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by autobodie 369 days ago
> One caveat: I should be able to use it (and, hence, pay for it) anonymously.

I assume you mean this as a moral claim and I can agree in that case. However, it's meaningless of course and kind of infuriating in any other light, because this is the world everyone has been mindlessly begging for and there is no chance that it comes without extremely severe consequences. An automated world like this means even less power for working people than ever before, so how on Earth do you expect to realize any of these desires? Do you still think capitalists care about your privacy? Even if they did "care" it wouldn't matter because they have to compete.
2 comments
steelframe 369 days ago
> so how on Earth do you expect to realize any of these desires?

The same way this sort of thing has always been accomplished: Government regulation.

Vote, write reps, donate to the ACLU and EFF, socialize.

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zdragnar 369 days ago
> Do you still think capitalists care about your privacy?

Why do you think most people did in the first place? We (speaking for the majority of consumers) care more about free services than we do having our privacy protected.

The fact that there are a seemingly endless stream of cases of identity fraud and leaks of private data and we still continue to use all the services indicates that we don't value it very much.

Do I care that Google knows I went to Amazon after searching for a particular book title? Nope. Do I care that Google knows I went to the grocery store today? Still no. I would much rather get a great search engine, free maps, GPS, email, documents, storage, photo backups and more.

If I did care about the privacy of these things, I'd pay for it. Or, I'd use a dedicated account on a different service on a different device that can't be connected if I want to do something I don't want others knowing about, like buying naughty lingerie for my partner or something.

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autobodie 369 days ago
Nonsense. You describe a world in which everyone has disposable income to navigate the market, picking and choosing as they please. Capitalism is not that world. Most people are just trying to keep their debt manageable enough to keep a roof over their heads and get to work on time the next day. Get real, guy.
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zdragnar 369 days ago
No, I'm describing this world. Nothing you said refutes the point that people prefer free services over the presumed loss of privacy.
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