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ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data

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Re: ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data

#182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I've got nothing to hide. Some retorts for people swayed by that argument: "Can we put a camera in your bathroom?" "Let's send your mom all your text messages." "Ain't nothin' in my pockets, but I'd rather you didn't check." "Shall we live-stream your next doctor's appointment?" "May I watch you enter your PIN at the ATM?" "How about you post your credit card number on reddit?" "Care to read your high-school diary…

I think the "nothing to hide" argument is made for a different reason. People are unafraid of the government knowing certain things because they believe it will not have any real repercussions for them. The NSA knowing your search history is no big deal (as long as you're not looking for anything illegal), but your church knowing your search history would absolutely be a big deal.

> People are unafraid of the government knowing certain things because they believe it will not have any real repercussions for them.

A very famous quote: "Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."

Many people - particularly white people, but let's not ignore that a bunch of Black and Latino folks are/have been Trump supporters - believe that they are part of the in-group. And inevitably, they find out that the government doesn't care, as evidenced by ICE and their infamous quota of 3000 arrests a day... which has hit a ton of these people, memefied as "leopards ate my face".

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/29/trump-ice-ar...

Re: ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data

#183
post #80

[flagged]

How about this: no masks, no weapons (if they feel they are in danger they can call the cops who already have more weapons than they possibly need). Every time a citizen is detained in jail, detaining agent and their manager lose their paycheck for that period. Family with kids jailed and separated? No paycheck. You know, do it in the Christian compassionate way, not in the shooting single moms way.

We would have to pass a more general law that said children cannot be separated from their parents based on any crime the parents have committed, as there's no reason to special-case illegal immigration.

Re: ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data

#184

[flagged]

The US cannot afford, demographically, to curtail immigration, illegal or otherwise. Simple fact is the US needs more people because we’re under the replacement rate.

For the line must always go up crowd, they feel a need. Not everyone is in the line must always go up crowd.

Re: ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data

#186
Palantir is interesting. Founded by a closeted German, run by an Israeli operative, and a 3rd arm of the federal gov. I wish we could prosecute it in my lifetime for the numerous violations of privacy it undertakes, but the world does not work that way. The rich enjoy private jets subsidized by our hard-earned taxes, while violating ideals held by our Founding fathers (for what would Thiel or the current CEO know about our morals, when they have none and are American by name only.. their loyalties lie elsewhere)

Re: ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data

#187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People do not have justifications for most choices. We watch YouTube when we would benefit more from teaching ourselves skills. We eat too much of food we know is junk. We stay up too late and either let others walk over us at work to avoid overt conflict or start fights and make enemies to protect our own emotions. If you want to know why Americans are allowing themselves to be gradually reduced to slavery, do not a…

It's disingenuous to say Americans are "allowing" themselves to do anything in the face of countless, relentless, multi-billion corporate campaigns, designed by teams of educated individuals, to make them think and act in specific ways.

It is not you who plants weeds in the garden but the wind, but the wind won't weed them back out again.

Re: ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data

#188
post #19
post #2

Any time I see people say "I don't see why I should care about my privacy, I've got nothing to hide" I think about how badly things can go if the wrong people end up in positions of power. The classic example here is what happens when someone is being stalked by an abusive ex-partner who works in law enforcement and has access to those databases. This ICE stuff is that scaled up to a multi-billion dollar federal agen…

> The classic example here is what happens when someone is being stalked by an abusive ex-partner who works in law enforcement and has access to those databases. There’s a world of difference between a government using legally collected data for multiple purposes and an individual abusing their position purely for personal reasons.

Musk and his flying monkeys came in with hard drives and sucked up all the data from all the agencies they had access to and installed software of some kind, likely containing backdoors. Even though each agency had remit for the data it maintained, they had been intentionally firewalled to prevent exactly what Palantir is doing.

There is also a world of difference between a government using data to carry out its various roles in service of the nation and a government using data to terrorize communities for the sadistic whims of its leadership.

Think I'm being hyperbolic? In Trump's first term fewer than 1M were deported. In Obama's eight years as president, 3.1M people were deported without the "techniques" we are witnessing.

Re: ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data

#189
post #73
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It likely will. There’s major impact on literally everyone in tech, there’s huge data privacy concerns, and it has less coverage or discussion than a new version of jQuery. The US gov could fall but that would count as politics here so clearly irrelevant.

> less coverage or discussion than a new version of jQuery Pretty sure this is a feature not a bug. Most people aren’t here for political topics.

Comments like this remind me of those guys who wouldn't stop working, in the twin towers. Just didn't want to get out of their zone.

Re: ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data

#190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> obviously can lead to unmanageable waves of immigration that strain a country’s housing, healthcare, schools, welfare, and other resources, among other effects. I don't agree that this is "obvious". Immigrants bring important social and cultural capital. Who do you think is building a lot of the infrastructure in the US? The people putting a strain on the system are actually the aging baby boomer generation. I have…

Immigrants do bring important social and cultural capital. But nobody here is arguing in favor of no immigration. The standard among countries all over the world is to regulate the flow of immigration via immigration law and deportation of people who violate that law. How could a massive influx of people happening faster than a system can react not strain the system? I saw this firsthand in schools and hospitals wher…

The US is not like many countries in that it was formed by illegal immigrants, and not just immigration, literal genocide and land theft of the indigenous people.

That being said, all immigration policy is out of date. The world is connected now and the policies are an anachronism.

> How could a massive influx of people happening faster than a system can react

I don't agree that this is reality. Our system is not under strain from immigration. It's under strain because we spend our money on the military instead of improving infrastructure. It's also under strain due to wealth inequality and corporate friendly policy. None of which has anything to do with immigration.

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