They want to make money. Their buyers want a closely surveilled world with no exits.

whilenot-dev 11 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Multiple things can be true at the same time... do you think the seller doesn't want a closely surveilled world with no exits?

Besides, money keeps businesses in the economy afloat, it's an artificial good with (more or less) constant value. Money's a systematic means to an end and rarely an end goal, its purpose is the transportation of value, and not the communication of value.

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blitzar 10 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> do you think the seller doesn't want a closely surveilled world with no exits?

I don't think they care beyond being rich. Don't anthropomorphize the lawnmower

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whilenot-dev 7 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Debatable, but I think that Flock sells a product that does actively more harm to society than anything from Oracle ever has.

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duskdozer 10 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's hard to see how you wouldn't at least be okay with that outcome if you were actively making it happen. But maybe this is just explaining why I'll never have that much money.

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HNIsEvil2 10 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[flagged]

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berytos_storm 10 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> Don't anthropomorphize the lawnmower

I love this analogy. It’s hardly a crime to kick my lawnmower until it starts to come apart. Vandalism at best. If you want to entirely dehumanize these people, at least go all the way.

	▲	archonis 9 hours ago \| parent [-]
		That was a reference to a Bryan Cantril speech, and it's more about the lawnmower's ability to gravely harm your person without having any intent or feeling beyond doing what a lawnmower does.

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YCIsComplicit 10 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

The sellers are people like YC and other investors

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lionkor 10 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

This is the drug-dealer justification -- "if I don't [sell drugs|provide mass surveillance at an unprecedented scale|crush these kittens] someone else will"

	▲	FlockIsYC 10 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It’s not a justification he’s just pointing it out

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j1elo 10 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

There are buyers who want drugs for recreational reasons, murders for emotional reasons, or spy cams on hotel rooms for business reasons. But those are simply 3 instances where existent demand doesn't mean we should be allowing any offer to exist.

I'd personally agree to put Flock-levels of civil vigilance in the same bag.

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YCIsComplicit 10 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

HN and YC are complicit by painting it as “the government” who literally bans the cameras when it’s only the investors who want them for ads.