Why “I have nothing to hide” is the wrong approach to privacy

Today data is captured by our smartphones, credit cards, voice assistants, video surveillance, social media, email, messaging, reading devices, gaming systems, entertainment providers, fitness trackers, biosensors, and dozens of other technological mediums.

Some people say that they hate that their data is taken up by companies, others say they have nothing to hide, and that they get better services in exchange for data. Bryan Johnson thinks it is the wrong debate. Here is why: The critical argument by him is that your privacy can be assigned a financial value. Here is how it goes:

One, everything about us is just data. Our driving data, our food, and nutrition data, how we think, how we solve problems, our belief systems, all of this is just data. Everything about us is only data.

Two, companies like Facebook and others sell your future needs, wants, and decisions to the highest bidder based on captured past data and using algorithms on it to predict your future needs.

The third aspect is the data about our cognitive abilities, and the marketplace would be the place where you work. The value of your cognitive skill set is what is paid for you as a salary or the amount of money you can earn. What you can do physically and mentally.

The problem is we are giving it away for free.

So if what data of you is now available as a digital avatar in Facebook, and, etc can make $250 a year, Where this is going is to create a full digital avatar that includes your cognitive skills too.

Once you take privacy out and they can capture how you think, how you solve problems, what you know how you know ( using listening devices and new stuff that will come out in future) and it is built into their model. Eventually, there will be a digital avatar of you with your past data and cognitive capabilities on which you will have no ownership.

What they want to do is to augment these digital avatars that today earn maybe $250 a year. In such a way that they can earn the same as your annual salary.

Privacy is your right to own your value.

Let that sink in!