Ask HN: Are computers hostile?
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Over the last few years, as the global connectivity has increased, so has the hostility of our platform. Whether it’s embedded telemetry inside applications or the OS, to not being able to launch an app on MacOS if Apple’s servers are having problems. Facebook’s SDK can kill entire applications, demonstrating they possess a “kill switch” and your every mouse click, button press, typed word is being logged somewhere (and, most likely, uploaded to a server).
Previously, this would have been called ‘spyware’, these days, it’s just common practice. Every website includes some tracker, or requests to several third parties, and if you want to try and be a bit anonymous then the web breaks as you disable JS or block cookies. Essentially, the deal is, you give us data and we will invite you to the party.
And, on other platforms, you have no insight into what your device is doing, whom it’s communicating with, and what is being said. Your phone or computer is constantly having conversations you can’t hear; they use the same technologies we rely on for security (TLS) which ensures we are unable to understand and control data flowing in and out of our devices. Exactly as designed.
Communities like Hackernews and Reddit are constantly promoting such discussions and many debates are had as words are exchanged, only for those same words to be monetized and used in ever more sophisticated systems that are causing real human suffering across the world. Data can be used in many ways, and, it seems recently, the focus has been on how algorithms are targeted towards people, and the influences they have (consider the recent US election, and the content algorithms promote based on their “interests”, or how content can be targeted towards 'depressed' individuals).
Social platforms now control conversation, as they (thanks to the recent administration) are engaged in a battle for what is and isn’t acceptable speech. Youtube has to decide what content stays and goes, and the EU wants to push for content to be removed within an hour; new systems are made to achieve that goal whilst collateral damage is caused by overly cautious and erroneous bots that try to make the decision automatically. Your thought provoking video is no longer welcome and 'you' are cancelled as the horde of angry internet bees are destined to ensure you never so much as think of posting another video again. A few suicides later and the buzz of the media's intense focus casts the disarray into the spotlight, your mind has already been set, you want no part in the play.
As a human, using a computer, you’re being watched. If you say something offensive, or that the state dislikes, you will be discovered and actions taken accordingly. Your web history is stored, your friends and social graph is mapped and ranked according to the people closest to you.
And all of this for…What? Clearly there is an element of control and power, an ability to carefully monitor trends and whether there is growing discord. Real world policy decisions are driven by analytics and data, such as whether certain courses of action are popular and reactions to them (especially during Coronavirus).
I recently purchased an upgraded desktop, now I am wondering what for. Most people’s exposure of the “internet” is social platforms, and if they visit “websites” it’s only via a search; even Google wants to discourage further discovery as they try to answer your queries within the page itself.
Sadly, I don’t see a continuing need to have more powerful processor when there is so little to explore; anything that might be interesting or useful is probably taken down by the DMCA or censored as someone, somewhere, dislikes whatever you’ve made and asserts their authority to expunge it from humanity.
And what are we left with? Can’t even use an application to archive youtube content because, yet again, someone dislikes that concept.
Computers are not ours, the Internet is just for logging humanities affairs and computers are more hostile today than at any other point in history.
Am I wrong?