6 ms·

I hope the article's authors aren't taking the position that mass surveillance is a bad thing, signifying a breakdown in civilized norms ... after all, they're

by lutusp 10mo ago

I hope the article's authors aren't taking the position that mass surveillance is a bad thing, signifying a breakdown in civilized norms ... after all, they're using the same methods to "track the trackers."

plorg 10mo ago
Surely there is a difference berween "surveiling" records of institutional actors that answer to the public and dragnet tracking of individuals operating in their private capacity.
bonestamp2 10mo ago
Maybe it's one of those situations where it takes a good guy using surveillance to take down a bad guy using surveillance?
buellerbueller 10mo ago
The "trackers" (in the sense used by the parent post, i.e., those who govern us) are there as our representatives; it is our right to observe what they do in that role. Judging by the downvotes, there are a lot of surveillance state apologists/quislings in here! Oops, I mean "founders".
MSFT_Edging 10mo ago
In the US it's not uncommon to get on the wrong side of a police officer for some personal beef, and the police officer begins to harass you using legal tools provided to them. It's also not uncommon for police officers to use their tools to stalk women. Now we're given the same untrustworthy officers full profiles of an individuals travel history without a "need to know". If you can't see how that's dangerous, I don't know what to tell you. In the US if someone is threatening your life, you can typically shoot them if you're out of options. You usually can't do that with an officer, even if they're off duty. The rest of the cops will stand behind that thin blue line and harass you.
- gs17 10mo ago
  > It's also not uncommon for police officers to use their tools to stalk women. And Flock specifically has already been used for this multiple times.
  - MSFT_Edging 10mo ago
    Hell, if anyone is still like "oh that's unlikely", this guy on youtube makes a living on police breaking the law and getting away with it. This video here literally catches a K-9 officer faking a drug hit just to harass this guy over an expired inspection sticker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv5kXxiJiMA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv5kXxiJiMA
immibis 10mo ago
It's 1938. When nazis kill jews that is bad. When jews kill nazis that is good (arguably (it used to be obvious but now it is only arguable)). Symmetric situations are not equivalent.

by lutusp 10mo ago

plorg 10mo ago

Surely there is a difference berween "surveiling" records of institutional actors that answer to the public and dragnet tracking of individuals operating in their private capacity.

bonestamp2 10mo ago

Maybe it's one of those situations where it takes a good guy using surveillance to take down a bad guy using surveillance?

buellerbueller 10mo ago

The "trackers" (in the sense used by the parent post, i.e., those who govern us) are there as our representatives; it is our right to observe what they do in that role. Judging by the downvotes, there are a lot of surveillance state apologists/quislings in here! Oops, I mean "founders".

MSFT_Edging 10mo ago

In the US it's not uncommon to get on the wrong side of a police officer for some personal beef, and the police officer begins to harass you using legal tools provided to them. It's also not uncommon for police officers to use their tools to stalk women. Now we're given the same untrustworthy officers full profiles of an individuals travel history without a "need to know". If you can't see how that's dangerous, I don't know what to tell you. In the US if someone is threatening your life, you can typically shoot them if you're out of options. You usually can't do that with an officer, even if they're off duty. The rest of the cops will stand behind that thin blue line and harass you.

gs17 10mo ago
> It's also not uncommon for police officers to use their tools to stalk women. And Flock specifically has already been used for this multiple times.
- MSFT_Edging 10mo ago
  Hell, if anyone is still like "oh that's unlikely", this guy on youtube makes a living on police breaking the law and getting away with it. This video here literally catches a K-9 officer faking a drug hit just to harass this guy over an expired inspection sticker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv5kXxiJiMA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv5kXxiJiMA

immibis 10mo ago

It's 1938. When nazis kill jews that is bad. When jews kill nazis that is good (arguably (it used to be obvious but now it is only arguable)). Symmetric situations are not equivalent.