,
8 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
THREAD: Here's the problem with the argument that invasive mass surveillance is okay because "as long as you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about."
The concept of what is "wrong" is not static or set in stone. Without privacy, we can't advance as a society
The concept of what is "wrong" is not static or set in stone. Without privacy, we can't advance as a society
It wasn't long ago that it was "wrong" to be gay, to have sex out of wedlock, to swear, or to be in public without wearing a hat or panty hose.
Not long before that it was "wrong" for black people to drink from the same water fountain or eat at the same counter as white people.
Not long before that it was "wrong" for black people to drink from the same water fountain or eat at the same counter as white people.
It was "wrong" to form unions and demand safe working conditions and decent pay.
It was "wrong" to get divorced.
It was "wrong" to question religious superstition & advocate for hand washing and the germ theory of medicine
It was "wrong" to help harbor people escaping slavery
It was "wrong" to get divorced.
It was "wrong" to question religious superstition & advocate for hand washing and the germ theory of medicine
It was "wrong" to help harbor people escaping slavery
Mass surveillance isn't about safety. It's about social control. Ubiquitous government monitoring breeds conformity. When there are no spaces free of state and societal intrusion, there is no space for deviation from the accepted norm.
And accepted norms can be horrifying.
And accepted norms can be horrifying.
We often argue against surveillance tools, like for example facial recognition, by pointing out their flaws or the ways in which they don't work.
We need to start talking about the fact that they're even more dangerous when they DO work.
We need to start talking about the fact that they're even more dangerous when they DO work.
It's not a popular position for politicians or powerful people to take, but the fact is that none of us actually want to live in a world where laws are perfectly enforced 100% of the time. That's a world with no room to test whether those laws are just.
Privacy isn't about hiding. It's about our ability to be ourselves and progress as a civilization. If decide to give it up in the name of public safety or convenience, we've doomed ourselves to remain stuck in an unacceptable status quo forever.
Anyhow read my op-ed or whatever. buzzfeednews.com/article/evangr…
