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comment by cW
cW  ·  3951 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Julian Assange: The Banality of 'Don't be Evil'

I've worn myself and others out over the past decade making the observation (typically made while using one of their brilliantly designed products) that Google has been assembling a toolbox for global domination and the eradication of any privacy/personal freedom. The only saving grace has been the (implausibly benign) assurance that they'll "only use their super powers for good."

The problem with building/discovering any massively powerful thing is that a single changing of the guard can result in great gain being turned to devastation. The visionary designers of the bomb knew this, though there wasn't ever even a brief golden age of restraint earned by that technology. When we reach the vantage of hindsight on matters of cyber-tyrrany, I doubt there will have been much of one here either.

I've noticed that many are willing to rush forward and attack Assange for what they perceive as his opportunism, but in light of his message, and the gravity of it, these complaints seem little more than trivial red herrings.





humanodon  ·  3951 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I've held the same view for just about as long. Skynet is Skynet.