Liberty Might Be Better Served by Doing Away with Privacy

Motherboard has an interesting article by Zoltan Istvan, “futurist, transhumanist, author of The Transhumanist Wager, and a Libertarian candidate for California Governor.”

“Privacy, broadly thought of as essential to a democratic society, might disappear.”

“While privacy has long been considered a fundamental right, it has never been an inherent right,” Jeremy Rifkin, an American economic and social theorist, wrote in The Zero Marginal Cost Society. “Indeed, for all of human history, until the modern era, life was lived more or less publicly, as befits most species on Earth.”

“For many, this constant state of being monitored is concerning. But consider that much of our technology can also look right back into the government’s world with our own spying devices and software.”

“But it’s not just government that’s a worry. It’s also important that people can track companies, like Google, Apple, and Facebook that create much of the software that tracks individuals and the public. This is easier said than done, but a vibrant start-up culture and open-source technology is the antidote.”

“If no one can hide, then no one can do anything wrong without someone else knowing. That may allow a better, more efficient society with more liberties than the protection privacy accomplishes.”

“Like the Heisenberg principle, observation, changes reality. So does a lack of walls between you and others. A radical future like this would bring an era of freedom and responsibility back to humanity and the individual. We are approaching an era where the benefits of a society that is far more open and less private will lead to a safer, diverse, more empathetic world. We should be cautious, but not afraid.”