
Grace Hopper Celebration Drops Palantir as a Sponsor - DarkContinent
https://www.businessinsider.com/grace-hopper-celebration-palantir-sponsor-ice-changeorg-petition-2019-8
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someonehere
Unfavorable opinion: The more we boycott overreaching tech and companies like
this that work to secure the nation, the more foreign nations will innovate
and beat us in the long term on that technology.

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ebcode
If it's "overreaching", I'm pretty sure it's not "securing the nation."

Dragnet surveillance just makes me paranoid, and my intuition is that it
stifles, rather than accelerates, innovation --- well, except for the
cryptography aspect; there is plenty of movement towards resisting the
surveillance state(s) on that front.

Your opinion could be summarized as, "it's a dirty job but someone's gotta do
it" \--- when in fact, no one _has_ to do it. Doing so just leads to Cold War-
style arms races.

One of my favorite quotes from a simpler time: "Gentlemen do not read each
others' mail." \-- Henry L. Stimson

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luckylion
> when in fact, no one has to do it. Doing so just leads to Cold War-style
> arms races.

I largely agree, but when anything provides significant advantages, somebody
will do it. You don't have to be the one initiating the arms race but once
it's happening, you can't ignore it. I'm don't believe that the stifling side-
effects of surveillance (of your own population; obviously, world-wide
surveillance provides a large benefit to the US) outweigh the benefits, so
it's probably a net loss, but that's close to impossible to quantify.

As for the quote, it may depend on experiences and the personal background how
you understand it. To me it reads as "but it's fine to read the peasant's
mail", just as two generals would make sure not to harm each other in a
battle, but have no issue sending their soldiers to their death.

