Hacker News Reader

HNHacker News

Top New Best Ask Show Jobs

Comment by nesky | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

nesky·

Cost kind of stops the government from sending goons right now, sure some governments do it but, it's costly at scale.

View on HN

The UK gov has shown to be incredibly efficient at arresting and imprisoning citizens for social media comments.

Please share evidence.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2025/09/09/people-a...

This is widely promoted but not true.

Missiles are a lot more expensive and much less reusable than goons though. If the nation state can’t afford the goons, it can’t afford to missile you either

Drones aren't though. Plenty of ways to use the data above for evil deeds.

With the digital panopticon neither goons nor missles are really necessary. Opressive forces can just disable your spending and travel credits. If they need you dead or in custody they can just grab you the next time you pop up on camera near one of their agents.

> Opressive forces can just disable your spending and travel credits

"Disabled spending" already happened to the people in the ICC that acted contrary to Trump's diktats[0], without the need for a digital panopticon, both the banks and the government know who you are.

[0] https://www.irishtimes.com/world/us/2025/12/12/its-surreal-u...

Reaper drones will be the more cost effective way to eradicate amalek.

There are cheap drones with guns now thought

The cost effectiveness is the intimidation and chilling effects on a wider population, when that can be achieved with a small number of actual goons.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com