>We don’t yet know how wide the government and the banks will cast their electronic dragnet, but the potential reach is enormous, which means the potential for

>We don’t yet know how wide the government and the banks will cast their electronic dragnet, but the potential reach is enormous, which means the potential for overreach is significant. This is exactly what they did in Russia. If you consistently punish 100% of dissidents, you will end up with a large number of people that have nothing to lose, that will unite against you. If you instead make it clear that anyone demonstrating dissent would face a low (but non-negligible) chance of disproportionally severe consequences, most people will shut up and comply. Ironically, this is what terrorists do. They don't try to physically kill every citizen in the affected area, instead they demoralize the public by making them accept the fact that the next random bombing could be near their house. Things like due process, burden of proof and separation of branches of power were not invented our of nowhere.