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361 points gloxkiqcza | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.21s | source
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torginus ◴[] No.45011561[source]
I genuinely do not understand where how the idea of building a total surveillance police state, where all speech is monitored, can even as much as seriously be considered by an allegedly pro-democracy, pro-human rights government, much less make it into law.

Also:

Step 1: Build mass surveillance to prevent the 'bad guys' from coming into political power (its ok, we're the good guys).

Step 2: Your political opponents capitalize on your genuinely horrific overreach, and legitimize themselves in the eyes of the public as fighting against tyranny (unfortunately for you they do have a point). They promise to dismantle the system if coming to power.

Step 3: They get elected.

Step 4: They don't dismantle the system, now the people you planned to use the system against are using it against you.

Sounds brilliant, lets do this.

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1. star-glider ◴[] No.45020627[source]
It's honestly even dumber than this, because most of these countries are on the knife's edge of 50/50 popularity between the nominally progressive party and the nominally conservative party. So the odds that your opponents come into power within your lifetime are approaching 1.