I finally stopped explaining my data privacy choices to people who don't care

Last month a coworker at my office in Austin told me I was 'paranoid' for using a VPN and encrypted messaging apps. I spent like 15 minutes trying to justify why I don't use Facebook or Google services, and they just shrugged. After that I realized people either get it or they don't, so now I just say 'it works for me' and move on. Has anyone else had to defend reasonable privacy habits to friends or family?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan7051mo ago

Doesn't it feel like most people just run on autopilot with their whole life?

christopher_sullivan1mo ago

Wait, did your coworker actually call you paranoid or just question why you don't use Facebook? Those are kinda different things. I had a similar thing happen with my brother but he had a point about me being too defensive about it.

the_cole1mo ago

Yeah, the whole "you're being paranoid" vs just asking a question thing is real. What finally worked for me was just being honest without getting defensive. I told my buddy straight up, "Look, I know it sounds weird but I just don't like having my whole life tracked and sold. It's not about hiding stuff, it's just how I feel." And then I asked him what he actually likes about it. He admitted he didn't really think about it much, he just signed up because everyone else did. Once I stopped treating it like an attack and just explained my side, we actually had a normal conversation about it.