You’ve probably heard this argument from some right-wing douche (and the occasional fake left-wing douche) at one time or another: “If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about.” Here’s a simple rebuttal from amheekin on Reddit:
Let’s break it down, shall we?
That statement is basically a false dichotomy – the same kind of conundrum as “you’re either with us or against us.” It presents a false choice: you are either guilty of something and therefore have a reason to hide it, or you are not guilty of anything and therefore have no reason to hide anything. It is based on the (false) premise that privacy’s sole purpose is to conceal wrongdoing, and it excludes the possibility that someone may be innocent of any wrongdoing buy may still want to conceal their activities. Why? Because something is embarrassing, but not wrong. Something may be deeply personal. Someone may have concerns about their information being used for marketing purposes or stolen. The list goes on and on.
Basically…that’s how you counter it.
