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This article is premised on the idea that basically everything the Chinese government does is unethical, which is debatable. For one, the Chinese government is

This article is premised on the idea that basically everything the Chinese government does is unethical, which is debatable. For one, the Chinese government is largely supported by its population. There might actually be engineers working on Dragonfly who do not believe the project is unethical. It's not that black and white...

ghda 8y ago
How would one know if the Chinese government was supported by the population or not, given that anyone expressing a contrary opinion is likely to be killed?
AstralStorm 8y ago
That does not give any moral right to corporation to suppress clear facts. No matter how bad they are for their PR.
klez 8y ago
No, it's not premised on that only. If that was the case they wouldn't be talking about JEDI and Maven.
britch 8y ago
No not everything the Chinese government does unethical. I think it's fair to say most of the surveillance technology they're buying is not being used to help people. Do not forget, the Chinese government is, right now, using surveillance technology to imprison Uighurs. https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=553463964 https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?stor...
stendinator 8y ago
How would one know if the Chinese government was supported by the population or not, given that anyone expressing a contrary opinion is likely to be a thorn in the eye that is China's surveillance state?
- olalonde 8y ago
  It's quite apparent to anyone who has lived there for a while and talked to people. Some large scale anonymous surveys done by not particularly sympathetic outsiders also confirm it (e.g. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/10/04/read-this-book-if-you-want-to-know-what-chinas-citizens-really-think-about-their-government/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/10/0...).
  - lern_too_spel 8y ago
    That's what happens when the party controls information to paint a very specific picture. You'll find that anonymous surveys in DPRK will also show that most support the Kim regime.
  - tjpnz 8y ago
    What became the Chinese government we know today also conducted "anonymous" surveys during the cultural revolution. Those who answered incorrectly were bundled up (along with their families) and never seen again.
- seppin 8y ago
  > How would one know if the Chinese government was supported by the population or not Or given the fact that any attempt to gather opinion about the communist party on the ground would instantly land you in jail, this is an impossible statement if anything.
int_19h 8y ago
Being largely supported by its population is not a valid justification for human rights abuses. Consider Japan during WW2 for a concrete example of how far this can go.
deleted 8y ago
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ghda 8y ago

How would one know if the Chinese government was supported by the population or not, given that anyone expressing a contrary opinion is likely to be killed?

AstralStorm 8y ago

That does not give any moral right to corporation to suppress clear facts. No matter how bad they are for their PR.

klez 8y ago

No, it's not premised on that only. If that was the case they wouldn't be talking about JEDI and Maven.

britch 8y ago

No not everything the Chinese government does unethical. I think it's fair to say most of the surveillance technology they're buying is not being used to help people. Do not forget, the Chinese government is, right now, using surveillance technology to imprison Uighurs. https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=553463964 https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?stor...

stendinator 8y ago

How would one know if the Chinese government was supported by the population or not, given that anyone expressing a contrary opinion is likely to be a thorn in the eye that is China's surveillance state?

olalonde 8y ago
It's quite apparent to anyone who has lived there for a while and talked to people. Some large scale anonymous surveys done by not particularly sympathetic outsiders also confirm it (e.g. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/10/04/read-this-book-if-you-want-to-know-what-chinas-citizens-really-think-about-their-government/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/10/0...).
- lern_too_spel 8y ago
  That's what happens when the party controls information to paint a very specific picture. You'll find that anonymous surveys in DPRK will also show that most support the Kim regime.
- tjpnz 8y ago
  What became the Chinese government we know today also conducted "anonymous" surveys during the cultural revolution. Those who answered incorrectly were bundled up (along with their families) and never seen again.
seppin 8y ago
> How would one know if the Chinese government was supported by the population or not Or given the fact that any attempt to gather opinion about the communist party on the ground would instantly land you in jail, this is an impossible statement if anything.

int_19h 8y ago

Being largely supported by its population is not a valid justification for human rights abuses. Consider Japan during WW2 for a concrete example of how far this can go.

deleted 8y ago

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