)

presumably play off the contradiction between:

fear of 'big' government, state paternalism, meddling federalists, *who* exactly is doing the watching

and..."if you got nothing to hide"

ie,

nothing to hide from...*who*, sir?

― charltonlido (gareth), Thursday, 18 May 2006 20:46 (nineteen years ago)

Ask them about the last time they were crossing the sands.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 18 May 2006 20:58 (nineteen years ago)

Good answer? "Take off all your clothes."

Yeah, but what if they do, and then say back to you "Your turn, city boy".

― DV (dirtyvicar), Thursday, 18 May 2006 21:01 (nineteen years ago)

Crossing the sands?

― scnnr drkly (scnnr drkly), Thursday, 18 May 2006 21:06 (nineteen years ago)

I can't tell you what that means, scnnr, unless you offer me the correct handshake.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 18 May 2006 21:10 (nineteen years ago)

(Whoops. Benjiman Harrison was a senator, too.)

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 18 May 2006 21:15 (nineteen years ago)

(And, um, wrong thread. Sorry.)

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Thursday, 18 May 2006 21:15 (nineteen years ago)

confuse me coloured, Pleasant Plains, but how do i offer the correct handshake?

― scnnr drkly (scnnr drkly), Thursday, 18 May 2006 21:21 (nineteen years ago)

Crotch kick/Monkey Steals the Peach. OTM, guys. Piercing stare's OK.

― Fluffy Bear (Fluffy Bear Hearts Rainbows), Friday, 19 May 2006 00:02 (nineteen years ago)

presumably play off the contradiction between:
fear of 'big' government, state paternalism, meddling federalists, *who* exactly is doing the watching
and..."if you got nothing to hide"
ie,
nothing to hide from...*who*, sir?

-- charltonlido (...) (webmail), May 18th, 2006 4:46 PM. (gareth) (later) (link)

Perfect. This is the answer.

― sinful caesar sipped his snifter (kenan), Friday, 19 May 2006 00:09 (nineteen years ago)

well, its actually missing a comma, between the 'hide', and the 'from'

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 19 May 2006 06:03 (nineteen years ago)

"On the other hand, if you're intending to violate any of my legal rights, that assertion in the hands of a tyrant could be seen legally to infer the presumption of guilt over innocence. Wanna play lawyer, cowboy?"

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 19 May 2006 07:02 (nineteen years ago)

"Sir, I am not worried as to what you will discover, I am worried that you wish to discover it."

― Mr Jones (Mr Jones), Friday, 19 May 2006 07:06 (nineteen years ago)

Who said that originally?

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 19 May 2006 07:08 (nineteen years ago)

I'm usually in full Charles Bronson mode at that point so dialogue isn't very important to me. But sometimes while they're writhing on the ground I like to smirk and say, "Oh, well it looks like your face had to hide my fist. Should he have been worried?"

― Cunga (Cunga), Friday, 19 May 2006 07:18 (nineteen years ago)

"I will display for you my penis if you do not search my person for illegal stuffs."

― Mr Jones (Mr Jones), Friday, 19 May 2006 08:02 (nineteen years ago)

"When all government buildings and servants are fully exposed to the public, we can begin this debate."

"Eat a bag of dicks"

― dave's good arm (facsimile) (dave225.3), Friday, 19 May 2006 11:28 (nineteen years ago)

dave's good arm otmfm

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Friday, 19 May 2006 11:34 (nineteen years ago)

And this is from the latest issue of Canadian Reader's Digest, article "Police State Paradise: Clean streets, little crime, paltry taxes... this is bad?" by Andrew Hallam (author's family moved to Singapore from Canada):

"As a Canadian, I initially found all of this [Singapore's tough laws] to be philosopfically objectionable. After all, free speech and a free press are fundamental rights, aren't they?"

[skipped, author describes how they came to like it and decided to stay in Singapore longer]

"I sometimes wonder if we're sold our democratic rights in exchange for low taxes and a hassle-free life. Maybe so. But if this is a prison, it's not at all like the one in Midnight Express. In fact, it's one that's awfully hard to dislike."

― scnnr drkly (scnnr drkly), Friday, 19 May 2006 14:11 (nineteen years ago)

when you look at it just right, it looks alright.

― dave's good arm (facsimile) (dave225.3), Friday, 19 May 2006 14:20 (nineteen years ago)

"Fine, then you won't mind giving me your credit card details." - i.e. yup, everyone does have something to hide, it's just a question of what and from whom.

And you don't have to believe the government is malicious, just not competent - e.g. to build an unprecedently massive and *secure* database containing everyone's personal info, as Mr Tony Blair is planning.

― ledge (ledge), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 10:03 (nineteen years ago)

further discussion of the topic on Bruce Schneier's blog:

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/05/the_value_of_pr.html

― scnnr drkly (scnnr drkly), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 15:30 (nineteen years ago)

"Privacy is not about hiding a wrong", yeah that's exactly it I think, and that's what the take off your clothes/credit card examples obliquely hint at.

― ledge (ledge), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 15:41 (nineteen years ago)

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