Hacker News Reader

Comment by alan_cx | Hacker News Reader

I might have have plenty to hide:

Hemorrhoids Herpes Depression I like to pick my nose I have a sort bit on my cock I don't wash much I hate pensioners/seniors I hate work I like Justin Beiber I hate my boss I hate my wife I hate my kids I think all policemen have issues I don't like how Jews mix race, religion, and politics I'm irrationally scared of black people

Enough?

Now, if all or some of that were true, none of it is illegal, I would keep quite and always act appropriately despite my possible opinions, but like hell would I want people close to me or people I work with knowing any of that, let alone the government.

I have plenty to hide, maybe the above, maybe not. So, yeah, I have plenty to worry about.

Any one else?

View on HN

I think it's a complete own goal to oppose "nothing to hide" by keeping the discussion firmly planted in shame/controversy.

The most vanilla, non-controversial, fact, like that your favourite colour is blue, is no business of those you don't choose.

Privacy should be the default expectation, not something granted to you as a reward for convincing emotional pleading.

For a moment there, I thought "Hemorrhoids Herpes Depression" was a single, devastating disease.

Everyone has stupid things like that. But the reason for hiding, is that if only your secrets are unveiled, other people will use them against you!

But if everyone's secrets are unveiled, everyone benefit's. (e.g. you might learn that your wife hates you too, and that everyone likes to pick a nose:)

The problem isn't that people loose their privacy, the problem is that government get's to keep it's privacy, and government shouldn't have any privacy in the first place!

> But if everyone's secrets are unveiled, everyone benefit's.

I may be misinterpreting you, but I don't believe this is true. It only works if you find out other's have a similar or compatible secret.

If everyone found out you pick your nose and eat it, but no one else does it, how does that benefit the nose picker?

If bob finds out his boss hates him, and his boss finds out that he has racist tendencies, how does that benefit bob?

If no one else picks its nose that means that nosepicking is not within the norms. Depending on what everyone else thinks about it might even be unacceptable. With that knowledge he can decide how to behave without bothering others.

In the second case openness might be the first step to a better relationship between both.

If it bothers others that Bob picks his nose when he's alone, maybe they should stop digging around in his personal business. Or does every moment of our actions & thoughts, no matter how small, need to be put before a public jury now?

These sorts of secrets - especially ones that could be called "racist" - could be exploited very easily if "leaked" as part of a smear campaign against any inconvenient public figures.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com