4 ms·

> I often wonder how many nobodies disappear for some string of comments on some no-traffic forums/blogs. Maybe a bit conspiratorial. Even dictators need to pr

by slver 5y ago

> I often wonder how many nobodies disappear for some string of comments on some no-traffic forums/blogs. Maybe a bit conspiratorial. Even dictators need to prioritize their actions. And they'd go for speech that has impact (like said high-profile journalists), and less so for random noise on no-traffic forums with anonymous authors. A lot gets lost in the internet noise. Nobody cares about it.

Cyph0n 5y ago
> Even dictators need to prioritize their actions. A bastardization of Andy Grove's famous words: "Only the paranoid [dictators] survive". You'd be surprised at how paranoid dictators get. Every little sign of disobedience is magnified into a "threat". This is the reason why almost all autocratic systems end up devolving into police states with (usually) multiple large intelligence agencies keeping each other in check.
- teddyh 5y ago
  Obligatory link to CGP Grey’s “The Rules for Rulers”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs
reggieband 5y ago
I try not to be paranoid about it, but there are several governments that I just don't talk about online. They are known for aggressive Internet task forces and have histories of taking actions. I don't see any benefit publicly voicing my opinion on them. All it takes is for them to indefinitely store all content posted to certain sites (and you can bet reddit and hacker news are on that list), then run algorithms to de-anonymize it. Then they can score you. Maybe in the future you get a promotion. Maybe you're crossing a border. Maybe a YouTube video you post goes viral. Suddenly that scored record of you sets off an alarm. The digital history you are creating today isn't going away for the rest of your life.
jbay808 5y ago
It's typically after you end up in the public eye for some other reason that someone becomes motivated to hunt for material from your past. Today you're a random internet commentator; tomorrow you're in a fight with your kid's school board, publishing a popular book, who knows.

by slver 5y ago

Cyph0n 5y ago

> Even dictators need to prioritize their actions. A bastardization of Andy Grove's famous words: "Only the paranoid [dictators] survive". You'd be surprised at how paranoid dictators get. Every little sign of disobedience is magnified into a "threat". This is the reason why almost all autocratic systems end up devolving into police states with (usually) multiple large intelligence agencies keeping each other in check.

teddyh 5y ago
Obligatory link to CGP Grey’s “The Rules for Rulers”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs

reggieband 5y ago

I try not to be paranoid about it, but there are several governments that I just don't talk about online. They are known for aggressive Internet task forces and have histories of taking actions. I don't see any benefit publicly voicing my opinion on them. All it takes is for them to indefinitely store all content posted to certain sites (and you can bet reddit and hacker news are on that list), then run algorithms to de-anonymize it. Then they can score you. Maybe in the future you get a promotion. Maybe you're crossing a border. Maybe a YouTube video you post goes viral. Suddenly that scored record of you sets off an alarm. The digital history you are creating today isn't going away for the rest of your life.

jbay808 5y ago

It's typically after you end up in the public eye for some other reason that someone becomes motivated to hunt for material from your past. Today you're a random internet commentator; tomorrow you're in a fight with your kid's school board, publishing a popular book, who knows.