31 august 2023
PHK on electronic privacy
Author: Poul-Henning Kamp
Title: Don’t “Think of the Internet!”
Link:
https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=3606023
Summary
PHK criticizes arguments in favor of electronic privacy and freedom that can be boiled down to "but think of the Internet!" and likens it to the "but think of the children" argument, which he believes is often used dishonestly.
My Thoughts
First article I read by someone from the FOSS world that adds some nuance to the debate around Chat Control 2.0 and similar bills that would regulate the use of strong encryption. I am in favor of electronic privacy and I do think that Chat Control 2.0 is a ridiculous proposition, but PHK's article made me ask myself "why?" seriously for the first time in a long time.
When I ask myself "why is electronic privacy important to me?", I arrive at something akin to "that's what we had back when the Internet was good". Reading PHK's article made me want to find a more profound answer, which is arguably a good thing. I'm still searching, though...
Tags
#commentary, #privacy, #chatcontrol, #eu, #crappytech, #theweb