Thread · 7 tweets · 24 May 2019

I read a lot of you criticising the @PrivacyProject for publishing this piece by @heidimesser. I disagree (and not because they work on the same floor and can throw things at me). 👇

Obviously, the piece is bad, in so many ways. But it is very representative of attitudes in the anti-privacy movement, and as such I think it should indeed be documented in the project. It should be on file, if only anthropologically.

It's important to understand where this all comes from: these people essentially believe that there is some form of Manifest Destiny that got them to use personal data when it started leaking everywhere and they don't understand why anyone is mad at them.

There is not one shred of empirical evidence in the whole article (eg. on innovation). Why do you need facts when it is your Manifest Destiny to be amongst the happy few who benefit?

It is also abundantly clear that the author wasted no time trying to grasp issues of privacy beyond the most superficial take. Again, why bother? Anyone who disagrees is evidently misguided.

These people are sincere. They think that they support some kind of greater good (the free Internet!), they think that people only disagree because they don't understand or because they're weird no-life privacy advocate nerds. They don't believe things can change.

I am aware that there are people opposing regulation with more thought-through arguments (eg. they still think self-regulation works for advertising). But this Opinion is sociologically relevant, it captures a moment in time. It will make for a great time capsule. 🔚