At 08:17 2003-06-18 -0400, Adam Shostack wrote:
| It never makes sense to argue about a "right to lie" or a "right to
| tell the truth." One man's lie is another man's truth. And even
| _asking_ for a true response is usually an overstepping, as it presumes
| the asker knows what is true and what is not. Pilate said it all 2000
| years ago.

I wasn't arguing, I was quipping.

I find the many meanings of the word privacy to be fascinating.  So
when someone commented that the car's tattle-box is or isn't a privacy
invasion, I thought I'd offer up a definition under which it is.
Its a definition that lots of people use, as John points out.

Perhaps better than 'right' would be 'ability,' 'The ability to lie
and get away with it.'

Indeed 'privacy' and 'secrecy' are often confused and their meanings overlap in many a mind. I think that most, at least in the West, accept that privacy "..is based on rules and trust," for example, records kept on us by our doctors. Because exposure of various aspects of our private lives can do lasting damage, privacy is only effective when controlled by the party seeking it, who may disclose it or not as they see fit and can only be guaranteed when those who would "sell you out" don't possess the possibly damaging information. For that reason among others, I am really only interested in privacy mediated by personal secrecy and technologies I trust and/or control.


steve



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