If I was trying to say that the UK is safe because it's #30 on the Peace Index when the USA was higher, then my comment wouldn't carry much weight. Or if the USA was a place or two behind then my comment wouldn't be strong.
Larry Ellison is in the USA and presumably his "Citizens will be on their best behaviour" is mostly aimed at USA citizens, and HN and the internet are USA-centric so USA makes a big obvious comparison.
So do you think Ellison is right? That surveillance would make the US much safer?
I don't think it's a good idea for a free society, it would be hell to live in. The chilling effect, the number of laws is too high to keep track of, it probably isn't be possible to always be on best behaviour 24/7 for a lifetime.
When robot camera insects with wireless mesh networking and power scavenging hit a few dollars each, there won't be a private space on the planet ever again. Any spider, beetle, fly, in any room, outside any window, on any surface, will be a potential camera drone.
To which country’s citizens do you think the article featuring Larry Ellison on a podium next to Donald Trump is referring ?