# Tiny Bytes: Metaphors for privacy and security

**Published by:** [ldnovak](https://paragraph.com/@ldnovak/)
**Published on:** 2022-06-24
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@ldnovak/tiny-bytes-metaphors-for-privacy-and-security

## Content

Hello There, Yesterday I noticed I spent a bunch of time defining security and privacy. Not only was it fun, but also it got me thinking. Those are some basic concepts I need to practice explaining at a really high level. So let’s spend today thinking of ways to describe them. I find metaphors really help contextualize complicated topics. For today I want to try thinking of different metaphors I could use to explain security and privacy.Small GoalsBefore I start writing thoughts down, I want to list out themes that I hope to create metaphors to help explain:Why is privacy important? (Done today. I still need to discuss privacy herd immunity)Why is security important?What makes something private and secure?Why should people care about privacy and security? (maybe addressed earlier)How do you make something private and secure?What is End to End encryption? Why is E2E important? Why shouldn’t there be a back door?How worried should people be about their current privacy and security?Why Privacy is ImportantWe tend to feel crept out if our privacy is not respected. Even if the invasion of privacy has no consequences, it doesn’t feel good that privacy has been violated. If a stranger overhears a personal conversation with my partner.* A friend looking over my shoulder at my text messages. -- I think the reason that this feels creepy is that it CAN be really harmful. We just don’t have any way of knowing. I actually had a hard time coming up with examples because most things I want to keep private, I can think of some reason that there’s harm. Examples involving medical information, for sure. With dead relatives, scary. A stranger learning exactly where I live, spooky. Of course, real harm can happen if something that should be private isn’t. Having someone else reveal to the world you’re queer. Social security and bank account information. Revenge porn. Even my search history being exposed to everyone scares me. *if a stranger overhears me telling my partner the pimple on my penis isn’t herpes. Overheard, I have a rash on my butt. I like buying green clothing.Digital PrivacyI find that privacy in the digital world is a little harder to grasp. In part because we are trained to expect no privacy and because what privacy we have is purposefully obfuscated. Breaking down privacy, we have what information is collected about us and what that information reveals. Both are really hard to know in the digital space. There are so many sophisticated ways to gather data about people. Modern data analysis is incredible at learning insights from data. Knowing about them takes a lifetime of study and is only getting more and more advanced as time goes on. Facebook doesn’t even know everything about what data they’re collecting on us… https://www.vice.com/en/article/akvmke/facebook-doesnt-know-what-it-does-with-your-data-or-where-it-goes They are trying to figure it out and improve this process. But if a multi-billion dollar company doesn’t fully understand what’s going on with its data collection, it’s impossible for individuals to know for every app, everywhere. (Hopefully, better standards, laws, and devices help). Machine learning has an explainability problem. The analysis of the models can be accurate and say something about the underlying patterns, but the EXACT why can be hard to interpret. Damn, this whole thing kinda went off the rails. But it was fun to write, and I hit some key points I hope to flesh out throughout my life. Good night, Lucas

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