Reading: Nothing to hide

• Reading before the lecture on Wedenesday September 8 (there will be a quiz in class):
  • For understanding a common argument about privacy: I've got nothing to hide and other misunderstandings of privacy. Daniel Solove pdf 

Abstract-ish: The argument that no privacy problem exists if a person has nothing to hide is frequently made in connection with many privacy issues. When the government engages in surveillance, many people believe that there is no threat to privacy unless the government uncovers unlawful activity, in which case a person has no legitimate justification to claim that it remain private. Thus, if an individual engages only in legal activity, she has nothing to worry about.[...] In this essay, I will explore the nothing to hide argument and its variants in more depth. Grappling with the nothing to hide argument is important because the argument reflects the sentiments of a wide percentage of the population.