undefined | Better HN

0 pointsJoeAltmaier7y ago0 comments

Confused; that argument seems to be endorsing the idea that there was little privacy, then denying it?

And agreed no doubt misused facial recognition will be an issue. Just not a personal-relationship one; it'll be a government one.

0 comments

4 comments · 2 top-level

esotericn7y ago· 2 in thread

In case A, a village member knows a private fact about you.

In case B, an arbitrary person or collection of people across the globe know private facts about you.

The hypothetical individual in case A has _drastically_ different incentives regarding disclosure or use of that information. I wouldn't even call it superficially similar.

The modern example would be that your roommate knows fact X, vs. some larger group, or the entire world, knows fact X.

The former can, but not necessarily will, lead to the latter.

JoeAltmaierOP7y ago

Hm, disagree. Socially, its only important if someone you have to deal with, knows something about you that they shouldn't. That the set 'people you have to deal with' is larger now is true, but maybe not critical.

esotericn7y ago

Larger groups don't act the same way as smaller ones.

If your sister dies tomorrow, you'd probably be quite upset.

If I die tomorrow, you wouldn't care even if you found out.

Consider that your roommate, parent, village member, whatever, finds out that you're gay. It's a small group. They have the information to know whether that getting out would be good or bad for you, whether you'd like that information to be disclosed.

On a global scale that discretion just doesn't exist at all. Facebook doesn't _care_. A random worker who sees that information doesn't _care_. The information can make its way to someone who _does_ matter to you (or at any later point suddenly you may matter to them).

1 more reply

motohagiography7y ago

Argument distinguishes whether you're being identified by an "us," or a "them," and in the medieval small town case, it is an "us," where at scale, it is necessarily a "them."

When you add urbanization and modern identity groups, you are going to be a "them," to someone, and providing them with a technological weapon begs to have the balance corrected.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse