I ask, honestly, if anyone else one here is seeing a large influx of intentionally skewing of what the US does and makes it comparable to some terrible policy that China does. It really feels like there are a lot of people with strong Chinese interests mudding the waters of debate by equating the US with China. Feels very much like the Russian disinformation campaigns as Trump as elected except smarter and Chinese oriented.
And the PRC is not a silly government - therefore my prior is very strong that it's taking place on a grand scale.
[1] a cruise missile is ~$2M...you could hire dozens of skilled astroturfers for a year for that, and you can't even use missiles against the US due to MAD...
I do not see insinuation that the US version is worse in this thread. What I see is people being concerned that we are on a dangerous path and building our own version mass surveillance, hence comparing it to China. Instead of shooting the messengers you'd better be concerned about where are we going.
>"The commenters have the same playbook to work from because the Russians wrote it in the mid 20th century"
Sure, I start my day by reading user guide written by Russians on how to fuck up the western world. Check under your bed btw. Maybe couple of them are hiding there.
I've noticed a lot more recently - probably tied to the strong national spirit coming out of China these days.
What you say feels to me as Joseph McCarthy has just sprung back to life.
No need to go that far back in the history of the U.S. Government spying on it's own citizens. In the late 1960's, the Nixon Administration used IRS data to spy on Vietnam war protesters, Dr. Martin Luther King, members of the Student's Non-Violent Coordination Committee, and other American citizens critical of the administration's foreign policy[1].
Human behavior being what it is means that eventually someone in the U.S. government will be tempted to use this data for nefarious purposes. Why should US citizens live in a survaillence state contrary to the Bill of Rights?
Whole three of you sure qualifies for "anyone".
>"...statement made in bad faith..."
Labeling concerned users as Chinese agents is just that.
"It really feels like there are a lot of people with strong Chinese interests"
Now:
"...website may have pro-Chinese users..."
Progressing from "really feels" to "may have" is of course nice touch. As for McCarthy - government backing or not, the general attitude of labeling opponents as foreign agents puts you on the same wavelength. It is not me being dishonest here.
Am I China government agent / sympathizer? Fucking no. Do I believe that mass surveillance is something that belongs more to China rather than "free" western world - yes.
It also isn’t labeling opponents as foreign agents it is saying that people attempting to equate US credit score, which has to do with the ability to get loans and little else, to Chinas social credit system is fishy especially when accounts that come out in full to defend China are regularly linked to actual Chinese people.
It doesn’t mean everyone doing so is, and it isn’t anyone asking for these people to be arrested or charged, but it does mean that there are pro-Chinese users on most social media and anyone arguing other wise is suspect at least.
Be my guest.
>"and it isn’t anyone asking for these people to be arrested or charged"
How long before you do?
>"It also isn’t labeling opponents as foreign agents"
I’m more convinced you’re being weasel.
Lemme return a favor - your comment feels disingenuous and honestly sounds like it is coming from an agent failing at the job and resorting to labelling anyone who disagrees with the party line as the agents of China.
The original theme - do not do mass surveillance. It looks like we are doing same things as China. You can find this lacking of substance / lie and I respect that. But labeling bearer as China sympathizer is total bollocks. I am not.