The false tradeoff between privacy and security, argues that privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide. He is also a senior policy advisor at hogan lovells. Solove yale university press 2011 if youve got nothing to hide, many people say, you. The legal scholar geoffrey stone refers to it as an alltoocommon refrain. Final draft soloves essay nothingtohide argument has. The false tradeoff between privacy and security is a book written by daniel j. Solove s background in privacy law is on clear display through the clever manipulation of the eyemongerwho preaches if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fearuntil he at last understands that inspiration and creativity come to a standstill under his vigilance. National securitylaw and legislationunited states i. Nothing to hide is a super fantastic, easy to read book about the argument between whether safetysecurity or privacy should be held in higher regard within society. Daniel solove 2008b counters eric schmidts argument huffpost, 2010 that an individual should not be fearful of surveillance if they have nothing to hide.
In its most compelling form, it is an argument that the privacy interest is generally minimal. When asked about government surveillance and data mining, many people respond by declaring. Steve and daniel appear on split screens, with the caption nothing to hide, nothing to fear. Hes slim, cleanshaven, in his fifties, with short curly brown hair. The book examines the laws, government agencies and social concerns of the argument and how the argument plays out in each context. Nothing to hide makes a powerful and compelling case for reaching a better balance between privacy and security and reveals why doing so is essential to protect our freedom and democracy. The goal is to respond to those who argue that major sacrifices in privacy are necessary for national security. The book examines the laws, government agencies and social concerns of the argument. Solove says the claim ive got nothing to hide argument, which is so often mentioned in discussions concerning the governments gathering and examination of our personal information. Ive got nothing to hide and other misunderstandings of privacy. Why privacy matters even if you have nothing to hide. Summary of daniel solove the nothing to hide argument bartleby. Free links try audible and get two free audiobooks. One of the worlds leading experts in privacy law, solove is the author of numerous books, including nothing to hide.
Hes wearing a gray suit, white shirt, and striped lilac tie. The nothingtohide argument my essays 10th anniversary. Nothing to hide the false tradeoff between privacy and security daniel j. When the government analyzes and gathers personal information, many people say theyre not worried. Nothing to hide the false tradeoff between privacy and security. If youve got nothing to hide, youve got nothing to fear. Jul, 2007 the nothing to hide argument and its variants are quite prevalent, and thus are worth addressing. You talk about something called the allor nothing fallacy. The parts are how we should assess and balance the values of.
Collection of data cannot be evaded all together but it is how much information being gathered is necessary. Summary of the nothing to hide argument by daniel solove essay 671 words 3 pages daniel j. Behind him, a wall screen reads the agenda, with steve paikin. Nothing to hide daniel j solove by hermelindafrey issuu. Summary of the nothing to hide argument by daniel solove. In addition to attacking the nothing to hide argument, solove exposes the fallacies of prosecurity arguments that have often been used to justify government surveillance and data mining. Solove is the john marshall harlan research professor of law at the george washington university law school, one of the worlds leading experts on privacy law, and well known for his academic work on privacy and its correlations with technology.
Grappling with the nothing to hide argument is important, because the argument reflects the sentiments of a wide percentage of the population. The false tradeoff between privacy and security, chapter 1, yale university press, 2011. Solove regarding the nothing to hide argument regarding. According to the nothing to hide argument, there is no threat to privacy unless the government uncovers unlawful activity, in which case a person has no legitimate justification to claim that it remain private. Privacy and the nothing to hide argument schneier on. Nevertheless, the nothing to hide argument is far from vanquished. He is well known for his academic work on privacy and for popular books on how privacy relates with information technology solove wrote three books about privacy that had been published from 2004 to 2008. May 28, 20 finally, solove reiterates the difficulty with the nothing to hide argument because most privacy problems lack dead bodies solove 768, meaning that people tend to focus on issues that viscerally and physically affect them while data mining, and privacy intrusion is something intangible and abstract. In nothing to hide he skillfully dispels many of the myths associated with the faulty zerosum tradeoff between privacy vs.
According to the nothing to hide argument, there is no threat to privacy unless the government uncovers unlawful activity, in which case a. Studying the nth perspective forces us to move beyond discussions of disclosure. Additional notable books he has authored include, nothing to hide. Daniel solove argues that privacy should be upheld at all costs with the assumption that there would be nothing to hide. The false tradeoff between privacy and security book by daniel j. He is well known for his academic work on privacy and for popular books on how privacy relates with information technology. The false tradeoff between privacy and security solove, daniel j. According to the nothing to hide argument, there is no threat to privacy unless the government uncovers unlawful activity, in which case.
Everyone has a right to hold dearly to what is precious and secret to him or her. Here are a few short excerpts from my nothing to hide essay. Summary of the nothing to hide argument by daniel solove essay 671 words 3 pages. In britain, for example, the government has installed millions of publicsurveillance cameras in cities and towns, which are watched by officials via closedcircuit television.
Solove is john marshall harlan research professor of law, george washington university law school. There are compelling reasons why we should protect privacy even when someone claims they have nothing to hide. The false tradeoff between privacy and security, chapter 1, yale university press, 2011, gwu law school public law research paper no. Oxford university press, june 2011, forthcoming nothing to hide yale university press 2011 understanding privacy harvard university. The nothing to hide argument and its variants are quite prevalent, and thus are worth addressing. In this essay, i will explore the nothing to hide argument and its variants in more depth. Summary of daniel solove the nothing to hide argument. The nothing to hide argument pervades discussions about privacy. Professor solove effectively convinces the audience that the nothing to hide argument doesnt successfully cover all of the problems that arise. The false tradeoff between privacy and security yale 2011, understanding privacy. Jul 14, 2011 and the nothing to hide argument assumes that the government will make the right judgment based on your data. In a campaign slogan for the program, the government declares. Solove wrote three books about privacy that had been published from 2004 to 2008. Privacy and the nothing to hide argument schneier on security.
In exposing the flawed logic of having to forego one interest in order to secure another, daniel solove has done us all a great service. The datasecurity expert bruce schneier calls it the most common retort against privacy advocates. Jul 12, 2007 the nothing to hide argument and its variants are quite prevalent, and thus are worth addressing. Among other works, he authored the future of reputation. Solove s profile, publications, research topics, and coauthors. In this concise and accessible book, solove exposes the fallacies of many pro security arguments that have skewed law and policy to favor. Solove is the john marshall harlan research professor of law at the george washington university law school. In this essay, solove critiques the nothing to hide argument and exposes its faulty underpinnings. In popular discourse, the nothing to hide arguments superficial incantations can readily be refuted. There will always be a need for citizens to demand accountability and oversight of government surveillance, or else we will gradually slide into a more dystopian world.
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