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02/23/2006: "If you're not doing anything wrong..."
I've heard a slogan used to advocate new invasions of privacy repeated many times. In fact, you've probably heard it too. Here's how it goes:
Sure, X is an invasion of privacy, but if you're not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about. A variant also says the same if you don't have anything to hide. It's all the same claim.
I've heard it used most recently to advocate putting security cameras inside your house. I've also heard it used to put cameras on many public places in London, and to build government run databases of DNA and fingerprints of people (before they are convicted or even accused of doing anything wrong), or library records, or...
The problem is, the slogan is based on a badly flawed assumption: the people invading your privacy are perfect. In particular, they need to be incorruptible. There are, in fact, many things to worry about.
What happens if the watchers are corrupted by a grudge? He think their girlfriend is cheating on them. Worse, he thinks she's with you. Or you beat him out for a promotion. Or even you beat them through a red light and now they're grumpy.
What happens if the watchers are corrupted by bias? He thinks you look suspicious and need extra attention because of your skin color, or accent, or hair style, or location, or the path you walk to work, or what kind of car you drive, or ...
What happens if the watchers are corrupted by a bribe? It's been said that everybody has their price.
What happens if the watchers are voyeuristic?
Even if you like the watchers now, the power (to conduct the surveillance) will change hands, and will land in the hands of somebody you don't like. The only possible way a surveillance system can stay uncorrupted is to have perfect surveillance on the people in the system. Some how, though, the people advocating systems like this get uncomfortable with that kind of idea.
Maybe they have something to hide.