I grant that people may believe this, but I disagree that it is true. If you ask me now my social security number, and I silently refuse to answer, or I ignore you, am I a liar? Of course not. I am not submitting a "white lie"; I am saying nothing.
If my silence is crafted to deceive you, that is another story entirely. There is a difference between "silence intended to deceive" and "silence intended to not answer". Usually there are other cues to aid in the deception, too, such that the response is not entirely silent (wagging eyebrows or whatever).
I grant that people may believe this, but I disagree that it is true. If you ask me now my social security number, and I silently refuse to answer, or I ignore you, am I a liar? Of course not. I am not submitting a "white lie"; I am saying nothing.
If my silence is crafted to deceive you, that is another story entirely. There is a difference between "silence intended to deceive" and "silence intended to not answer". Usually there are other cues to aid in the deception, too, such that the response is not entirely silent (wagging eyebrows or whatever).