I’ve never been too concerned with privacy in the past. It just wasn’t something I’d given much thought to. I make almost all my posts on Facebook public, I’m generally strait forward about my opinions, and I didn’t really care if the government knew what I search online. At least I thought I didn’t.
In the past I’ve heard people advocating for more privacy and thought, what’s the big deal? If you’re not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to hide. Right? Since listening to the talk below by Glenn Greenwald, I’m starting to wonder. I love Glenn. He is all about solving the privacy issue. If you’ve ever heard him debate, he is amazing, and the talk below is no exception. If you think privacy doesn’t matter, check this out then share your thoughts in the comments.
My favorite idea shared is that surveillance creates a prison in the mind limiting behaviors for fear of punishment. It is true, thinking someone is watching you at all times changes what you do. There is a reason that the truth of an all-knowing God has such a powerful effect on behavior. People must either deny Him or listen to Him. There is no in-between.
But luckily, God is also a loving parent and we are his children. He cannot judge wrongly. I can’t say the same about a government. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but there are multiple points in history where governments, drunk with power, use surveillance to protect their power to the detriment and even death of its citizens. Knowledge is power and we must keep power in check.
