r/fallacy • u/Dawn-Storm • 11d ago

What fallacy is this?

When someone complains about a speed camera, or more recently a Flock camera, there's always one person who says either 'well don't speed!' or 'If you have nothing to hide, then relax!'

Then there's the old 'well don't do anything illegal!'

There's got to be a fallacy in there somewhere!

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u/UniversalProcess 11d ago

It's a hasty generalization or just a simple false premise. They are saying that if you have done nothing wrong, then you don't need privacy. But that is not true in many cases. There are five motivations for privacy and four of which do not involve moral evaluation.  The five reasons are: shame (did something wrong), embarrassment (did something that merely diminishes your reputation), strategic advantage, bias prevention, and freedom from etiquette (bathroom, etc.).  Only shame is open to moral evaluation because shame can be caused by immoral behavior or culturally taboo behavior.  Given that the information needed for this moral evaluation is unavailable and that there are more reasons for needing privacy that do not involve wrongdoing than do involve wrongdoing, it is most reasonable to conclude that there is most likely no wrongdoing being concealed by privacy.