[Vlaix]

I personally support the use of IT as a means of oppression by various regimes. Not so much because of some peculiar esteem I'd have for said regimes, but because I'm kind of fed up by squinty libertarians and source-code rioters telling us what software and IT are and what they should be used for. Not even talking about the validity of armchair journalists' opinions about world politics. IT is a bunch of tools, and tools don't have a nature or an intrinsic value but functions. Now a tool that is used to control information _will_ be used to slow its spreading if needed, even though its creator had another idea in mind. Damn, using a network to forbid information when it was intended to spread it is even a form of hacking if you thing about it.

Now regarding the IT industry : the liberalism that allows startups to pop-up all the time at a tremendous rate also allows a company to sell products to clients that would be deemed shady in said company's nation. When you get by a system, you either accept its flows as well or play this hyper-hypocritical game of being outraged when things don't go your way.

[EliRivers]

"I personally support the use of IT as a means of oppression ... because I'm kind of fed up by squinty libertarians and source-code rioters telling us what software and IT are and what they should be used for"

Fortunately for the rest us of, children aren't allowed to vote, so maybe by the time you've grown up you'll have grown out of your tantrum and you won't approve of screwing everybody over because you're annoyed at a handful of people.

[Vlaix]

I've been able to vote for quite a long time, and never did so out of principle (in a country where 80%+ of the population votes, very much unlike the US).

I actually think the need of surveillance for a number of nations (in particular Syria, which has been the target of widespread disinformation, slander and lies lately) is perfectly legitimate and I deem this opinion perfectly reasonable considered my general worldview. I put away childish things a long time ago.

Where being screwed over is concerned, I'm fairly familiar with it and as nothing always goes the way I pray it won't, I feel entitled to a bit of vaguely legitimate retribution. It's widely unpopular, especially on a site such as HN where the average Joe has the mind-openness of a witch's tit (whatever the whole hacker/geek ethos might suggest), but I gave away popularity when I started socializing with anything else than cats.

[EliRivers]

That's nice for you, although off-topic. My problem isn't with your opinions on the need for a nation to carry out legitimate surveillance.

The problem is that you approve of oppressing people via IT because you don't like some hearing people's opinion on what IT should be used for. Oppression is not legitimate surveillance, and oppressing people because you're having a tantrum is childish.

"I feel entitled to a bit of vaguely legitimate retribution."

In favour of oppressing people via IT because you don't like hearing the opinion to the contrary - so fantastically childish that your claim to not be childish becomes some kind of satire.

[derleth]

You're trolling. Nobody says they're in favor of oppression. Nobody tells themself that, anyway. Everyone's in favor of good things.