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Astonishing. The EU was caught using targeted ads in twitter to get support for a very intrusive law. Smells really bad, but I'm too cynical to believe that an

Astonishing. The EU was caught using targeted ads in twitter to get support for a very intrusive law. Smells really bad, but I'm too cynical to believe that anyone responsible will face consequences.

varispeed 3y ago
> will face consequences. Probably a bonus will happen to them.
Amezarak 3y ago
Make sure to bookmark this for the next discussion where people insist nothing like this can happen in Europe.
- BLKNSLVR 3y ago
  That's the funny thing about tribalism, it's just a different flavour of the same base human corruptibility (or, to use less aggressive wording: opinion, bias, or subjectivity). The US is no better or worse than Europe, it's just a different alignment of values. The "better or worse" argument is based entirely on each individual's alignment being closer or further away from one alignment or the other. This will come from personal experience, highly affected by the boundary the individual grew up within - which can affect can ones biases in both directions.
- kaba0 3y ago
  I mean, it didn’t happen. Obviously the EU is not without fault, but to be honest, I see more negatives around it, especially on HN than warranted.
  - tremon 3y ago
    Neither did it not happen, it is only postponed and not shut down. These things will keep coming back until there are real consequences for tin-pot dictators pushing despotic legislation (and no, I'm not advocating for violence, I want them to be forced to publicly resign their post).
eigenket 3y ago
Saying "the EU" is wildly oversimplific. A more accurate interpretation (in my opinion) is one particularly stupid EU comissioner (Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs) who is pushing things way beyond her remit. The EU has mechanisms which can deal with this sort of nonsense, however. The comissioners can't pass laws themselves, only propose them. The EU parliament has to actually vote the law proposed by the commission into law and it seems unlikely for this one to pass. The EU parliament is directly elected by normal people, and is generally rather more in touch with reality than the commissioners are.
- bloopernova 3y ago
  You're right, I wish I could still edit the comment to clarify it.
- inglor_cz 3y ago
  "who is pushing things way beyond her remit." And who was almost successful in doing so. She still may be successful a year or two from now. It is as if the EC was a big carousel of special interests where every commissioner takes his/her turn and others help them pass things, on order to be able to pass their own things later. A classical oligarchy, the ancient Greeks would immediately recognize the problem.
- emptysongglass 3y ago
  I wish we citizens of countries in the EU would stop bending over backward to apologize and explain away these undemocratic institutions. "Oh but don't worry those unelected officials can't pass laws, just propose them." "Oh but actually this other body is directly elected unlike these other folks." "Oh it's actually democratic because we voted those other folks in who elected them in." Like c'mon folks. It sucks. It's really bad. We should do something about it and stop falling all over ourselves to explain how it's not that bad. You don't think the actual lawmakers are listening to their advice? Of course they are. They elected those proposers. This weird defense we keep rallying to is tiresome. It's ok to criticize the EU. It's really not a paradise in any sense of the word and many, many of its constituent countries look far less democratic than the US.

Astonishing. The EU was caught using targeted ads in twitter to get support for a very intrusive law. Smells really bad, but I'm too cynical to believe that anyone responsible will face consequences.

varispeed 3y ago

> will face consequences. Probably a bonus will happen to them.

Amezarak 3y ago

Make sure to bookmark this for the next discussion where people insist nothing like this can happen in Europe.

BLKNSLVR 3y ago
That's the funny thing about tribalism, it's just a different flavour of the same base human corruptibility (or, to use less aggressive wording: opinion, bias, or subjectivity). The US is no better or worse than Europe, it's just a different alignment of values. The "better or worse" argument is based entirely on each individual's alignment being closer or further away from one alignment or the other. This will come from personal experience, highly affected by the boundary the individual grew up within - which can affect can ones biases in both directions.
kaba0 3y ago
I mean, it didn’t happen. Obviously the EU is not without fault, but to be honest, I see more negatives around it, especially on HN than warranted.
- tremon 3y ago
  Neither did it not happen, it is only postponed and not shut down. These things will keep coming back until there are real consequences for tin-pot dictators pushing despotic legislation (and no, I'm not advocating for violence, I want them to be forced to publicly resign their post).

eigenket 3y ago

Saying "the EU" is wildly oversimplific. A more accurate interpretation (in my opinion) is one particularly stupid EU comissioner (Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs) who is pushing things way beyond her remit. The EU has mechanisms which can deal with this sort of nonsense, however. The comissioners can't pass laws themselves, only propose them. The EU parliament has to actually vote the law proposed by the commission into law and it seems unlikely for this one to pass. The EU parliament is directly elected by normal people, and is generally rather more in touch with reality than the commissioners are.

bloopernova 3y ago
You're right, I wish I could still edit the comment to clarify it.
inglor_cz 3y ago
"who is pushing things way beyond her remit." And who was almost successful in doing so. She still may be successful a year or two from now. It is as if the EC was a big carousel of special interests where every commissioner takes his/her turn and others help them pass things, on order to be able to pass their own things later. A classical oligarchy, the ancient Greeks would immediately recognize the problem.
emptysongglass 3y ago
I wish we citizens of countries in the EU would stop bending over backward to apologize and explain away these undemocratic institutions. "Oh but don't worry those unelected officials can't pass laws, just propose them." "Oh but actually this other body is directly elected unlike these other folks." "Oh it's actually democratic because we voted those other folks in who elected them in." Like c'mon folks. It sucks. It's really bad. We should do something about it and stop falling all over ourselves to explain how it's not that bad. You don't think the actual lawmakers are listening to their advice? Of course they are. They elected those proposers. This weird defense we keep rallying to is tiresome. It's ok to criticize the EU. It's really not a paradise in any sense of the word and many, many of its constituent countries look far less democratic than the US.