Despicable country.
CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
371–380 of 442 posts
Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
#372Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Given the virtually unlimited executive powers the CDC believes it has Care to elaborate? CDC has historically been an extremely powerful organization devoted to the safety of the US public.
The CDC unilaterally ruled this country for the better part of 2 years. No checks. No balances. Now you could argue that the desperation of the situation calls for something more expedient than Democracy. But many people who supported the moves made by the CDC (including me) were equally horrified that it had as much power to do so.
Sometimes I wonder whether some Americans actually know what governments do or what they're capable of doing. I'm not even sure they're aware of what they expect governments to be able to do. I always see these emotional reactions over something that is the whole point of having a government and its associated institutions and it's like... I didn't know you were an anarchist.
I'd say the worst thing about the past two years is how it's proven how absolutely fucked we are if anything more dangerous and lethal than Covid comes along. There'll be people like this making every effort to prevent governments from doing anything to protect people.
Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
#373See 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…
Frankly the CDC are the scariest people buying this data. They have direct power and authority to harm people and their livelihoods with little resistance possible and their head-honcho seriously believes his authority exceeds the supreme court.
Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
#374Earlier quoted context omitted.
That _should_ be their role, but unfortunately they overstepped. The CDC implemented an eviction moratorium for around a year (September 4, 2020 through August 26, 2021). That had very real, negative impact on landlords during that time. I doubt those effected would call it toothless. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/04/2020-19...
The CDC's role should 100% _not_ be just about informing people. They and equivalent agencies around the world should have the power to take drastic measures in cases like a pandemic. That's their whole point. It's like saying traffic cops should only give warnings. But also, semi-related: they implemented a policy to prevent people from becoming homeless during a global pandemic and it had a negative impact on the p…
Not from the US but I disagree. Even an agency like that needs control. We saw what terrorism could do and the real measurable threat to lives through terrorism doesn't even match going for a walk in a lively city. It still justified overbearing surveillance to this day and there was no correction. These mechanisms stay in place and their original justification is forgotten with time and the surveillance will redirect randomly, for example towards people posting comments on Twitter.
At some point someone while sneeze and everyone will be restricted to their homes. Not every bad decision has a bad intend at the start, but they will happen without any form of opposition.
Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
#375Earlier quoted context omitted.
The CDC's role should 100% _not_ be just about informing people. They and equivalent agencies around the world should have the power to take drastic measures in cases like a pandemic. That's their whole point. It's like saying traffic cops should only give warnings. But also, semi-related: they implemented a policy to prevent people from becoming homeless during a global pandemic and it had a negative impact on the p…
Not from the US but I disagree. Even an agency like that needs control. We saw what terrorism could do and the real measurable threat to lives through terrorism doesn't even match going for a walk in a lively city. It still justified overbearing surveillance to this day and there was no correction. These mechanisms stay in place and their original justification is forgotten with time and the surveillance will redirec…
Power doesn't mean unchecked power - like with any powerful organisation, measures should be taken to prevent abuse, but taking the power away in order to prevent abuse won't end well.
> At some point someone while sneeze and everyone will be restricted to their homes
What would their motivation be? Why wouldn't there be any opposition? This isn't like spying where you can do it without people knowing. Even if entirely justified (like we saw during covid), people will oppose such measures - what makes you think they wouldn't of they weren't justified?
Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
#376Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are they? Didn't they somehow unilaterally suspend rent payments for the entire US, even though that is well outside their granted authority? And what social norms did lockdowns involve, exactly?
A federal judge vacated the nationwide freeze on evictions that was put in place and the lockdowns were not merely the result of US health officials conspiring. Your criticism of the CDC is valid but I believe it is misguided; the manufactured moral outrage I'm speaking about distracts us from the real abuses of power happening behind the veil, and they are far more shocking than what is reported here.
And who was punished by the court for breaking the law in that way? Nobody, right? So in reality they aren't bound by the law.
Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
#377Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not from the US but I disagree. Even an agency like that needs control. We saw what terrorism could do and the real measurable threat to lives through terrorism doesn't even match going for a walk in a lively city. It still justified overbearing surveillance to this day and there was no correction. These mechanisms stay in place and their original justification is forgotten with time and the surveillance will redirec…
Power doesn't mean unchecked power - like with any powerful organisation, measures should be taken to prevent abuse, but taking the power away in order to prevent abuse won't end well. > At some point someone while sneeze and everyone will be restricted to their homes What would their motivation be? Why wouldn't there be any opposition? This isn't like spying where you can do it without people knowing. Even if entire…
If someone is responsible to ensure the health of the population they tend to focus on that task. If a source tells them that imposing a stay at home mandate throughout the year would save 10,000 lives, they might tend to chose it just to not be responsible for these deaths. Only a strong opposition allows them to come to a balanced choice.
Ever noticed that most interior ministers are surveillance freaks? Comes with the job as well. An opposition is actually beneficial for them as the consequences of decisions wouldn't rest on their shoulders alone.
So a solution to this dilemma is to limit powers in the first place. Such decisions should ideally go through parliament in democracies. Sure, sometimes acting fast is beneficial, but just as often quick decisions come with costs as well.
Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
#378Earlier quoted context omitted.
Those landlords should get a real job in that case. They chose to treat housing like a speculative asset and it didn't go their way. Makes zero sense to me that our pandemic response was about "keeping small businesses afloat" rather than keeping transmission low for a few weeks. I guess besides sacrificing grandma to the economy for $2 margaritas at Applebee's we should have evicted millions during winter so that la…
Sounds like a great argument against the lockdowns, considering that the root of the problem was the lockdowns.
No, the root of the problem was the pandemic.
Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
#379Earlier quoted context omitted.
The CDC unilaterally ruled this country for the better part of 2 years. No checks. No balances. Now you could argue that the desperation of the situation calls for something more expedient than Democracy. But many people who supported the moves made by the CDC (including me) were equally horrified that it had as much power to do so.
Sometimes I wonder whether some Americans actually know what governments do or what they're capable of doing. I'm not even sure they're aware of what they expect governments to be able to do. I always see these emotional reactions over something that is the whole point of having a government and its associated institutions and it's like... I didn't know you were an anarchist. I'd say the worst thing about the past tw…
> I didn't know you were an anarchist
Turns out there are a lot of anarcho-capitalists out there, especially present here on HN, and especially loud during pandemic-related topics. And i thought it's one of those historical things that theoretically exists today as a fringe ( like actual neo-Nazis).
Re: CDC tracked millions of phones to see if Americans followed lockdown orders
#380Earlier quoted context omitted.
That _should_ be their role, but unfortunately they overstepped. The CDC implemented an eviction moratorium for around a year (September 4, 2020 through August 26, 2021). That had very real, negative impact on landlords during that time. I doubt those effected would call it toothless. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/04/2020-19...
The CDC's role should 100% _not_ be just about informing people. They and equivalent agencies around the world should have the power to take drastic measures in cases like a pandemic. That's their whole point. It's like saying traffic cops should only give warnings. But also, semi-related: they implemented a policy to prevent people from becoming homeless during a global pandemic and it had a negative impact on the p…
and it had a negative impact on the people who have been padding their bank accounts for decades
This is just plain wrong.
* you are painting every landlord with the same brush
* you beleive the fabric of our society should treat people differently, predicated upon the above point
* you think it is OK to suspend checks on government power, if you happen to dislike a category of people it effects
From your attitude, I would presume you believe renting places to live, to be wrong?
That anyone doing so, must be effectively stealing from people?
You need to get your head on straight. I know lots of landlords which have one house the rent out, or a duplex (where they live in the top).
If you want to be anti-profit about everything, why aren't you railing on about grocery stores? Schools? Clothes manufacturers?