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> But while technology infrastructures can persist for generations, laws and policies can change overnight. Once a communications infrastructure optimized for s
by j0e1 5y ago
> But while technology infrastructures can persist for generations, laws and policies can change overnight. Once a communications infrastructure optimized for surveillance becomes entrenched, a shift in political conditions may lead to abuse of this new-found power. Political conditions may shift with the election of a new government, or perhaps more abruptly from the bombing of a federal building.
Prescient.
- tptacek 5y agoI guess. Pretty much everyone was saying that back then.
- forcry 5y agoVaccine mandates comes to mind. Imagine Hitler had mandatory vaccines at his disposal, set in place by some benevolent administration for a seemingly good cause. He wouldn't have needed gas chambers that just does not scale as much.
- dang 5y agoWe've banned this account for posting the same things over and over. Single-purpose accounts are not allowed here, and using the site primarily for political/ideological battle is also not allowed here. Please don't create accounts to break HN's rules with. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- forcry 5y agoSo I posted a response to your comment that got instantly flagged and hidden. Wonder if HN employs automatic scanning and flagging for keywords.
- b0rsuk 5y agoThe technotronic era involves the gradual appearance of a more controlled society. Such a society would be dominated by an elite, unrestrained by traditional values. Soon it will be possible to assert almost continuous surveillance over every citizen and maintain up-to-date complete files containing even the most personal information about the citizen. These files will be subject to instantaneous retrieval by the authorities. (Zbigniew Brzezinski, Between Two Ages, 1971)