Algorithmic Entities (2017) | Hacker News Reader

Algorithmic Entities (2017)

papers.ssrn.com

31 pointsTeever3 comments

>Algorithmic entities are likely to prosper first and most in criminal, terrorist, and other anti-social activities because that is where they have their greatest comparative advantage over human-controlled entities. Control of legal entities will contribute to the threat algorithms pose by providing them with identities. Those identities will enable them to conceal their algorithmic natures while they participate in commerce, accumulate wealth, and carry out anti-social activities.

This is prejudice against bots. Maybe they wouldn't have to hide their identity and try to "pass" if you'd stop persecuting them so much.

>In 1993, Yale law professor Roberta Romano characterized state government competition to sell corporate charters

Maybe they are among us already...

> Control of legal entities will contribute to the threat algorithms pose by providing them with identities. Those identities will enable them to conceal their algorithmic natures while they participate in commerce, accumulate wealth, and carry out anti-social activities.

Starting on January 1, 2024, it will be harder to conceal the identities of people behind LLCs: https://www.daypitney.com/insights/publications/2022/11/fog5...

Reminiscent of the precedent, 'that depends on what the meaning of is is' when the former President Clinton was asked a question during his Grand Jury Testimony circa '98 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clint...)

From the link (emphasis added):

> A beneficial owner does not include (i) a minor child; (ii) a nominee, intermediary, custodian or agent on behalf of another individual; (iii) an employee of the reporting company; (iv) an individual whose only interest in the reporting company is through a right of inheritance; or (v) a creditor of the reporting company.

IANAL, but agent on behalf of another individual may be tortured and twisted, by legal minds of course, to mean autonomous agent (bot) on behalf of another individual by those who want to exploit Algo Entities. Moreover, as the paper says, you just need a few jurisdictions that permit it in order for algorithmic entities to wreak havoc.

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