It's funny you say that. I've had a longstanding conclusion that my true individuality only arises from the secrets I keep.
Even if these are benign and even sometimes silly secrets, even if no one would find them interesting, they are the only thing I have that sets me apart from others.
This is another reason I feel anxious over creeping mass surveillance and the loss of privacy. It's a direct threat to my individuality.
The more I think about it, the more I come to one conclusion.
An organisation only knows who an individual is by the secrets they share with each other. It doesn't matter what the secret is, it comprises the identity.
It's why I get angry when I hear talk of backdooring/banning encryption.
It's why the phrase "I have nothing to hide" is a ridiculous fallacy.
Even the credit card in my wallet has multiple secrets to identify itself, and its ties to my account.
Without secrets, you become a non-person, because you are incapable of proving who you are.
Even if these are benign and even sometimes silly secrets, even if no one would find them interesting, they are the only thing I have that sets me apart from others.
This is another reason I feel anxious over creeping mass surveillance and the loss of privacy. It's a direct threat to my individuality.