Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

vice.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 442 posts

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#181

Post by _-david-_ »

giantg2 wrote: post #117
colinmhayes wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't even have the power to study gun violence.

Actually they do. They have performed some firearms research in recent years. The restriction is just that the money cannot be spent on studies looking to support gun control. They choose to err on the side of caution and limit the studies rather than seek clarification through the courts on what would constitute supporting a policy. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/firearms/funded-resea...

I think the person you are responding to knows the CDC has done studies about gun violence, but does not believe the CDC has any authority to actually do them.

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#182

Post by milkey_mouse »

tepitoperrito wrote: post #139
darkerside wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Can someone name a scarrier (sp) entity that could be tracking you? ... The Mafia? Any other criminal or terrorist organization or individual? The police operating under an incorrect warrant? A creepy ex? Unless you buy into conspiracies, the CDC is at worst going to do what it thinks is best for you, and is constrained by constitutional checks and balances.

I don't approve of using the term conspiracies as a way to denounce the questioning of true intentions or possible problem areas. Unless someone can prove that no one involved in the tuskegee "incident"[0] is no longer employed or influential at the CDC I will just resign myself to thinking that THEY are the conspiracy theorist, a conspiracy to seem infallible or at least incorruptible. Such a concept is of course ri…

The Tuskegee Experiment ended 50 years ago. One would have to have had a rather long career to have been employed at the CDC both then and now.

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#183

Post by llanowarelves »

darkerside wrote: post #149
tepitoperrito wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't approve of using the term conspiracies as a way to denounce the questioning of true intentions or possible problem areas. Unless someone can prove that no one involved in the tuskegee "incident"[0] is no longer employed or influential at the CDC I will just resign myself to thinking that THEY are the conspiracy theorist, a conspiracy to seem infallible or at least incorruptible. Such a concept is of course ri…

Not denouncing, just answering a loaded question by putting my finger in the barrel. I think we can talk about our concerns in a realistic way without resorting to baseless speculation. It's fair to question whether the CDC should be using this data. The thing about Tuskegee is that it wasn't a conspiracy. It started in 1932, in a time when the majority of Americans probably would have supported it if they knew about…

Yes, we should talk about the system and incentives of the revolving-doors between massive corporations and government bodies meant to govern those corporations. With the cash/status/power incentives attached.

You don't need an explicit intentional criminal conspiracy when a "conspiracy of common interests" can produce similar results.

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#184

Post by artificialLimbs »

woodruffw wrote: post #156
version_five wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> CDC are the least scary people buying this data Most buyers probably just want to target advertising at me, or otherwise grab my attention. The CDC wants a say in how people live their lives and thinks they know better than individuals about risk tolerance and decisions. And they seem to think they can have unchecked power by invoking "science". Can someone name a scarrier entity that could be tracking you? I don't…

> The CDC wants a say in how people live their lives and thinks they know better than individuals about risk tolerance and decisions. And they seem to think they can have unchecked power by invoking "science". Can someone name a scarrier entity that could be tracking you? This describes every AdTech firm to a T, except that you’ve decided to direct your ire at a public health agency instead of them. The entire point…

They wanted me to purchase vaccines, but indirectly because they want everyone to pay for them.

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#185

Post by giantg2 »

_-david-_ wrote: post #181
giantg2 wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually they do. They have performed some firearms research in recent years. The restriction is just that the money cannot be spent on studies looking to support gun control. They choose to err on the side of caution and limit the studies rather than seek clarification through the courts on what would constitute supporting a policy. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/firearms/funded-resea...

I think the person you are responding to knows the CDC has done studies about gun violence, but does not believe the CDC has any authority to actually do them.

"sure, just saying that

>virtually unlimited executive powers the CDC believes it has

is not true"

This is from the same user. That and the use of "even" in the other comment makes me think they believe that the CDC can't do/fund firearm research, as that is a common media/political narrative.

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#186

Post by Romanulus »

samschooler wrote: post #2

See the issue here is that this data exists at all and it’s purchasable by any group. I feel like the CDC are the least scary people buying this data. And from the looks of it they used it for medical research, which if similar in style to other medical research is bound by boards and ethics committees. What we aren’t writing about in this article are the groups using this data Cambridge Analytica style to sway polit…

No post body was provided.

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#187

Post by ellopoppit »

darkerside wrote: post #178
ellopoppit wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Those horrors in history were created through the combination of good intentions (also integral to the best of human history), and the dehumanization of subgroups The CDC has a historical record of such things. What makes you think human beings are incapabale of repeating such crimes against humanity?

I don't. But so could elementary school teachers, the National Black Caucus, or the sanitation workers union. It's much more productive to talk about actual concerns. Do you have any to share?

>so could elementary school teachers

Is there any historical precedent of elementary school teachers committing crimes against humanity comparable to public health officials?

>It's much more productive to talk about actual concerns. Do you have any to share?

Are you not familiar with any of the historical atrocities committed by public health officials across the world since the beginning of "public health"?

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#188

Post by giantg2 »

ChrisLomont wrote: post #124
colinmhayes wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't even have the power to study gun violence.

They do, they choose not to. That they cannot by some law is a myth. Obama even called them out on it. Obama also had them author a massive study on all aspects of gun violence, but the results went quite against what the Dems wanted to claim, so it got pretty quiet again. What happened is they did publish some studies, and one was quite bad (to this day the author will not release the dataset, for example), but was…

Which study was the one that made everything quiet? Which one was the bad one?

Other than that, I'm not sure why you're being downvoted without replies.

Here are the recent CDC funded gun studies.

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/firearms/funded-resea...

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#189

Post by tepitoperrito »

darkerside wrote: post #149
tepitoperrito wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't approve of using the term conspiracies as a way to denounce the questioning of true intentions or possible problem areas. Unless someone can prove that no one involved in the tuskegee "incident"[0] is no longer employed or influential at the CDC I will just resign myself to thinking that THEY are the conspiracy theorist, a conspiracy to seem infallible or at least incorruptible. Such a concept is of course ri…

Not denouncing, just answering a loaded question by putting my finger in the barrel. I think we can talk about our concerns in a realistic way without resorting to baseless speculation. It's fair to question whether the CDC should be using this data. The thing about Tuskegee is that it wasn't a conspiracy. It started in 1932, in a time when the majority of Americans probably would have supported it if they knew about…

Acknowledged, I mostly don't want to talk past others who are hung up on conspiracies (pro or against). Much more fruitful is definitely the analysis of strategies and games and actors. Their power or influence and their motivations.

Thanks for your thoughtful response.

Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders

#190

Post by jatone »

mullingitover wrote: post #170
version_five wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> CDC are the least scary people buying this data Most buyers probably just want to target advertising at me, or otherwise grab my attention. The CDC wants a say in how people live their lives and thinks they know better than individuals about risk tolerance and decisions. And they seem to think they can have unchecked power by invoking "science". Can someone name a scarrier entity that could be tracking you? I don't…

> The CDC wants a say in how people live their lives and thinks they know better than individuals about risk tolerance and decisions. Their charter is disease control . How you 'live your life' is orthogonal to that mission - they're responsible for stopping you from infecting other people with communicable diseases. That is also your own responsibility , and just because responsibilities aren't always things you wan…

> How you 'live your life' is orthogonal to that mission

orthogonal does not mean what you think it means given your usage. orthogonal means its entirely unrelated. but the fact is disease control and being able to make personal choices w/ respect to living your life can be in direct conflict means its not orthogonal.

apologies for this correction orthogonal is just one of my favorite words. =)

Post reply on HN