Why "I Have Nothing to Hide" is the Wrong Way to Think About Privacy
It’s a phrase we’ve all heard, and maybe even said: "I'm not worried about online privacy, I have nothing to hide." It sounds reasonable, right? If you're not doing anything wrong, who cares who's looking?
But this argument misses the entire point of privacy.
Think of it this way: you have curtains on your windows at home. It's not because you're doing something illegal inside; it's because you deserve a private space. You wouldn't hand over your personal diary to a stranger, even though it's filled with harmless thoughts.
Privacy isn’t about hiding bad things. It's about having control. Control over your own story, your own data, and your own life. When you give away your data freely, you let corporations and data brokers write that story for you. They decide what ads you see, what news you're shown, and what conclusions they draw about your character.
This is why tools like temporary emails are so important. They aren’t for people "with something to hide." They're for everyone who wants to draw their own curtains online. They are a simple way to say, "This part of my life is not for you," and that’s a right worth protecting.
