On Casual Privacy and Lemmy
Following Reddit’s unpopular decision to shut down free API access, and a subsequent migration to lemmy/kbin, there was some controversy about how lemmy is not private due to not deleting stuff properly. Or well, it was recent when I started writing this post. The default response, and one I agree with was simple (paraphrased)
yeah, if you post something publicly on the internet, it’s gonna stay there
Which is fine and true, and honestly a pretty fundamental principle of the internet. However one thing that’s been bothering me about this, and has been bothering me for as long as I’ve been on reddit, and now lemmy, is the concept of casual privacy. This is my best definition of it so far:
Casual Privacy: protection against casual intrusions/access of your data
I made the term up, so you may also prefer soft privacy (asopposed to hard privacy)
What is casual privacy? Casual privacy is blinds in your window at night so passer-byes can’t see in. Casual privacy is the thrum of conversation at a restaurant so people cannot hear across tables without deliberate and noticeable effort. Casual privacy is me turning away my computer screen so it’s no longer in your direct line of sight. It’s me, removing the opportunity for you to casually invade my privacy.
What casual privacy isn’t, is a foolproof cage around my data. A deliberately malicious and powerful actor could no doubt still get a look into my home if they wanted to. They probably could manage to eavesdrop at the restaurant and certainly could walk around to get a different angle of my computer screen. That’s not the point.
You see, for the most part, we humans do respect each other and our rights to privacy. But still it’s tempting to glance in through windows you pass by, and more importantly, way too easy. When I put down those blinds, I’m practically doing you a service by removing that temptation from your path. It doesn’t mean you’re “weak” for looking in. It’s like me holding the door open for you. You could do it yourself, but I’m doing you the kindness of sparing you the trouble. It’s a beautiful thing.
But where does reddit/lemmy come in?
Well, what bothers me about these two is they deny you casual privacy by giving everyone a public, fully featured profile page.
Sometimes I want to go into different communities and post different things, without the two being associated. Other times I might post something weird, and I’d rather not have. Yet the whole time my profile sits there, inviting, categorized, sortable by hot, new etc. waiting for you to come in and judge. Without any knowledge of mine. You can even filter your searches by “Creator” on lemmy. I’m not a “creator” on lemmy. If you see things I’m deliberately putting out there as a “creator”, well you’re here already. Thanks for the read.
Mastodon has grappled with this in the form of full text search. Obviously mastodon profiles are visible because that’s the whole point, but they don’t need to be searchable. In Mastodon’s case, the critics are concerned with the actual threat of harassment as well. For me, it’s mostly just about my dignity and comfort.
We all know what goes on inside bathrooms, but we still have doors that lock. Because having voluntary control over how you present yourself to the world is what allows for dignity.
That was a long winded way of saying we should have (optionally) private profiles in lemmy. And for more people to appreciate casual privacy. That’s all.
P.s this is the first blog post I’ve ever published. If you have any feedback, I’d be glad to have it. Leave it in the comments of wherever this is shared