Hacker News Reader

Imagine the pain a modern day McCarthy, with Government sanctioned access to your data, could cause. Your lifestyle choices and everything you have ever read, posted or even been associated with, could be used to decide if you were a "threat" to 1 person in power's ideals and have you black listed, socially ostracised or even far worse.

Sobering thought for all those people that say "I have nothing to hide"

View on HN

>and have you black listed, socially ostracised or even far worse.

Say by giving you a virus that begins to download certain photos in a pattern to make it look like a person doing such. Photos that would, when discovered, destroy any and all credibility to the point that even if you proved in a court of law that they got there by means of a virus, your social reputation is still dead.

Absolutely, imagine that you are applying for a government contract or position and that you are vehemently against (pick a topic) and have made a few comments on Hacker News about how bad this politician is. The politician pops up that you are minus on supporting them, maybe you do not get priority on the contract.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com