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Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study

#11

Post by jxf »

USANEEDSHELP wrote: post #9
akerro wrote: post #3

Mass surveillance was created to work against minorities: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/feb/14/canada-en... https://overland.org.au/2014/07/surveillance-of-activists-is... https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/fbis-suicide-letter-dr...

Mass surveillance is meant to work against anybody and everybody

Certainly, but the point here is that it suppresses some opinions much more effectively than others.

If your opinion is already popular, you don't have to be brave: you know it's out there.

If your opinion is unpopular, knowing someone's watching may silence it altogether.

Re: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study

#13

Post by ChuckMcM »

This suggests we should implement mass surveillance of law enforcement personnel. If, as many people assert, the bad behavior of law enforcement is the actions of a minority, then mass surveillance of law enforcement should provide a chilling effect on that minority and result in fewer examples of these abuses.

Somehow I don't think that argument would win the day though.

Re: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study

#14

Post by guelo »

USANEEDSHELP wrote: post #9
akerro wrote: post #3

Mass surveillance was created to work against minorities: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/feb/14/canada-en... https://overland.org.au/2014/07/surveillance-of-activists-is... https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/fbis-suicide-letter-dr...

Mass surveillance is meant to work against anybody and everybody

That makes no sense. Why would mass surveillance be used against people that support the regime?

Re: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study

#15

Post by ghughes »

guelo wrote: post #14
USANEEDSHELP wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mass surveillance is meant to work against anybody and everybody

That makes no sense. Why would mass surveillance be used against people that support the regime?

One day they may not.

Re: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study

#17

Post by cowardlydragon »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #13

This suggests we should implement mass surveillance of law enforcement personnel. If, as many people assert, the bad behavior of law enforcement is the actions of a minority, then mass surveillance of law enforcement should provide a chilling effect on that minority and result in fewer examples of these abuses. Somehow I don't think that argument would win the day though.

The majority is not an absolute number, but more those with the majority of political power...

An important distinction to understand.

Re: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study

#18

Post by tn13 »

USANEEDSHELP wrote: post #9
akerro wrote: post #3

Mass surveillance was created to work against minorities: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/feb/14/canada-en... https://overland.org.au/2014/07/surveillance-of-activists-is... https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/fbis-suicide-letter-dr...

Mass surveillance is meant to work against anybody and everybody

Yes. But the people who run the institutions will mostly reflect the majority and hence protect their kind.

When the society was mostly anti-gay the government machinery was used to hurt these target homosexual groups. Now that society is pro-gay we see government forcing bakers to bake cake for gay weddings.

I will not be surprised if the surveillance mechanism would be used to hurt Libertarians and anti-government people.

Re: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study

#19

Post by rexpop »

guelo wrote: post #14
USANEEDSHELP wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mass surveillance is meant to work against anybody and everybody

That makes no sense. Why would mass surveillance be used against people that support the regime?

To maintain their support.

Re: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study

#20

Post by emodendroket »

greydius wrote: post #10
USANEEDSHELP wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mass surveillance is meant to work against anybody and everybody

Everyone except those in power.

That seems a little too simplistic; the parent example of McCarthyism was used to drive people out of the government so the "power/no power" binary doesn't seem adequate.
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