2 ms·

I'd say what's described in the post is an undesirable outcome. "Otherwise, no one would use them." Cigarette smokers also find value in what they do (opportun

I'd say what's described in the post is an undesirable outcome. "Otherwise, no one would use them." Cigarette smokers also find value in what they do (opportunity to contemplate, enjoyment, socialize) - yet the cost (for the individual and the society at large) is much bigger than the benefit. So just looking at the perceived value alone is not the best measure to evaluate the overall impact.

fny 10y ago
While I'm personally all for regulating data use, I don’t see any negative outcomes presented in this opinion. Just a lot of empty, fiery attacks at Surveillance Capitalists who have apparently “robbed us of our welfare, agency, and freedom.” Even the premise of the piece, that “we've lost control of our personal data”, isn’t a negative outcome. It's a restatement of the problem: people give away their short-sightedly in exchange for services. And this gets to my point precisely. Collectively, we're still very distant from the pains of corporate surveillance. The clearest violation I know of is employee data abuse but that noise died ~2010.[0][1] I feel the chilling effects of social media the most--worrying that someone will record me acting like a fool at a party--but frankly, that's something the internet we champion still facilitates. Nothing stops my friend from posting that video on his personal blog. Maybe polarization due to filter bubbles? Still, I've got a hunch people have always consumed info inline with their beliefs and mingled with the like-minded. Also, I'm not sure how a democratized internet is supposed to handle the spread of misinformation and shady political advertising. [0]: https://thenextweb.com/us/2010/09/16/the-legal-implications-of-data-abuse-by-google-employees/ https://thenextweb.com/us/2010/09/16/the-legal-implications-... [1]: http://gawker.com/5445592/why-you-shouldnt-trust-facebook-with-your-data-an-employees-revelations http://gawker.com/5445592/why-you-shouldnt-trust-facebook-wi...

fny 10y ago

While I'm personally all for regulating data use, I don’t see any negative outcomes presented in this opinion. Just a lot of empty, fiery attacks at Surveillance Capitalists who have apparently “robbed us of our welfare, agency, and freedom.” Even the premise of the piece, that “we've lost control of our personal data”, isn’t a negative outcome. It's a restatement of the problem: people give away their short-sightedly in exchange for services. And this gets to my point precisely. Collectively, we're still very distant from the pains of corporate surveillance. The clearest violation I know of is employee data abuse but that noise died ~2010.[0][1] I feel the chilling effects of social media the most--worrying that someone will record me acting like a fool at a party--but frankly, that's something the internet we champion still facilitates. Nothing stops my friend from posting that video on his personal blog. Maybe polarization due to filter bubbles? Still, I've got a hunch people have always consumed info inline with their beliefs and mingled with the like-minded. Also, I'm not sure how a democratized internet is supposed to handle the spread of misinformation and shady political advertising. [0]: https://thenextweb.com/us/2010/09/16/the-legal-implications-of-data-abuse-by-google-employees/ https://thenextweb.com/us/2010/09/16/the-legal-implications-... [1]: http://gawker.com/5445592/why-you-shouldnt-trust-facebook-with-your-data-an-employees-revelations http://gawker.com/5445592/why-you-shouldnt-trust-facebook-wi...