Challenging the myth

“I have nothing to hide”. It’s a phrase we’ve all heard, and perhaps even said ourselves, when privacy comes up. But it reveals a dangerous misunderstanding of what privacy is and why it matters.

Privacy isn’t about hiding—it’s about control. It’s about having the freedom to decide who gets access to your data and how it’s used. Over the last decade, that freedom has eroded. Today, governments, corporations, and hackers routinely collect and exploit our personal information, often without our consent.

Worse still, the narrative around privacy has shifted. Those who value it are seen as secretive, even criminal, while surveillance is sold to us as a tool for safety and transparency. This mindset benefits only those who profit from our data.

It’s time to push back. Here are 10 arguments you can use the next time someone says, “I have nothing to hide”.

1. Privacy is about consent, not secrecy

Privacy isn’t about hiding secrets—it’s about having control over your information. It’s the ability to decide for yourself who gets access to your data.

We don’t have to hand over all our personal information just because it’s requested. Tools like email aliases, VoIP numbers, and masked credit cards allow us to protect our data while still using online services. Privacy-focused companies like ProtonMail or Signal respect this principle, giving you more control over your information.

2. Nothing to hide, everything to protect

Even if you think you have nothing to hide, you have everything to protect. Oversharing data makes you vulnerable to hackers, scammers, and malicious actors.

For example:

• Hackers can use personal details like your home address or purchase history to commit fraud or even locate you.
• Data brokers can manipulate you with targeted content and even influence your political beliefs, as seen in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Protecting your data is about safeguarding yourself from these threats and protecting your autonomy.

3. Your data is forever

Data collected about you today will still exist decades from now. Governments change, laws evolve, and what’s harmless now could be used against you or your children in the future.

Surveillance infrastructure rarely disappears once it’s built. Limiting the data collected about you now is essential for protecting yourself from unknown risks down the line.

4. It’s not about you

Privacy isn’t just a personal issue—it’s about protecting others. Activists, journalists, and whistleblowers rely on privacy to do their work safely. By dismissing privacy, you’re ignoring the people for whom it’s a matter of life and death.

For example, Pegasus spyware has been used to track and silence journalists and activists. We should be leaning in to privacy tools, supporting the privacy ecosystem, and ensuring that those helping to keep our society free and safe are protected, whether we personally feel like we need privacy or not.

5. Surveillance isn’t about criminals

The claim that surveillance is “only for catching bad guys” is a myth. Once surveillance tools are deployed, they almost always expand beyond their original purpose.

History has shown how governments use surveillance to target dissenters, minorities, and anyone challenging the status quo. Privacy isn’t just for criminals—it’s a safeguard against abuse of power.

6. Your choices put others at risk

When you disregard privacy, you expose not just yourself but also the people around you.

For example:

• Using apps that access your contact list can leak your friends’ and family’s phone numbers and addresses without their consent.
• Insisting on non-private communication tools can expose sensitive conversations to surveillance or data breaches.
• Uploading your photos to a non-private cloud like Google Drive allows those in your photos to be identified using facial recognition, and profiled based on information Google AI sees in your photos.

Respecting privacy isn’t just about protecting yourself—it’s about respecting the privacy boundaries of others.

7. Privacy is not dead

For some people, “I have nothing to hide” is a coping mechanism.
“Privacy is dead, so why bother?”

This defeatist attitude is both false and harmful. Privacy is alive—it’s a choice we can make every day. Let’s stop disempowering others by convincing them they shouldn’t even try.

There are countless privacy tools you can incorporate into your life. By choosing these tools, you take back control over your information and send a clear message that privacy matters.

8. Your data can be weaponized

All it takes is one bad actor—a rogue employee, an ex-partner, or a hacker—to turn your data against you. From revenge hacking to identity theft, the consequences of oversharing are real and dangerous.

Limiting the amount of data collected about you reduces your vulnerability and makes it harder for others to exploit your information.

9. Surveillance stifles creativity and dissent

Surveillance doesn’t just invade your privacy—it affects how you think and behave. Studies show that people censor themselves when they know they’re being watched.

This “chilling effect” stifles creativity, innovation, and dissent. Without privacy, we lose the ability to think freely, explore controversial ideas, and push back against authority.

10. Your choices send a signal

Every decision you make about technology sends a message. Choosing privacy-focused companies tells the market, “This matters”. It encourages innovation and creates demand for tools that protect individual freedom.

Conversely, supporting data-harvesting companies reinforces the status quo and pushes privacy-focused alternatives out of the market. When people say “I have nothing to hide” instead of leaning into the privacy tools around them, it ignores the role we all play in shaping the future of society.

Takeaways: Why privacy matters

1. Privacy is about consent, not secrecy. It’s your right to control who accesses your data.
2. You have everything to protect. Data breaches and scams are real threats.
3. Data is forever. What’s collected today could harm you tomorrow.
4. Privacy protects others. Journalists and activists depend on it to do their work safely.
5. Surveillance tools expand. They rarely stop at targeting criminals.
6. Your choices matter. Privacy tools send a message to the market and inspire change.
7. Privacy isn’t dead. We have tools to protect ourselves—it’s up to us to use them.

A fight we can’t afford to lose

Privacy isn’t about hiding—it’s about protecting your rights, your choices, and your future. Surveillance is a weapon that can silence opposition, suppress individuality, and enforce conformity. Without privacy, we lose the freedom to dissent, innovate, and live without fear.

The next time someone says, “I have nothing to hide”, remind them: privacy is normal. It’s necessary. And it’s a fight we can’t afford to lose.

Yours in privacy,
Naomi

Last week, we published the Priv/Acc Manifesto, and I was deeply moved by the outpouring of responses from people eager to take action. So many of you reached out, asking, “How can I help?”

The threat to privacy is obvious—relentless surveillance from governments, corporations, and bad actors alike. Countless bills trying to ban end-to-end encryption and mandate back doors. A sea of complacency from people who have been tricked into thinking privacy is about hiding, instead of about consent.

But the path to meaningful action isn’t always clear.

The good news is that everyone, regardless of background, has a role to play in safeguarding privacy. Whether you’re a coder building better tools, an educator raising awareness, an advocate pushing for change, or simply someone who values personal freedom, there are practical steps you can take to make a difference.

In this newsletter, I want to share some of the ways you can contribute to this critical fight.

#1 Lead by example

The easiest way to contribute is by making deliberate choices about the products and services you use. Switching to privacy-respecting tools not only protects your data, but also sends a powerful market signal that privacy matters. When you choose privacy-focused companies, you help them thrive, fostering the development of even better tools. On the flip side, continuing to use platforms that harvest our data undermines privacy-focused alternatives, pushing them out of the market.

Here are a handful of my favorite tools, but our channel features hundreds of videos showcasing great alternatives you can explore:

• Messaging: Signal
• Web Browsing: Brave Browser
• VPNs: Mullvad VPN
• Email: ProtonMail and Tutanota
• Productivity: CryptPad and LibreOffice

#2 Push Back Against Cultural Norms

The phrase “I have nothing to hide” has become a lazy justification for dismissing privacy. It’s time to reframe the conversation. Privacy isn’t about secrecy – it’s about consent. It’s about having the right to choose who gets access to our data and rejecting the idea that valuing privacy is something to be ashamed of.

Privacy protects whistleblowers, activists, and everyday individuals from surveillance and coercion. When someone parrots “nothing to hide,” remind them that privacy safeguards freedom, creativity, and autonomy. Changing this mindset is essential to making privacy a societal priority.

#3 User Manuals and Educational Awareness

You don’t need to be technical to make a huge impact. Writing clear, accessible guides for privacy tools is one of the most valuable ways to help. Blogs with beginner-friendly tutorials or personal experiences using privacy tools contribute to a growing reservoir of educational material for the community. Translating tutorials into other languages can expand their reach even further.

Even super simple tutorials—like explaining that Gmail can read your emails—can be eye-opening for many people. Education is a powerful way to build awareness, and your efforts might help someone take their first step toward reclaiming their privacy.

#4 Contribute to Open-Source Projects

For those with technical expertise, contributing to open-source privacy projects is one of the most effective ways to support the cause. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) tools like Tor, GrapheneOS, and VeraCrypt are essential for people worldwide, but these projects are often critically underfunded and under-resourced.

Developers can help by building features or fixing bugs, while researchers can perform security audits to identify vulnerabilities. Remember the Heartbleed vulnerability? It was a major flaw in SSL, a cornerstone of internet security, that went undetected for years—illustrating the need for more eyes on open-source projects. Even small contributions, like reviewing code, can make a huge difference.

#5 Test Privacy Tools and Provide Feedback

For privacy tools to succeed, they need to be user-friendly and accessible to everyone—not just tech enthusiasts. By testing privacy platforms and sharing constructive feedback, you can help developers improve default settings and refine the overall user experience (UX). These small adjustments can make tools more intuitive, significantly boosting adoption among non-technical users.

Even if you’re not a coder, your contributions—like testing tools, reporting bugs, or improving documentation—are invaluable to open-source projects. Developers rely on user input to ensure their tools work for everyone, making your efforts critical to advancing privacy.

#6 Financial Support

Financial support is vital for building a robust ecosystem of privacy tools. Many open-source projects rely on donations to survive, and businesses building privacy tools need customers to remain sustainable. FOSS ensures that privacy tools are accessible to everyone, but if you can afford to donate or pay for premium versions, your support keeps these tools available for those who need them most.

#7 Drive Change From Within

If you work for a tech company, advocate for privacy-by-design principles—embedding privacy into products from the ground up. Push for policies like data minimization and transparency, or encourage your organization to invest in privacy research. Cutting-edge technologies like zero-knowledge proofs and homomorphic encryption are redefining what’s possible in privacy-preserving data analysis. Supporting innovation in these areas can have a profound impact on the future of privacy.

#8 Engage in Policy Advocacy

Governments frequently pass laws regulating technology without fully understanding their implications. Your voice can make a difference by shaping these policies to prevent harmful consequences. Push back against attempts to ban privacy tools or mandate backdoors, ensuring that the most vulnerable in society always have a way to protect themselves.

Supporting organizations like the EFF or other advocacy groups is another great way to get involved. These groups lobby for digital rights, educate the public, and fight back against policies that fuel the surveillance state. Together, we can help ensure that privacy remains a fundamental right.

The Power of Community

Privacy advocacy is about more than safeguarding our own information—it’s about defending the fundamental rights that underpin a free and just society. It ensures that those on the front lines—whistleblowers, activists, journalists, and others fighting for change—are equipped with the protection they need to carry out their vital work.

Every time you choose a privacy-respecting tool, educate someone about the importance of privacy, or contribute to an open-source project, you’re strengthening the movement.

Privacy isn’t about having something to hide—it’s about having the freedom to live, think, and act without fear or surveillance. It’s the foundation of creativity, dissent, and progress. Together, we can protect this essential right and ensure a future where privacy empowers us all.

Thanks for being part of this movement, everyone. This week I’m truly thankful and grateful to every one of you.

Yours in privacy,
Naomi