The reasoning behind the old “I have nothing to hide” defense of surveillance abuses is humiliating, if you think it through.
Essentially:
1) Only those who stand out are targeted
2) I do not stand out
3) I cannot stand out
4) Phew, I’m safeweird flex but ok
Congratulations on making insignificance an aspiration, I guess? We’re all very happy for you.
— Edward Snowden
Echoing something similar he said some years ago:
Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.
— Edward Snowden
The “nothing to hide” argument also fails as it assumes that no-one you care about has anything to hide either.
Henning's blog 