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Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

news.trust.org

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Re: Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

#11

Add "regime change" to the list of things you might have to worry about, even if you "have nothing to hide". Add "regime change elsewhere and those to whom it might impact" if you feel that odds of such an event where you presently reside are low.

I think regime change should've been pretty high up on the list for everyone already. The Soviet Union lasted for less time than the lifespan of people in developed countries. Around half the countries in Europe have only existed in their current form for a few decades.

It shouldn't at all be something unexpected.

Re: Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

#13
post #12
post #7

The hubris of Reuters news using a domain called 'trust.org' is a perfect parody of today's media.

Is Reuters a particularly untrustworthy news source?

I have no value judgement of them; it's just amusing to see mainstream media vying for credibility in this way.

Re: Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

#14
There is a genre of videos showing the Taliban taking over American weapons, humvees, buildings, etc. Here is one of them using the army gym https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/p5tp4k/tali...

In addition to the wasted trillions and humanitarian disaster, this might be the first time the sacking of a capital city is streamed on social media.

Re: Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

#15
post #14

There is a genre of videos showing the Taliban taking over American weapons, humvees, buildings, etc. Here is one of them using the army gym https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/p5tp4k/tali... In addition to the wasted trillions and humanitarian disaster, this might be the first time the sacking of a capital city is streamed on social media.

Pay for cell towers, get free meme vids. Everyone wins.

Re: Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

#16
for a while I've thought that maybe ephemeral should be the default when it comes to public communications and data unless otherwise specified.

In this case it's literally a matter of life and death but there's so many ways in which this permanent accessibility can bite people in ways they can't even anticipate, and I really don't think we're wired for it. Also if you think about it the value of digital history that just accrues is probably zero, it's just a hoarding reflex.

Re: Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

#17

Add "regime change" to the list of things you might have to worry about, even if you "have nothing to hide". Add "regime change elsewhere and those to whom it might impact" if you feel that odds of such an event where you presently reside are low.

Data is forever. Privacy laws can change. Companies can break their privacy policies in bankruptcy. Even democracy is not guaranteed.

..but you got nothing to hide. right, citizen?

Re: Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

#18

for a while I've thought that maybe ephemeral should be the default when it comes to public communications and data unless otherwise specified. In this case it's literally a matter of life and death but there's so many ways in which this permanent accessibility can bite people in ways they can't even anticipate, and I really don't think we're wired for it. Also if you think about it the value of digital history that…

Hard to keep things ephemeral today. Digital is so much easier to to copy and propagate.

Re: Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

#19
post #11

Add "regime change" to the list of things you might have to worry about, even if you "have nothing to hide". Add "regime change elsewhere and those to whom it might impact" if you feel that odds of such an event where you presently reside are low.

I think regime change should've been pretty high up on the list for everyone already. The Soviet Union lasted for less time than the lifespan of people in developed countries. Around half the countries in Europe have only existed in their current form for a few decades. It shouldn't at all be something unexpected.

I'd suggested this to Google some years back.

Entirely by coincidence, on the anniversary of Kristallnacht.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170604101018/https://plus.goog...

Re: Afghans scramble to delete digital history, evade biometrics

#20

Add "regime change" to the list of things you might have to worry about, even if you "have nothing to hide". Add "regime change elsewhere and those to whom it might impact" if you feel that odds of such an event where you presently reside are low.

> Add "regime change" to the list of things you might have to worry about, even if you "have nothing to hide". I think you don't need regime change to make something like that critical. Companies aren't institutions, they're organizations staffed by people and they have turnover. A company as it exists today is not the same as that company 5 years which wasn't the same as the company 10 years ago etc. The decisions a…

I was hoping that "add to your list" implied that 1) the list had additional items on it and 2) whatever finite set the list contains, it's incommplete.

Yes: the context in which data will exist in the future is not the same as the context in which the data were initially provided or created.

Hell, even the context in which data are accessed or provided virtually always exceeds the data subject's awareness or understanding, and would not be considered acceptable.

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