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This part is worth considering: > Thiel, a Facebook Inc. board member, argued that the kind of AI developed by DeepMind, which like Google is a subsidiary of A
by dleslie 7y ago
This part is worth considering:
> Thiel, a Facebook Inc. board member, argued that the kind of AI developed by DeepMind, which like Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., should be thought of as a potential “military weapon.” “We’ve been a lot more dishonest about that in Silicon Valley than the nuclear physicists were in the 1940s,” he said in the opening speech at the National Conservatism conference.
If one believes this to be true, then how you consider its use to be weaponized can dramatically alter one's view of both Google and Facebook.
If it's a weapon like strong encryption, then it is a defensive measure for the benefit of their users, as they are sheltered and made safe by its use.
If it's a weapon like any other, then its use is an attack upon those it tracks and analyzes, as they are made less private, more vulnerable, and easier to manipulate.
Somehow I don't think Thiel is arguing that Facebook is attacking American citizens, though.
- earthstabber 7y agoStrong encryption is used for offensive measures as well.
- mandelbrotwurst 7y agoHow do you mean? Isn't encryption essentially building a wall around your data - about as defensive as it gets? Is your argument essentially "invaders can carry shields, therefore shields are a tool of attack"?
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- ryacko 7y agoA good argument could be that the NSA is violating the intent of Congress by weakening encryption standards which are essential to online commerce. Could even be extended to authentication standards which there can be no legal restriction on.
- debatem1 7y agoWouldn't this be "weak encryption is used for offensive purposes as well"?
- ryacko 7y agoNo, this would be [insult to the NSA] at the idea of packet injection by controlling all the major backbones, and endorsing unauthenticated protocols. The DoD’s faith in PKI is so great that many public facing DoD websites are signed by the DoD root CA.
- chabes 7y agoI’m not the person you asked, but I think they’re referring to ransomware
- trickstra 7y agoThe "attack" part of any ransomware is how they were able to get to the point where they can execute arbitrary command on my computer. Because once that is achieved, all bets are off.
- mandelbrotwurst 7y agoThanks, that example makes sense to me, hadn't thought of that!
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- CompanionCuuube 7y agoIs a cloaking device a tool of attack?
- remarkEon 7y agoIsn't he? I mean, he started his talk[1] out by posing the question "Is Big Tech good for the U.S.?", which frankly seems like a question worth exploring - especially since the reflexive position of most everyone (e.g. those who post on HN) would be in the affirmative, and likely emphatically so. Being contrarian to a fault, I expect that there's something Thiel thinks is under attack here. Be it more broad things like the general fraying of social and civil cohesion through social media use, or more specific things like Google's enabling of the Chinese surveillance apparatus, Thiel at least has a starting point in this argument. I can't find a video so I don't know what he actually said but below are some notes I found (that seem to mostly rehash what he's said in a bunch of other places, so he obviously seems to think it's an effective rhetorical payload). [1] https://medium.com/@bonniekavoussi/notes-from-peter-thiels-speech-at-the-national-conservatism-conference-on-july-14-2019-6a51b26b202 https://medium.com/@bonniekavoussi/notes-from-peter-thiels-s...
- SpicyLemonZest 7y agoI don't think he's really making a point about social cohesion here. It seems like what he's asking is "has the US captured Big Tech well enough to make sure the gains don't leak out to other countries?"
- remarkEon 7y agoThat's certainly a possibility, yes, though I think he'd index a lot more on explicitly defining what these "gains" actually are.
- telltruth 7y agoThiel has switched his allegiance to New Zealand from USA so I don’t understand his talks of treason. He is founder of Plantir which has mission for spying on American citizens and using tech for military without any concerns to ethics whatsoever. This is a guy who bankrupted journalist news media because they dared to publish about him. I am not sure how far Thiel can go to establish himself as one true tech villain.
- phaus 7y agoPeter Theil's actions are pretty questionable without your incredible attempts to paint gawker as anything besides a trashy, disingenuous tabloid. I've heard other parts of the company were decent but their bread and butter was the trashy stuff. He can still be wrong to have funded their destruction even if they suck too.
- thecleaner 7y agoAnd what about Palantir and its spy software ? Guy also supported Trump. Seems to be nothing but cashing in on the nationalism wave.
- tozeur 7y agoSpy software? You should actually go to their website and inform yourself of their primary software offerings.
- phaus 7y agoPeople need to stop thinking everything is about picking between 2 teams. Its quite possible to dislike Theil and Gawker at the same time. Its also possible to like some things that each does while disliking other things that they do.
- telltruth 7y agoPretty much every journalist outlet is trashy these days, even NYT. That’s not the point. The Gawker’s article on him was expose which he couldn’t stomach. This is the guy who paints himself as torch bearer of ultra-freedom and libertarian but harbors tendencies of Pharos that includes beefing up authorities with tech to control its citizens. His actions are much more than “questionable”.