they also do it at even little bit of protests. How dare the citizens protest their own governments, no, no internet for you!
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The world will be a better place without these govts.
Makes me wonder what will happen to the internet - and politics - once generative AI tools are sufficiently advanced and easy to use. It’s already easy to rile up people with Whatsapp forwards. Imagine how easy it would be if the Whatsapp message comes with an inflammatory AI generated video.
As a simple example, just look at how in the USA, inventor of the internet, QAnon has gained zealous, violent supporters, over a bunch of intentionally cryptic messages and literal keyboard mashing to form a "code".
Look at the Reddit frontpage for an example of how easily people will believe the supposed context provided with a video. It usually takes hours for someone to actually check and comment "actually, this is a video from 2009 from another country" somewhere way down the bottom of the discussion thread. In private chat groups, this type of checking is almost entirely absent.
Why bother using AI when you can take an old video, add a title referring to a recent event, and spreading it around on social media? Good AI is expensive, lies are cheap.
Just to say, it's not as simple as authoritarian vs not, it's mote like, authoritarian and didn't get the green light vs not.
Much better to just have control over the popular platforms, have a revolving door between them and the government intelligence agencies, and do your communication control that way.
I can't when the entire internet infrastructure is shut down.
I'm always amused when people go to lengths to defend authoritarian regimes. Pretty sure I am allowed to criticize the country I'm a citizen of.
You can of course criticize whatever you want, have double standards, and call things "authoritarian regimes" with no idea what those actually look like. Doesn't make them so.
I'm Indian. My mother's Egyptian. I'm pretty certain I know what an authoritarian regime looks like. I've seen how the Indian govt has treated Kashmir. I've also seen how authoritarian Egyptian govts in the past have treated their own people.
But sure man, lick more boots. Just remember, the 5 Rupees Modi govt is paying you for this comment won't earn you any goodwill from your fellow man you rat out on.
Blocking phone internet seems to an efdective solution to this for now.
I'm sure every authoritarian/genocidal govt in history has justified their heinous act with the same logic too. "It's for the common good/good of x people."
Protesting is the fundamental right of a human being. the 'cause' of protesting is irrelevant. You could stage a protest to have access to everyone's mothers at all time if you'd like, that too would be your right.