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There is a very simple test to check if something is a good idea or not: What would Hitler have done with it? This is why in Germany there were protests again

There is a very simple test to check if something is a good idea or not: What would Hitler have done with it? This is why in Germany there were protests against recording peoples religion during the census. All of these surveillance tools are based on the notion that the people who use them are the good guys. But there is no guarantee that they are now and will forever be.

iso1210 6y ago
> This is why in Germany there were protests against recording peoples religion during the census. Indeed, and Hitler did use census to identify Jews to kill, thanks to the sabotaging actions of René Carmille, tens of thousands of lives were saved (although Carmille himself survived torture, he died in January 45) The first ethical hacker doesn't get enough exposure IMO. "He also hacked his own machines, reprogramming them so that they’d never punch information from Column 11 [which indicated religion] onto any census card"
sofixa 6y ago
> There is a very simple test to check if something is a good idea or not: > What would Hitler have done with it? That's a very simplistic test that falls flat on its face when you realise Hitler loved animals, was a vegetarian, and despised smoking and alcohol. By your test, animal cruelty and self-poisoning are fine because Hitler disproved of them?
- throw8765 6y ago
  >By your test, animal cruelty and self-poisoning are fine because Hitler disproved of them? AIUI it's not "what would Hitler think" but "what would Hitler do given the opportunity". As in, Hitler couldn't use self-poisoning to further his goals, but he could use mass surveillance.
- turbinerneiter 6y ago
  You flipped my logic on the head there, you know that, right? I never sad to do the opposite of what Hitler liked. Let me rephrase my statement and then check if people are still that triggered by it: Whenever you grant your government power, think about how this power could be abused if the government changes and your favouvered party is not in charge anymore.
f6v 6y ago
> What would Hitler have done with it? What would Hitler do with space ships? Colonize the Moon, I guess. > This is why in Germany there were protests against recording peoples religion during the census. You already do that for tax purposes, right?
- turbinerneiter 6y ago
  The context for this, simplified, rule is policy, power granted to government or institutions (companies, ...) over other people. It is done for tax purposes, yes, and it probably shouldn't be.
  - csunbird 6y ago
    But, the replacement would be to tax everyone for a smaller amount, which would be unfair. I am not a believer and I do not want to pay from someones sunday ceremonies.
    - turbinerneiter 6y ago
      True. Not sure what the best thing to do would be. But I don't think the government needs a list of all people with a certain religion. Could be abused. In the end, the only reason we have this is that the church and the state are to close. Religion is private. If you are a member of a church, you pay your membership fee to the church. No need for the government to be involved. It's nothing I would start a revolution about, but slowly change the system and make it better.
deleted 6y ago
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iso1210 6y ago

> This is why in Germany there were protests against recording peoples religion during the census. Indeed, and Hitler did use census to identify Jews to kill, thanks to the sabotaging actions of René Carmille, tens of thousands of lives were saved (although Carmille himself survived torture, he died in January 45) The first ethical hacker doesn't get enough exposure IMO. "He also hacked his own machines, reprogramming them so that they’d never punch information from Column 11 [which indicated religion] onto any census card"

sofixa 6y ago

> There is a very simple test to check if something is a good idea or not: > What would Hitler have done with it? That's a very simplistic test that falls flat on its face when you realise Hitler loved animals, was a vegetarian, and despised smoking and alcohol. By your test, animal cruelty and self-poisoning are fine because Hitler disproved of them?

throw8765 6y ago
>By your test, animal cruelty and self-poisoning are fine because Hitler disproved of them? AIUI it's not "what would Hitler think" but "what would Hitler do given the opportunity". As in, Hitler couldn't use self-poisoning to further his goals, but he could use mass surveillance.
turbinerneiter 6y ago
You flipped my logic on the head there, you know that, right? I never sad to do the opposite of what Hitler liked. Let me rephrase my statement and then check if people are still that triggered by it: Whenever you grant your government power, think about how this power could be abused if the government changes and your favouvered party is not in charge anymore.

f6v 6y ago

> What would Hitler have done with it? What would Hitler do with space ships? Colonize the Moon, I guess. > This is why in Germany there were protests against recording peoples religion during the census. You already do that for tax purposes, right?

turbinerneiter 6y ago
The context for this, simplified, rule is policy, power granted to government or institutions (companies, ...) over other people. It is done for tax purposes, yes, and it probably shouldn't be.
- csunbird 6y ago
  But, the replacement would be to tax everyone for a smaller amount, which would be unfair. I am not a believer and I do not want to pay from someones sunday ceremonies.
  - turbinerneiter 6y ago
    True. Not sure what the best thing to do would be. But I don't think the government needs a list of all people with a certain religion. Could be abused. In the end, the only reason we have this is that the church and the state are to close. Religion is private. If you are a member of a church, you pay your membership fee to the church. No need for the government to be involved. It's nothing I would start a revolution about, but slowly change the system and make it better.

deleted 6y ago

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