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Comment by admax88q | Hacker News Reader

On the other hand it would be super interesting if we _could_ get in to people's data maybe several generations after they've passed. Imagine what historians could learn about what life was like hundreds of years ago if those people left the same digital footprints that we're creating today.

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But also imagine all the wannabe journalists that would just do character assassinations on long-dead people revered as heroes for a quick buck and some internet fame. They would completely ignore all the harm it would do.

Worse, there would be those that would do that same thing with plenty of intent to cause harm, especially to the groups they are prejudiced against.

It's the problems from the "right to be forgotten", but taken to the next level.

> But also imagine all the wannabe journalists that would just do character assassinations on long-dead people revered as heroes

That's an easy one. Pretty much anyone of notice living today will be labeled a "savage meat eater" and canceled. They will say "many people were already vegan, why was he/she still eating meat? Clearly a monster. Cancel"

If they fund industrial farming they would be right to make that moral judgement.

See the "Lasting Impressions" episode from "The Orville" which involves exactly that plot. Pretty good episode, actually.

The Orville (especially season 2, but really from ~Ep 4 onward) is actually a really solid series. I'm a big fan; after the second season it's really more like "TNG with minor Seth McFarlane moments" than "Family Guy does Star Trek".

With people sharing so much publicly (social media et al), can't historians learn about what life was hundreds of years ago without having to dig into private data ? :-)

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