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> It does not matter if Germany is not ruled by an autocratic regime at the moment I totally get the appeal of that argument, but it completely breaks down onc
by usrusr 6y ago
> It does not matter if Germany is not ruled by an autocratic regime at the moment
I totally get the appeal of that argument, but it completely breaks down once I ask myself how much that autocratic bogeyman regime, once it got into power, would feel bound by privacy protections put in place by their predecessors.
- corty 6y agoThe question is rather: can they use preestablished structures and machinery or do they need to build it from the ground up. Surveilance also needs work, and its less work if everything is prepared.
- Jon_Lowtek 6y agomy point was more: any liberal social democratic society that subjects itself to every increasing censorship and surveillance will devolve towards totalitarianism.
- im3w1l 6y agoCan you explain surveillance leads to totalitarianism? It's not obvious to me.
- shrimp_emoji 6y agoTotalitarianism has been the mode of human governance since prehistory. It's great, effective, and always tempting. The Western world today is the exception, not the rule. It's also really hard to establish or continue without the surveillance to detect rebellion and corruption.
- int_19h 6y agoIt makes a big difference, actually. Few regimes go full-on totalitarian right away - it's more common to have a gradual erosion, where they operate within the letter of the law for a while, while gradually diminishing the spirit. So the more the letter allows, the more abuse you'll see from the get go.