Gabriel Custodiet joined me on my UK Column show and gave a thoughtful perspective on privacy, technology, and individual sovereignty.
He argued that personal sovereignty is essential in any political system—be it democracy or monarchy—enabling people to control what information they consume and which ideas they engage with.
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, former NSA contractor
I mention monarchy only because, during the conversation, I challenged the idea of democracy being a good idea. (I think that democracy is not a good idea because it is essentially mob rule.)
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Privacy, Gabriel adds, though often overlooked, is framed as a vital shield against surveillance and a cornerstone of self-determination. How is it overlooked? Well, simply look at how many people use Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, and so on; do you believe your information is genuinely private?
On the topic of technology, there's a strong push for open-source software and privacy-centric tools, presented as necessary alternatives to the pervasive surveillance of big tech.
The central idea is clear: by taking ownership of the tools and information we use, we reclaim agency over our lives and shape our own understanding of the world .
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
— Benjamin Franklin, American founding father
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Talking points
- Self-censorship can do more harm than top-down control.
- Privacy needs high trust and is undermined by victimhood.
- Surveillance is often less advanced than what you think.
- Open tech like 3D printing and open-source aids autonomy.
- Democracy without accountability risks tyranny.
Civilisation is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilisation is the process of setting man free from men.
— Ayn Rand, Russian-American writer and philosopher
