[2Ccltvcm]

There is nothing you can do about it. You have no meaningful impact on any government policies. Why waste time writing about this stuff if legislative representatives do not care about your writings? Genuinely curious why people waste time complaining about things they have zero control over.

[phyzome]

Kinda weird for you to say that, when right in the article:

« Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), the House Oversight Committee’s ranking Republican, seemed particularly incensed during a hearing into the technology last month at the use of driver’s license photos in federal facial-recognition searches without the approval of state legislators or individual license holders. »

[liberte82]

Ah yes Jim Jordan, the shining beacon of a Congressman who serves the people

[godelski]

These kinds of comments make me extremely upset. Such thinking is exactly why we're losing power in democracy. Such thinking is how authoritarians win. I will go as far as saying that spreading this idea is dangerous at best.

[2Ccltvcm]

In my youth I spent thousands of hours I will never get back arguing about the merits of various social policies and I have never made a positive impact with my contributions.

[godelski]

Well then do more than just argue. And when you do argue, argue to change minds, not to win. I know I used to argue to win. I found that it just puts people off. It doesn't matter how right you are if you make the other person feel angry (obvious counter examples aside). Arguing to convince the other side is harder because you have to understand them. Not only that, but you have to demonstrate that understanding. It is always a continual battle.

But besides arguing there are things you can do. As coders and techies we can contribute code. We can encourage open source and make our own code open source. We can help others find secure forms of communication. We can also do what many others in the public can do: protest, write our congressmen, and raise hell. How much and how little of this you want to do or have time for is okay. But I wouldn't say that just because you haven't convinced others means you shouldn't try. It just means you should change strategies. You after all, no matter how smart or right you are, are not perfect and neither is the person you're trying to convince.

[sangnoir]

The geek/hacker contingent has been surprisingly inept at applying the hacker ethos on the political scene. This is despite the wealth and self-assessed brilliance - where are the subversive PACs exploiting loopholes? Or trade groups communicatinf what is "common sense" on HN to the rest of the world? Perhaps the industry attracts the lone-wolf/Randian types who do not see value in unity-of-purpose, because less-wealthy and allegedly "lower-performance" industries are much more politically effective.