4 ms·

Without wanting to unnecessarily stoke the hyperbole, I'm struck that the Facebook/Google beast is a level more powerful because the effects of its "scoring" ar

by tombh 8y ago

Without wanting to unnecessarily stoke the hyperbole, I'm struck that the Facebook/Google beast is a level more powerful because the effects of its "scoring" are implicit and emergent, rather than China's being explicit and contrived. I assume the Chinese system could be dismantled relatively quickly without overturning the fabric of their society. Facebook/Google on the other hand is so engrained in the nature of Western society I find it difficult to imagine how we transition away from them. China's system is hand-cranked and top-down. The Facebook/Google system has a life of its own that pervades the very foundations of its host.

spaced-out 8y ago
I think the nature of the entities are very different. Facebook/Google/Paypal provide a new vector of boycotting/vigilantism. People with ideologies sufficiently unpopular with the mainstream get targeted for boycotts, which can spread to the rest of their financial and social network. This effect is impossible to separate from society because its an expression of something that's always been part of human society -- shaming and shunning. The Chinese system is top down, and designed to maintain the Communist Party's hold on power. Every aspect of the system is dictated from the top, so of course it could easily be dismantled or changed.
- creaghpatr 8y ago
  I don't think they are all the same. Anyone can live fine without Facebook. Being banned from Google services would be very inconvenient, but being banned from the credit card consortium would be a life-changing blow. Chase Sapphire has stepped into the arena in this regard, canceling credit for users with unsavory political beliefs.
  - AlexandrB 8y ago
    > I don't think they are all the same. Anyone can live fine without Facebook. Being banned from Google services would be very inconvenient... You're not thinking big enough. Already, even details like mobile location information is leaking into the hands of bounty hunters[1], which means such information is probably easily available to less controversial operations like insurance companies. Wait until a "background check" for housing means asking Facebook if you've ever expressed an interest in smoking. [1] https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/08/companies-resell-us-carrier-data/ https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/08/companies-resell-us-carr...

by tombh 8y ago

spaced-out 8y ago

I think the nature of the entities are very different. Facebook/Google/Paypal provide a new vector of boycotting/vigilantism. People with ideologies sufficiently unpopular with the mainstream get targeted for boycotts, which can spread to the rest of their financial and social network. This effect is impossible to separate from society because its an expression of something that's always been part of human society -- shaming and shunning. The Chinese system is top down, and designed to maintain the Communist Party's hold on power. Every aspect of the system is dictated from the top, so of course it could easily be dismantled or changed.

creaghpatr 8y ago
I don't think they are all the same. Anyone can live fine without Facebook. Being banned from Google services would be very inconvenient, but being banned from the credit card consortium would be a life-changing blow. Chase Sapphire has stepped into the arena in this regard, canceling credit for users with unsavory political beliefs.
- AlexandrB 8y ago
  > I don't think they are all the same. Anyone can live fine without Facebook. Being banned from Google services would be very inconvenient... You're not thinking big enough. Already, even details like mobile location information is leaking into the hands of bounty hunters[1], which means such information is probably easily available to less controversial operations like insurance companies. Wait until a "background check" for housing means asking Facebook if you've ever expressed an interest in smoking. [1] https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/08/companies-resell-us-carrier-data/ https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/08/companies-resell-us-carr...