BeginnerPrivacySurveillanceNarrative

Nothing to Hide

4 / 5

Independent Franco-German documentary by Marc Meillassoux and Mihaela Gladovic. Dismantles the 'I have nothing to hide' argument via a 30-day voluntary surveillance experiment on an ordinary subject.

Directors
Marc Meillassoux, Mihaela Gladovic
Released
2017
Writers
Marc Meillassoux, Mihaela Gladovic
Runtime
86 min
Language
French

Available on

VimeoInternet Archive

Watch this if

Audiences new to surveillance discourse — the experimental format makes the demonstration concrete without jargon. Excellent awareness material.

Skip this if

Viewers wanting a technical briefing on state surveillance programs. This is a personal documentary essay, not Citizenfour.

Key takeaways

  • The 'Mister X' experiment — a consenting subject monitored for 30 days — is the central device and works better than any speech could.
  • Available under Creative Commons, free, translated in seven languages: a pedagogical object designed to circulate.
  • The right film to show in class, internal training, or to a friend who keeps repeating 'I have nothing to hide.'

Notes

Pair with Citizenfour (Poitras) for the state-journalistic layer, and Permanent Record (Snowden) for the autobiographical version.