[Cryptography] Angry Cryptographers...

[Joshua Marpet]

Now you are getting philosophical, sirs.  Now I think I can chime in.

People are enraged by the concept of being spied on.  "Privacy!" is their
battlecry, their watchword, their need.  Is it their right?

Ah!  Now we hit upon the meat of the matter.  Is privacy a "right"?

Is it a right ordained by God, or obtained from man (and woman)?  Is it a
right at all, inalienable or otherwise?

Not being a lawyer, I will say that it depends.  It depends on which
country you are in, which regime you are living under, what you believe,
and what your government believes.

Plus, it also depends on the needs of the many.  I'm an ex-cop.  When
someone is in jail, we watched them in the shower, on the toilet, in bed,
playing cards or watching TV.  They had any right to privacy stripped from
them, as they were deemed criminals, and unable to supervise themselves.
 We supervised them as parents.  This is to protect the many (the public)
from the few (criminals).

But we also did that to people in holding, and in pretrial detention.  They
were not accorded due process to strip them of this "right", and yet they
were denied it.  They were innocent (unless and until proven guilty). Is
this stripping of privacy legal?  Again, not being a lawyer, I don't know.

Do we have privacy when we have kids?  Good lord, kids walk into bedrooms
and bathrooms all the time!  Do we voluntarily give up some privacy when we
get a significant other?   Should this be regulated?

In certain countries, women don't have the right to drive.  Do we rise up
and declaim this sexist behavior?  No, really.  Did you?  Why not?  You're
so concerned with some illusive "right" but you won't shout and scream
about the Sudan, human trafficking, or other injustices?  "But, this issue
matters to me!"

Ok. Now it's an issue.  So you want this issue of privacy to be decided.
 Is it a right?  Should it be something you pay for, or take for granted?
 I see many people wanting to take it for granted.  Buggy whip makers took
their market for granted.  Look where it got them.

I suppose I'm rambling, and should probably shut up.  My point is that
"Privacy" is a complex and misunderstood thing.  My best comparison is to
that of "Quality" from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.  Or
"Obscenity". " I can't define it, but I'll know it when I see it."

Sorry for rambling.  I think we take privacy for granted, and forget it's
something we each define for ourselves.  It's different for me than it is
for you.  Privacy is important.  We need to know what we need to fight for,
before we start getting aggrieved about it.
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