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After the news about VPN apps removed from the App Store in Russia, the writing was on the wall: The current tech companies have become an enforcement agency of

by mrtksn 2y ago

After the news about VPN apps removed from the App Store in Russia, the writing was on the wall: The current tech companies have become an enforcement agency of the state they operate in. I'm pretty happy with Apple's walled garden but IMHO the risk is too high to run the society on infrastructure that can be used to fully control the communications and individual ability of people on press of a button. I fully expect the US to learn their lesson after the US elections this year, either pro-Trump or the anti-Trump folks will learn their lesson the hard way. Whenever there's the technical ability, someone will want to use it. That's also why all the governments want to listen to our conversations and access our data, they are also always well intentioned(in their mind the solution to stop the bad people is just a click away, how can you deny this?). The problem is of course, either someone will get corrupted and use this to do something horrible(tech designed to save the children will be used to target people) or people will disagree on what's what's the right thing to do and the tech will be used to destroy them(decisions on something will be met with protests and the tech will be used to silence/cancel/catch/demoralize/block communication etc). I'm afraid the world will go through a techno-fascism stage.

userbinator 2y ago
The current tech companies have become an enforcement agency of the state they operate in. It's more like Big Tech has become its own unelected global government. They already go beyond local government orders and control what information much of the population receives. I'm afraid the world will go through a techno-fascism stage. Will? We are already living in it.
- smt88 2y ago
  > It's more like Big Tech has become its own unelected global government. They already go beyond local government orders and control what information much of the population receives. In many of these cases, such a China, Russia, and some Latin American countries, the local government is also not elected.
trte9343r4 2y ago
> on infrastructure that can be used to fully control the communications and individual ability of people on press of a button. > I fully expect the US to learn their lesson after the US elections > I'm afraid the world will go through a techno-fascism stage Do you remember last 4 years? All the censorship and election interference from big tech?
- mrtksn 2y ago
  No, all that memories ware overwritten by posts from literal nazis, antivaxxers, chemtrail scientists and other rage content.
  - trte9343r4 2y ago
    You mean SS members applauded in Canadian Parliament? Those are "literal" nazis :)
    - mrtksn 2y ago
      No I mean the ones on my feed.
    - aguaviva 2y ago
      People keep forgetting what "literal" means. Hunka (it was just one person) was Waffen-SS, not SS -- and yes, there's a major difference between the two. From Wikipedia: Non-Germanic units were not considered to be part of the SS, which still maintained its racial criteria, but rather were considered to be foreign nationals serving under the command of the SS. As a general rule, an "SS Division" was made up of Germans or other Germanic peoples, while a "Division of the SS" was made up of non-Germanic volunteers and conscripts. Also, Ukrainians were forbidden from becoming Party members. So a "literal" Nazi, no.
      - trte9343r4 2y ago
        > it was just one person There was similar case with another SS member in Canadian Parliament a few decades ago. > was Waffen-SS, not SS -- and yes, there's a major difference between the two. Poland asked for his extradition. They seems to have different opinion. From wiki: Elements of the Waffen-SS Galizien worked alongside one of the most brutal units of Nazi Germany, the SS-Sonderbattalion Dirlewanger,[119] which had carried out brutal anti-partisan activities in Belarus and Poland, and had taken part in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising.[123] The Waffen-SS Galizien destroyed several Polish communities in western Ukraine during the winter and spring of 1944.[124] Specifically, the 4th and 5th SS Police Regiments have been accused of murdering Polish civilians in the course of anti-guerilla activity.
blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
> I fully expect the US to learn their lesson after the US elections this year, either pro-Trump or the anti-Trump folks will learn their lesson the hard way. Do you mean that whoever wins, they will abuse their power to suppress the other side in an unethical way? If so, I agree. The reality is simply that we have given to much power to the government and other institutions, while the individual is losing it.
- mrtksn 2y ago
  exactly, both sides have an ideology which aims for control over the other side and the infrastructure to do it is in place. Whoever wins, will try to use that infrastructure any way possible. The path for it might vary, they both will claim higher ideals, some might say they do it to save the children, others might say they do it to save the country, stop the violence, prevent something illegal etc.

by mrtksn 2y ago

userbinator 2y ago

The current tech companies have become an enforcement agency of the state they operate in. It's more like Big Tech has become its own unelected global government. They already go beyond local government orders and control what information much of the population receives. I'm afraid the world will go through a techno-fascism stage. Will? We are already living in it.

smt88 2y ago
> It's more like Big Tech has become its own unelected global government. They already go beyond local government orders and control what information much of the population receives. In many of these cases, such a China, Russia, and some Latin American countries, the local government is also not elected.

trte9343r4 2y ago

> on infrastructure that can be used to fully control the communications and individual ability of people on press of a button. > I fully expect the US to learn their lesson after the US elections > I'm afraid the world will go through a techno-fascism stage Do you remember last 4 years? All the censorship and election interference from big tech?

mrtksn 2y ago
No, all that memories ware overwritten by posts from literal nazis, antivaxxers, chemtrail scientists and other rage content.
- trte9343r4 2y ago
  You mean SS members applauded in Canadian Parliament? Those are "literal" nazis :)
  - mrtksn 2y ago
    No I mean the ones on my feed.
  - aguaviva 2y ago
    People keep forgetting what "literal" means. Hunka (it was just one person) was Waffen-SS, not SS -- and yes, there's a major difference between the two. From Wikipedia: Non-Germanic units were not considered to be part of the SS, which still maintained its racial criteria, but rather were considered to be foreign nationals serving under the command of the SS. As a general rule, an "SS Division" was made up of Germans or other Germanic peoples, while a "Division of the SS" was made up of non-Germanic volunteers and conscripts. Also, Ukrainians were forbidden from becoming Party members. So a "literal" Nazi, no.
    - trte9343r4 2y ago
      > it was just one person There was similar case with another SS member in Canadian Parliament a few decades ago. > was Waffen-SS, not SS -- and yes, there's a major difference between the two. Poland asked for his extradition. They seems to have different opinion. From wiki: Elements of the Waffen-SS Galizien worked alongside one of the most brutal units of Nazi Germany, the SS-Sonderbattalion Dirlewanger,[119] which had carried out brutal anti-partisan activities in Belarus and Poland, and had taken part in the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising.[123] The Waffen-SS Galizien destroyed several Polish communities in western Ukraine during the winter and spring of 1944.[124] Specifically, the 4th and 5th SS Police Regiments have been accused of murdering Polish civilians in the course of anti-guerilla activity.

blackeyeblitzar 2y ago

> I fully expect the US to learn their lesson after the US elections this year, either pro-Trump or the anti-Trump folks will learn their lesson the hard way. Do you mean that whoever wins, they will abuse their power to suppress the other side in an unethical way? If so, I agree. The reality is simply that we have given to much power to the government and other institutions, while the individual is losing it.

mrtksn 2y ago
exactly, both sides have an ideology which aims for control over the other side and the infrastructure to do it is in place. Whoever wins, will try to use that infrastructure any way possible. The path for it might vary, they both will claim higher ideals, some might say they do it to save the children, others might say they do it to save the country, stop the violence, prevent something illegal etc.