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This is just part for the course. Those who think "europe is good on privacy" and want others to "shut up about it" ignore the deep corruption that exists (wit

This is just part for the course. Those who think "europe is good on privacy" and want others to "shut up about it" ignore the deep corruption that exists (with regional flavours) which is usually shielded in bureocracy and process to pretend it's doing things on behalf of people and not simply their corporate quid-pro-quo friends and their self preservation interests. But hey, it's easier to pretend "things are fine and that the problem is 'the right'" or some other boogeyman that dares criticize things outside the overton window.

shadowgovt 3y ago
Is it even corruption, or is it more a lack of philosophical cohesion? I know that the US and most of Europe differ wildly on their understanding of monopoly protection. Extrapolating, I wonder if different EU members differ broadly on what constitutes "privacy" and therefore one might expect somewhat inconsistent results on privacy decisions based on who's hand holds the tiller that day.
- nani8ot 3y ago
  I don't think it's different views on privacy between countries, since there's ambition to limit privacy of citizens in most countries. My understanding is that there's always pressure from the executive to get more rights (surveillance, weapons, confinement). Depending on the administration and responsible minister, this results in slower or faster decrease in privacy. E.g. here in Germany the current administration stance is against mass surveillance. But the responsible minister of inner affairs calls for less limits on surveillance. Luckily the entire rest of the administration is against it...
- isaacremuant 3y ago
  > Is it even corruption, or is it more a lack of philosophical cohesion? It's corruption. People just don't want to see it. The same way people compare health systems to the US to pretend they're not royally screwed and corrupt. > I know that the US and most of Europe differ wildly on their understanding of monopoly protection. Extrapolating, I wonder if different EU members differ broadly on what constitutes "privacy" and therefore one might expect somewhat inconsistent results on privacy decisions based on who's hand holds the tiller that day. Not really. Every other country is trying to ban encryption, further ban speech, ban criticism of politicians to "protect children", I'm sorry, to protect "minorites" this time around. And this is not just EU, UK and other non-EU members have the same issues. The point is, for whatever reason, these countries which are absolutely corrupt but have very status quo parliamentary systems with little political involvement, get treated as if they didn't have entrenched corrupt politicians who couldn't give less of a fuck, about privacy or the citizen in general. You just have to be involved a little in the country's politics and you see it.

shadowgovt 3y ago

Is it even corruption, or is it more a lack of philosophical cohesion? I know that the US and most of Europe differ wildly on their understanding of monopoly protection. Extrapolating, I wonder if different EU members differ broadly on what constitutes "privacy" and therefore one might expect somewhat inconsistent results on privacy decisions based on who's hand holds the tiller that day.

nani8ot 3y ago
I don't think it's different views on privacy between countries, since there's ambition to limit privacy of citizens in most countries. My understanding is that there's always pressure from the executive to get more rights (surveillance, weapons, confinement). Depending on the administration and responsible minister, this results in slower or faster decrease in privacy. E.g. here in Germany the current administration stance is against mass surveillance. But the responsible minister of inner affairs calls for less limits on surveillance. Luckily the entire rest of the administration is against it...
isaacremuant 3y ago
> Is it even corruption, or is it more a lack of philosophical cohesion? It's corruption. People just don't want to see it. The same way people compare health systems to the US to pretend they're not royally screwed and corrupt. > I know that the US and most of Europe differ wildly on their understanding of monopoly protection. Extrapolating, I wonder if different EU members differ broadly on what constitutes "privacy" and therefore one might expect somewhat inconsistent results on privacy decisions based on who's hand holds the tiller that day. Not really. Every other country is trying to ban encryption, further ban speech, ban criticism of politicians to "protect children", I'm sorry, to protect "minorites" this time around. And this is not just EU, UK and other non-EU members have the same issues. The point is, for whatever reason, these countries which are absolutely corrupt but have very status quo parliamentary systems with little political involvement, get treated as if they didn't have entrenched corrupt politicians who couldn't give less of a fuck, about privacy or the citizen in general. You just have to be involved a little in the country's politics and you see it.