3 ms·
The attitude that if the government is using the data collected by tech companies to bypass constitutional limitation, then it's a problem with government and n
by mola 4y ago
The attitude that if the government is using the data collected by tech companies to bypass constitutional limitation, then it's a problem with government and not big tech, is rather reductionist.
This is a tangled system and you cannot completely separate the issues as you so simply claim. Big tech colluded with government, and got nice advantages for their participation with the surveillance system. The citizen/consumer is massively under represented and underpowered to make changes to the system once it's in place.
Not to mention the completely immoral act of gathering very private information without consent. I bet that most ppl twenty years ago, if asked if they would consent to giving an exact timeline of their activities to third parties in exchange to free entertainment would probably not readily agree.
Big tech lied to consumers until it normalized the new surveillance status que, that's immoral and wrong, even if it's extremely profitable.
Your individualistic perspective, where you dismiss any harms if they do not relate to you personally, is very short sighted. Authoritarianism can creep up on you, first it targets the weekest, and before you know it, it could be you. Surveillance tech is a tool for authoritarianism, apart from it's inherent immorality because of how it was hidden from the consumer, it is corrupting democracies and gives them a very authoritarian tint.
Could it be that you can not understand the harms because you actively took part in creating this reality?
I know it's condescending, but it's also human nature. Nobody likes to acknowledge he is a part of something harmful, and to deal with this cognitive dissonance we can put on very powerful blinders.
- kylevedder 4y agoI wholesale reject the following: 1) Big tech colluded with government, and got nice advantages for their participation with the surveillance system -- they're getting raked over the coals at dog and pony show anti trust hearings. 2) completely immoral act of gathering very private information without consent -- you literally gave these websites this information, and there's legal privacy policies that no one reads describing how it's used. If you don't want them to have your info, simply don't give it to them. 3) Authoritarianism can creep up on you -- ok and? The fact that Google's ad auctions are more efficient isn't going to cause authoritarianism. 4) Could it be that you can not understand the harms because you actively took part in creating this reality? -- lmao no
- mixmastamyk 4y agoUpton Sinclair would be proud. Try using a smartphone today, which is becoming more and more required, without giving up PII. - Our school district requires our kids to do business with Google, there is no way around around it without significant pain. They don't have another option. - Last week my attempt at buying concert tickets was refused because I would not disclose my phone number and Ticketmaster no longer allows other options. A small thing but they add up. - More and more restaurants won't accept cash. - DMV is selling our information, ADP is selling our paycheck information. The idea that we have "every choice in the matter" is already silly and getting falser by the day.
- fsflover 4y ago> If you don't want them to have your info, simply don't give it to them. Did you hear about Facebook's shadow profiles?
- pclmulqdq 4y ago1) The antitrust hearings are literally dog and pony shows. Nothing has come of them, except slightly increased lobbying spending by Google and Amazon. 2) Other people give it to them, not just you. I tried for years to keep my face off Facebook, and finally made a page to take control of my "shadow profile" because people kept putting it there. Companies often give it to them too, through data brokers. 3) Google's ad auction technology will make authoritarian government much more efficient, the same way IBM's census technology did in the 1930's and 1940's.