Privacy is not the Goal

In and around free software circles there are several activists who fight tooth and nail for privacy. They frequently take extreme measures to protect their privacy, like avoiding all kinds of conveniences, and sticking to workflows and tools that majority of people do not use.

I am quite uncomfortable with such “privacy-maximization” movements. There are several reasons for this.

Convenience is worth it

Often the argument put forth by privacy activists is that others value “convenience over privacy”. They say this as if it is an irrational trade-off. Convenience is worth it for many human beings (and privacy often not worth it).

In my earlier post about why I’m back on WhatsApp, I wrote about how effective collaboration on issues like health and social justice is valuable for me and I do not mind using WhatsApp for that. It’s a pragmatic choice based on the many battles that exist to be fought.

Those who are choosing a “more private” tool are choosing to prioritize that battle over other battles.

Some things need maximum publicity

Many of the things I do and the communications I have actually need to happen in the open (ideally). They should be searchable and discoverable. They should be logged forever.

I believe that the existence of encrypted, private group chats are destroying movements all over the world by restricting it to bubbles that nobody can discover.

Indeed there are things that need encrypted, closed groups. Indeed our communication tools should support that need and network effects should not prevent us from achieving that. Yet, that’s not the only kind of communication people engage in. All communications do not need privacy. Some need the exact opposite.

Privacy is not the goal

Many people get enticed by the concept of privacy and think that it is a goal to be achieved in itself. Privacy is not a goal per se. Privacy is a social construct that has meaning only in the interface with other humans. Privacy, within the society, is a shield from others. It is about protection of our freedoms. Freedom is the goal. Privacy is just a path to freedom. That is why privacy is always expressed as “privacy from…”. Privacy doesn’t exist by itself. It has to be always privacy from something.

Privacy from	Example	Corresponding freedom
Privacy from state surveillance	You do not want the fascist state to read your group messages, censor them, or use force against you based on them	For freedom of political expression and action
Privacy from corporate surveillance	You do not want corporates to target you with ads, or hand over your data to the state	For freedom of thought
Privacy from strangers	You do not want your tweets to be picked up by political opponents without context and used for hate campaign against you	For freedom of speech and expression
Privacy from acquaintances	You have a “close friends” list on Instagram whom you share private stories with, because you do not want judgement from your relatives and acquaintances	For freedom of being yourself

Notice how any right to privacy is actually right to protect yourself from the suppression of a freedom.

It is always freedom that is the goal. And depending on which freedom I’m interested in there are always several choices to make.

If I’m interested in political freedom, for example, running away from state surveillance by using the most “un-traceable” communication tool is indeed a possibility. This tactic that’s based on fear is (arguably) weak and ineffective. A strong pro-freedom tactic would require radically questioning fascist governments and standing up for rights without being cornered into ghettos. Indeed, in the absence of such strength, there can be no fault found in people who choose to protect themselves using privacy-friendly tools.

And same goes for every other item in that list.

By narrowly focusing on privacy without asking why we need privacy, we put our efforts in the wrong direction.

Fight the right battles

If fascist governments are the problem, organize politically and build anarchist governments.

If corporate control over the world is the problem, fight capitalism and build socialist societies.

If trolls are controlling what you speak, build a support system which validates you and nourishes you.

If your acquaintances judge you on your life choices, live flamboyantly and lavishly in your skin. If they will murder you for your choices, be pragmatic and save yourselves first.

What you really need is freedom. Not privacy.