

1984 - paulsutter
http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2013/06/1984.html

======
jsankey
I only finally read 1984 about a year ago. Everyone should read it: it's a
great combination of entertainment and insight; funny, yet terrifying. The
classics don't always live up to the hype, but there's a reason so many terms
from the book ended up in our vocabulary.

~~~
mark_l_watson
1984 is on my list. I just finished "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley and
although it was a very good read, it was a little depressing since I could
imagine the future turning out that way.

~~~
peapicker
Everyone fears big brother, and the term 'Orwellian' became a oft-used word to
describe the oppressiveness of an overt totalitarian power.

Huxley wrote about our being lulled into submission through indifference.
'Huxleyian' never became a common term, because we apparently are indifferent
about a world in which people are indifferent.

------
zmitri
It's nice seeing people like Fred stand up for privacy/human rights, but at
the same time, it's little a bittersweet because speaking out directly against
PRISM companies could affect business -- as companies he invests in are
sometimes purchased by PRISM companies. That might hamper abilities to speak
out more directly if he really wanted to make a difference.

For example, Fred mentions he is proud that Twitter wasn't in PRISM,
[http://fredwilson.vc/post/52346663032/the-list-of-
technology...](http://fredwilson.vc/post/52346663032/the-list-of-technology-
companies-allegedly) but at the same time uses the fuckyeah tumblr meme to end
the post. Tumblr was recently sold to PRISM-involved Yahoo.

I'm not saying it's wrong, or bad, but it is very bittersweet.

~~~
fredwilson
i could care less about pissing off google, yahoo, etc

but it is less clear what else i should be doing to try to change things

i am all ears

~~~
zmitri
You're right, it is very unclear. My concern (and what seems to be Snowden's
concern as well) is that business is going to keep going on as usual and
everyone will let this slide.

I don't think its your duty to do something more unless you really want to
change things. That being said, doing something to really stand out, like
boycotting those PRISM companies until they change their policies, wouldn't be
in the fiduciary interests of your investors.

It's a tough position to be in I think, and that's why I think it's bitter
sweet. Mo money, mo problems.

------
fredley
Don't forget that this book was written in 1948. It's an astonishingly
prescient book.

~~~
tome
That particular quotation seems prescient, but there's plenty in the book that
is nothing like what happens today, at least in a literal interpretation.

~~~
josephcooney
I think interpreting Orwell's books literally seems misguided. Animal Farm
wasn't _REALLY_ about farm animals...was it.

~~~
WickyNilliams
I think 1984 is less allegory than Animal Farm though?

------
pdog
It's nice to see people like Mr. Wilson stand up for the rights of U.S.
citizens by quoting passages from _1984_ , but what can he and other
influential members of the tech industry actually do to change the direction
of the country?

~~~
david927
It's up to all of us.

We, the people, can stop what we're doing and create fundamental change. We
have to eliminate the secret echelons that are above their bosses -- us. We
can reboot the notion of congress, with elements of direct participation,
campaign reform, and make lobbying illegal.

It's easy to point a finger. It's hard to roll up our sleeves. But now is the
time; now more than ever.

------
bane
IMHO, the single most important book published in the 20th century and a heck
of a read.

------
abe_duarte
This is the audio of the 1984 quote, going to save this one.
[http://db.tt/gqOVbl9f](http://db.tt/gqOVbl9f)

------
bencollier49
The chirpy voice actor seems rather unsuitable.

------
prollyignored
Does anyone watch american TV shows ?

The idea that security > privacy is brainwashed into the american masses.

Does anyone work as a sysadmin ?

wheel users can read _every_ one's data.

Does anyone go to internet facebook/forums/mailing-lists ?

They are mini totalitarian states where lusers are killed. The rhetoric ?
Order and kill spam.

The point is, internet has never been a shining example of democracy. There
are no privacy laws for sysadmins.

The internet ocean-tubes are owned by the government, the fact that they want
to read email is no fairer than forum admin "banning" lusers or running sql.

In 1984, every home has a cctv. Our 1984 is a paradise. TV's are the thought
police. Hollywood takes care of public anger. Internet gives faux democracy.

The government didn't do anything with it. The government only copied what
admins since 1980 have been doing.

You are interacting a with an interactive cctv !

~~~
coherentpony
>The point is, internet has never been a shining example of democracy. There
are no privacy laws for sysadmins.

By using a system, you presumably agree to some terms and conditions you never
read. Since I also never read them, I'm going to go ahead and presume that
those terms and conditions state that any data or activity on said machine is
and can be monitored by a sysadmin. If you don't want to be watched, you have
to be the sysadmin.

Since I'm too noob to downvote, I thought I'd just chime in here and inform
you that you are wrong.

~~~
prollyignored
If NSA open sources their implementation,

every country in the world,

every telecom org,

big-data companies like Google+Yahoo+Facebook+MS+Apple,

forum software like HN+reddit+phpbb

should run it on GPLv2 cloud linux boxes

with the help of ninja sysadmins

operating without laws

to fight

* spam

* trolls

* terrorists

* people who disagree with status-quo

* pedophiles

* credit-card fraud

* psychopaths on loose

* rapists

* Steve jobs haters

I don't think HN has an admin interface, to kick all the hatrz. pg should
contact the NSA !

Best of all, since state laws don't apply inside organizations, we can have
"Terms and Conditions" that say

> You guys trust us with your data ?

> Ha ha !

> No guarantees

> what ever

