The Eternal Value of Privacy

For all the outrage at the revelations about domestic NSA spying the most common response (from it seems the majority of the public) is "what do you have to hide?". If I'm not doing anything wrong, listen in on me if it will stop a terrorist. Of course this isn't correctly framing the argument.

Security expert Bruce Schneier has an article in Wired, The Eternal Value of Privacy, that tries to correct this. He says privacy isn't about hiding a wrong, "Privacy is an inherent human right, and a requirement for maintaining the human condition with dignity and respect."

I agree with him but like so often on this topic, don't find his argument very persuasive. He makes some good points. "Watch someone long enough, and you'll find something to arrest -- or just blackmail -- with" and "Privacy protects us from abuses by those in power, even if we're doing nothing wrong at the time of surveillance" and "Widespread police surveillance is the very definition of a police state".

Look I want to catch terrorists too. If you need to listen to phone calls or do other things to catch them, do it. Just do it legally, get a warrant. If the system is broken, respond to Senators requests for ways to fix it. Don't listen to every phone call hoping to find a bad one, it's a huge waste. "They can listen to my calls" bleech. If they're listening to a harmless call it's a wasted effort. If they're listening to tens of millions of harmless calls its a huge wasted effort and it's ripe for abuse.

I know the domestic call database isn't listening, it's just call record info. But there was the report earlier this week that someone told ABC reporters "It's time for you to get some new cell phones, quick". See the Bush administration has the FBI looking for leaks. They don't like when people report the truth, like Joe Wilson, and they'll go after the free press and out CIA operatives for revenge. Laws and government restrictions protect us from corruption, and we need that, especially lately. It's just doesn't seem to working very well.

Oh, the ACLU has a good page on What Can the NSA Do? It's summary of what we reasonably suspect their capabilities are.