4 ms·

How much of this is happening in the US already, but without our knowledge -- unless of course someone steals it and we read about it here. It all sounds so con

How much of this is happening in the US already, but without our knowledge -- unless of course someone steals it and we read about it here. It all sounds so convenient, yet at the same time I see where it will eventually wind up, as a new kind of slavery.

mindslight 9y ago
Well, the new version of slavery was widespread credit - a continuum rather than discrete, with every interaction being a purported choice of assent (easy) or rejection (hard). The big-picture trend is clear, yet we mostly cling to the self-lie that we've voluntarily accepted this system. The commercial surveillance enabling this has been with us a long time, long enough that people working in that industry casually refer to their databases' keys as a person's identity! The recent innovations in commercial surveillance just make it harder to run away and start fresh, while enabling more efficient extraction through fine-grained price discrimination.
- QAPereo 9y ago
  More like indentured servitude; the “new” slavery is in prison labor.
dsfyu404ed 9y ago
>How much of this is happening in the US already, but without our knowledge Probably a lot. My cousin (Nth generation rich white dude) took a class (at an ivy league school) on the more technical side of terrorism where the professor outright told them that the research they would need to do to get a good grade they would result in them getting a lot more "random" searches at airports and the like. He said other students confirmed that statement (I don't think he had had occasion to travel via air between taking the class and our conversation).
- ygaf 9y ago
  Interesting price to pay for taking a class, is it part of any particular degree? On the other hand I guess you really get to learn how your government watches you.
  - dsfyu404ed 9y ago
    Definitely not part of his degree. I think they had a professor who's specialty was that sort of thing so it was a "sought after" elective.
srcmap 9y ago
This is similar to the "like graph" in FB. FB definitively know a lot folks' "political leaning" base everyone's "likes" in global scale and has profit from the info in the last elections.

mindslight 9y ago

Well, the new version of slavery was widespread credit - a continuum rather than discrete, with every interaction being a purported choice of assent (easy) or rejection (hard). The big-picture trend is clear, yet we mostly cling to the self-lie that we've voluntarily accepted this system. The commercial surveillance enabling this has been with us a long time, long enough that people working in that industry casually refer to their databases' keys as a person's identity! The recent innovations in commercial surveillance just make it harder to run away and start fresh, while enabling more efficient extraction through fine-grained price discrimination.

QAPereo 9y ago
More like indentured servitude; the “new” slavery is in prison labor.

dsfyu404ed 9y ago

>How much of this is happening in the US already, but without our knowledge Probably a lot. My cousin (Nth generation rich white dude) took a class (at an ivy league school) on the more technical side of terrorism where the professor outright told them that the research they would need to do to get a good grade they would result in them getting a lot more "random" searches at airports and the like. He said other students confirmed that statement (I don't think he had had occasion to travel via air between taking the class and our conversation).

ygaf 9y ago
Interesting price to pay for taking a class, is it part of any particular degree? On the other hand I guess you really get to learn how your government watches you.
- dsfyu404ed 9y ago
  Definitely not part of his degree. I think they had a professor who's specialty was that sort of thing so it was a "sought after" elective.

srcmap 9y ago

This is similar to the "like graph" in FB. FB definitively know a lot folks' "political leaning" base everyone's "likes" in global scale and has profit from the info in the last elections.