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Pre-WW2 census in Germany was conducted by IBM and included religion and other family origin related questions. Fast forward a few years and the Nazi regime us

Pre-WW2 census in Germany was conducted by IBM and included religion and other family origin related questions. Fast forward a few years and the Nazi regime used census results to go after every family that was undesirable for them using the census data they bought from IBM. Privacy and anonymity are not needed until they are desperately required.

coldtea 10mo ago
This can be read as if IBM did this unknowingly and only before WW2. But IBM knew what they were assisting with, and even pre-WW2 was already assisting the Nazi regime of 1933-1939. And they didn't stop come WW2, if anything IBM opened new subsidiaries and continued throughout the second world war. "(...) IBM leased, rather than sold, its machines. The company retained control of punch-card supply and provided service through subsidiaries. Each set of cards was custom-designed to Nazi requirements. He later wrote that the IBM headquarters in New York oversaw these arrangements through subsidiaries across Europe" "(...) IBM New York created a subsidiary in Poland, Watson Business Machines, after the 1939 invasion. The firm managed railway traffic in the General Government and ran a punch-card printing shop near the Warsaw Ghetto. He stated that this subsidiary reported through Geneva to IBM New York, and revenues were transferred accordingly." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_and_the_Holocaust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_and_the_Holocaust
- esafak 10mo ago
  It was authorized by the CEO, Thomas J. Watson Sr., who apparently had a "soft spot" for the Nazis. Hitler decorated him: https://www.nytimes.com/1937/07/02/archives/thomas-j-watson-is-decorated-by-hitler-for-work-in-bettering.html https://www.nytimes.com/1937/07/02/archives/thomas-j-watson-... and it took the occupation of France and the Low Countries three years later for Watson to decide to return the medal.
- int_19h 10mo ago
  Meanwhile, today: https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-palantir-ai-enterprise-data-intelligence https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-palantir-ai-enterp... https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/us-technology-leaders-ai-factory-design-government/ https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/us-technology-leaders-ai-facto...
ndsipa_pomu 10mo ago
I think the bigger issue is allowing such corruption to split and divide people. Religion can often be hidden, but if the Nazi regime decided to depict people with ginger hair as being evil/undesirable, then the census wouldn't have even been relevant.
- itopaloglu83 10mo ago
  Well, I think the hair color would’ve been on the census if it was something people had a preference for which is a prerequisite for building such plans. All I’m trying to say is that the amount of information being collected for each person can be used very nefariously and targeted as individuals we wouldn’t have any chance to resist this dystopian future.

coldtea 10mo ago

This can be read as if IBM did this unknowingly and only before WW2. But IBM knew what they were assisting with, and even pre-WW2 was already assisting the Nazi regime of 1933-1939. And they didn't stop come WW2, if anything IBM opened new subsidiaries and continued throughout the second world war. "(...) IBM leased, rather than sold, its machines. The company retained control of punch-card supply and provided service through subsidiaries. Each set of cards was custom-designed to Nazi requirements. He later wrote that the IBM headquarters in New York oversaw these arrangements through subsidiaries across Europe" "(...) IBM New York created a subsidiary in Poland, Watson Business Machines, after the 1939 invasion. The firm managed railway traffic in the General Government and ran a punch-card printing shop near the Warsaw Ghetto. He stated that this subsidiary reported through Geneva to IBM New York, and revenues were transferred accordingly." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_and_the_Holocaust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_and_the_Holocaust

esafak 10mo ago
It was authorized by the CEO, Thomas J. Watson Sr., who apparently had a "soft spot" for the Nazis. Hitler decorated him: https://www.nytimes.com/1937/07/02/archives/thomas-j-watson-is-decorated-by-hitler-for-work-in-bettering.html https://www.nytimes.com/1937/07/02/archives/thomas-j-watson-... and it took the occupation of France and the Low Countries three years later for Watson to decide to return the medal.
int_19h 10mo ago
Meanwhile, today: https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-palantir-ai-enterprise-data-intelligence https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-palantir-ai-enterp... https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/us-technology-leaders-ai-factory-design-government/ https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/us-technology-leaders-ai-facto...

ndsipa_pomu 10mo ago

I think the bigger issue is allowing such corruption to split and divide people. Religion can often be hidden, but if the Nazi regime decided to depict people with ginger hair as being evil/undesirable, then the census wouldn't have even been relevant.

itopaloglu83 10mo ago
Well, I think the hair color would’ve been on the census if it was something people had a preference for which is a prerequisite for building such plans. All I’m trying to say is that the amount of information being collected for each person can be used very nefariously and targeted as individuals we wouldn’t have any chance to resist this dystopian future.