291–300 of 373 posts
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I hold that we still have not imagined (not even in science fiction) the horrors totalitarian governments are now capable of in a fully-networked, computer-brokered society.
Like implementing social credit score and aloowing people activities based on it? Oh wait...
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The Stasi was, especially in the end, exponentional invasive. Meaning they approached allmost anyone in any slightly important position and put pressure on them, to work with them to report on their collegues. (In the end, there were 90 000 of them, with a population of only 16 million). "you help us (and socialism) and we help your career - or you decline and good luck with your career, or the carrer of your partner…
you send one to prison for telling a bad joke about the government? For the most part, that sort of thing did not send people to prison. They'd have run out of prisons.
It makes me wonder -- does everyone end up investigated for their interest in HTTPS and trying to think up encryption methods? It seems even having a passive interest in computer science or cryptocurrency would inevitably lead to one taking a class or buying a book on these topics. The business person in me always brainstorms the various potential business applications of any technology -- and that inevitably leads t…
It's much worse now. Now data is collected on every last person in the US indiscriminately so we're all under constant investigation and being treated like enemies of the state. With detailed records of every person and who they associate with the state is free to pick and choose who to target and can easily find incriminating evidence against anyone they decide has become inconvenient for them. Inquisitors tormenting "witches" couldn't dream of having so much power to abuse.
A friend of mine in 1997 got arrested for poking around in air force computer systems. He was charged with a felony not because he did any damage but because it cost $40k to track him down. He also had to pay that back. https://attrition.org/~jericho/works/security/crime_punishme... "Once again, when computer crime enters the equation, circumstances seem to change. In May of 1997, Wendell Dingus was sentenced by a fe…
Can we just take a moment to appreciate that name?
This story (assuming it's true) should serve as an excellent example of why you need privacy even if you think that you don't. In peace time the NSA is only looking for "terrorist" and leaves everyone alone, but in case of war they would start creating lists for any and everything. All it takes is one "tough" agent trusting their gut feeling/algorithm based on your browsing history and shopping habits to put a target…
> In peace time the NSA is only looking for "terrorist" and leaves everyone alone If you say so.
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You just stole it. I don’t see how this is even a grey area. Can you walk me through the thinking of “the cashier touched it, so now it’s mine?”
I once made a purchase of multiple items where the cashier scanned the items, put them in a bag, charged me a total and I paid it. Only sometime later I found out they missed a $100 item. Did I steal something? Did the cashier give me something for free? Who is responsible? What if I didn't notice the $100 charge absent from the bill? What if I was charged twice as much? What if I told the cashier and they did nothin…
The different between this and the contrived shit you posted is knowing you didn’t pay and walking out of the store in the first place. There isn’t really any subtly here.
Be sure to read the follow-up ( https://web.stanford.edu/~learnest/cyclops/bash1.htm ) about the challenges the author faced in trying to help move forward a reasonably safe standard for bicycle helmets.
If bicycle helmets were essential for causal-speed, safe path, everyday bicycling, the Dutch would use them. Interesting fact: in the US, riders without helmets receive more average buffer space from road vehicles than those with. If you're downhill mountain biking, wear a proper helmet. If you're racing in Manhattan, wear an equally suitable helmet. If you're leisurely riding on a wide, empty side road in a resident…
Looking back at it, would I have had a chance, had I approached the company in some defensive role against such activity?
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Like implementing social credit score and aloowing people activities based on it? Oh wait...
That's just a very light beginning, a prolog, not more. Imagine Facebook with all its data run by the state, and fully used.