Why Privacy?
The Beginning
Over the past two years, I have been on a quest to reclaim my digital privacy (as much as possible).
So how did this journey start? I think it all started with Linux, or GNU/Linux. My search for what GNU is led me to beginnings of the Free Software movement, Richard Stallman, and the four essential freedoms. All this led me to the question, “How much control do I have over my digital life?”. Turns out, I was doing pretty bad. I was using proprietary software from the big tech companies to do pretty much everything. By everything, I mean everything. Email, personal photos, videos, my entire social life, all my communications with people, the content I consumed, the content I posted, everything was on proprietary platforms.
That was the beginning. The realization that I was entirely not in control of my digital life.
Changes, Difficulties
It was not easy to transition to privacy respecting platforms. I learned a lot of things in that process, which I will be detailing in an upcoming post. The first big win was just deleting my Facebook account. That really felt good. Next up was Google, and that was the most difficult task. Google really has too much control. You begin to realize the extent of Google’s influence only when you try to push them out of your life.
It is also important to note that there are various pitfalls and limitations in the transition to digital freedom. You can’t really win this battle. Even now I am forced to keep WhatsApp in my phone, even if I run it in a sandboxed environment with no access to my phone’s data. I am using a Google Pixel phone, even if I have flashed a completely degoogled OS with verified boot. There are some compromises that we will have to make, if we are to participate in society.
I dream of a world where the handful of friends I have will be using federated privacy respecting social networks, where we use decentralized end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms, where I can be reasonably sure that there I am not selling my digital self just to have an online presence. Unfortunately, that is just a wet dream for now.
So, Why Privacy?
I have some friends who say, “Well, I don’t have anything to hide. Only those people with something to hide should worry.”
I have friends who say, “I don’t care who uses my data. Let whoever it is use whatever they want about me.”
I have friends who say, “I don’t understand what your problem is. I am not losing anything because I depend on Google. I have everything to gain!”
I’ll let Edward Snowden give a fitting reply:
Ultimately, saying that you don’t care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different from saying you don’t care about freedom of speech because you have nothing to say. Or that you don’t care about freedom of the press because you don’t like to read. Or that you don’t care about freedom of religion because you don’t believe in God. Or that you don’t care about the freedom to peacably assemble because you’re a lazy, antisocial agoraphobe.
I think this extends beyond software to society in general. I live in India, a society which is gradually being transformed by a right-wing authoritative government which came into power riding on a wave of communal and religious polarization. Basic freedoms and rights of people are being systematically abused, laws are passed which oppress sections of society. The few people who question the status quo are detained, abused and even pushed to death. Not just in India, across the globe and across history we have seen one pattern over and over again. Power consolidates, and power corrupts.. Society in general will sit back and watch the fireworks, leaving the resistance to other hapless people, until one fine day even the most priviledged person gets affected. Things will usually be irrevocably damaged by then.
So. Why privacy? Because power consolidates, and power corrupts. Your data is YOUR data. It is not supposed to be delivered on a platter to anybody without YOUR consent or knowledge. Taking control of your digital self is YOUR reposibility. There is a saying in malayalam, “നീ ഇരിക്കേണ്ടടുത്തു നീ ഇരുന്നില്ലേൽ അവിടെ പട്ടി കേറി ഇരിക്കും”, which translates to “If you don’t sit where you’re supposed to, a dog will sit there”. This may be derogative towards dogs, but the message is relevant.
You piqued my interest. How do I get started?
I will be writing about my journey in coming posts, but for now check out these links: