Taylor the Teacher

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I tricked you with that headline. Sorry. I don’t mean it at all, but I’m sick of having to write headlines designed to be the equivalent of a 5–star Hollywood explosion.

Would it be crazy to suggest open-source privacy? Why is privacy necessary? What’s the essence of the thing we’re trying to protect? The exact source of the threat to my privacy? Maybe eliminating the threat would be more productive than defensive plans like passcodes and security certificates.

I’m asking for my readers’ help on this. I have no wisdom to offer. I’m just throwing it out there. Let’s just pretend that I decided to completely open up all my activities to everyone. Not to grant everyone the same permissions to alter things like my bank account, but what if you knew how much I’ve spent on alcohol in the last month? What emails I got. I release my name, address, shoe size, ssn, bank information, number of sex partners, sexes of all sex partners, voting record, pregnancy history, family connections and history of lawbreaking from speeding tickets to DUI to drug use to child mosetation and murder? How often I check for emissions on my car? Whether or not I’ve ever said anything mean about anyone ever? How much salt I consume on a daily basis? How many dicks I’ve sucked? Have I ever dropped acid? Do I drink from the milk carton?

What would happen?

What if everyone did the same? What if nobody had any privacy? What would happen?

What if that even extended to politicians? Who would stand or fall in that scenario?

Would any of those we vilify politically fare worse than the rest of us? (To quote the authors of the last link: “Adults like to have sex with each other. Got it.”)

When the answer is no, can we really go after people for stupid shit? When everyone can see that everyone is doing something or other that wouldn’t pass muster with the stick-up-their-ass types, would we be better able to separate real scandal from bullshit?

My preliminary answer is that the main threat I need privacy to protect against is the government, with the exception of financial transactions. Is the government protecting my financial transactions? Yes, and no. There are criminal penalties, but that doesn’t help me when my bank account is negative. It’s my credit card company that promises me what matters most to make me trust financial transactions. Outside of that, who is the threat? So we’ll all have to forgive Taylor for not trusting these assholes to defend privacy.

Or do I only think that because I work for the government? Maybe companies are an equal threat. But, how many people work for the government in one way or another?

I’m interested in your ideas about this.

Disclaimer, written by Taylor, who has no law degree, but is trying in the plainest terms she can come up with to tell you not to be stupid:

Please… do not do the asinine thing described above. Bad, bad things will happen to you. Seriously. There are scary motherfuckers out there. I have no money. There’s no lawsuit for you here. The author is not liable for your lack of critical reading skills. Thank you.