Hacker News Reader

Comment by Semirhage | Hacker News Reader

Not only is the tech turned on, but users who click through to the settings to try and turn it off will also find Facebook attempting to dissuade them from doing that — with manipulative examples of how the tech can “protect” them.

Facebook is such a bad actor, I hope that politicians figure out that they could make a name for themselves kicking them in the teeth. Hopefully GDPR can come in and hurt them too. I realize that the default attitude of many in tech is that most people don’t know or care about this, but I think they’re wrong. People do care, but it takes time and repetition to make the point stick. Helpfully Facebook only has two speeds: scumbag, and turbo-scumbag.

All around the world, we need to start electing politicians who understand technology, know what dark patterns are, and can intelligently fight for us.

View on HN

> I realize that the default attitude of many in tech is that most people don’t know or care about this, but I think they’re wrong.

I agree, and I think the actual problem is that a majority of people don't know why they should care, or even know that they should in the first place. "I have nothing to hide" is something I hear far too common, after all.

It's actually a bit worse than just that, and something akin to tragedy of the commons.

The people who actually do have nothing to hide (by which we mean, "the dirt on the individual is so pedestrian that even if it takes zero effort to find it, nobody wants it") stand to benefit from the features and interactions these tools enable. Those who do have something to hide become second-class citizens, forced to do things the slow, manual way that other people can automate away by trading out their privacy.

We head into a techno-underclass dystopia if we let individuals decide to adopt privacy-compromising technologies, because those with worthless privacy can gain the benefits and will not refrain from doing so to the relative detriment of those who cannot.

Personal opinion: "It's not my problem you can't participate fully in our society because X" is a very American opinion, which is why I think there is such culture clash between Silicon Valley corps and the EU.

You just gave me another way of thinking about it, thanks. Although I also think the benefits of social media might be overstated.

> "I have nothing to hide" is something I hear far too common, after all.

That phrase always bugs me. Especially with its origin and connection to oppressive government regimes. How did a phrase used to illustrate tyranny and used by Nazis become a catchphrase for the public?

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/217196/origin-of...

I don't understand why this is getting downvoted. It seems to be a genuine statement.

It appears that many people on Hacker News don't like the idea of politicians knowledgeable enough to counter bad behavior by tech companies. It's pretty entertaining when Senators ask stupid questions during the Facebook hearings ... and it also decreases the chances of Congress doing anything useful.

Great point about electing politicians who understand technology. Shahid Buttar (who's running for Congress in SF) talked about this in a short video last week - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94IC5JVA_MU

Reply on news.ycombinator.com