[GlitchRider47]

I think it's worth pointing out that in China it is the government doing it, whereas in the US it is private companies (in this particular context).

[swed420]

Um, obviously? You seem to have missed the point.

People ought to be most interested in the final outcome of each example.

[notahacker]

Yeah. However wild some of the "America is the land of the free, China is a hellhole" takes are, there is a difference between a tracking system designed to try to sell you holidays and a tracking system used to identify political dissidents.

[swed420]

> there is a difference between a tracking system designed to try to sell you holidays and a tracking system used to identify political dissidents

I have a feeling this assumption will age poorly.

[GlitchRider47]

Why? People are openly dissident in the US.

[swed420]

On the HN front page today:

U.S. will review social media for foreign student visa applications

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44524749

History tells us it won't stop here.

[GlitchRider47]

Background checks on visa applicants is a farcry from digital surveillance to identify political dissidents. Although, I would agree with the notion that the US government has been increasingly becoming a surveillance state, but not nearly as pervasive as China.