
Inside Brigade: A look at the bet Sean Parker’s making on his ‘civic network’ - Libertatea
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/08/01/inside-brigade-a-look-at-the-bet-sean-parkers-making-on-his-civic-network/
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shitlord
I thought one of the comments on the article was particularly interesting.

> One million comments filed in the FCC's Open Internet proceeding shows that
> the public at large is interested in "civic engagement".

> But if you look at the many "Wheeler is a dingo" comments, the public still
> has a long way to go in terms of engaging civilly. Many of the comments are
> little better than graffiti (submitting a complete Whirlpool Washer Repair
> manual?). I think the public WANTS to be engaged but they are so cynical
> about the effects of that engagement, that they don't take it seriously.

> How will "Brigade" change that, other than putting a shiny new interface on
> the klutzy FCC comments page?

One additional consideration: what will Brigade mean for privacy? I like the
idea of getting up and doing something meaningful to improve my city... but I
don't want everyone else in the world knowing my political opinions.

~~~
lifeisstillgood
Seriously privacy is really dead. Comments like yours (which in a previous
world would be sensible legitimate comments) make me realise just how gone it
is - it was as if we lived in a world of peasouper fogs. Now the atmosphere is
better and we can see where we are going things will be much better - but the
cost is everyone can see what everyone else does

I am pretty sure that you leave a trail of your political opinions everywhere
even here on HN ... Looks at comments in profile ... Yup family history,
environmental positions , job, citizenship, rough age. Shit I wonder what the
hell trail I am leaving :-)

(I realise that reading two pages of your past comments may seem invasive - I
often do it for people whose comments interest me but this is probably the
first time I have good anyone - and as a former privacy / liberal (UK
definition) activist it's quite painful but i do feel it's best to deal with
the real world instead of tryin to undo the fog.

~~~
opendais
Of course, this assumes he tells the truth. ;)

Personally, I just use random aliases of two words [e.g. open+dais] that are
meaningless and use them for things. If asked me age, I lie, etc.

You can poison the well pretty effectively as long as it isn't RL.

~~~
lifeisstillgood
I doubt that any (non psychopathic) human can maintain that charade for very
long. Even lying about your age will show inconsistencies and betray
anchoring. You will give away far more than you think. Hence the advice to
captured soldiers and arrests felons - name rank and serial number and shut
up!

~~~
opendais
I must be a psychopath then.

It isn't hard really. It is like acting or playing D&D. You make some quick
character stats and use that persona for awhile.

In the past 24 hours I've been accused of being a racist and a psychopath on
HN. I know that wasn't your intent but that is the outcome.

~~~
lifeisstillgood
Ok I'm confused. Are you ShitLord (shit+lord)? Then having multiple personas
does not seem particularly useful in keeping your own privacy. Let's say you
are _really_ MikeSoap - then no matter how much ShitLord or opendias are well
played personas - anything you say as them is ignored when it comes to working
out what Mike's preferences and political opinions are.

If you aren't any of those accounts, in other words if you only come online as
personas, then, why bother at all? You are not expressing yourself and it all
seems a bit of a waste.

And even if you are really ShitLord then this is the age of clever fraud
detection - I will lay money that your personas follow your timezones, that
one persona never comments on the same thread within $SPEEDHUMANTYPING seconds
of the other, or any other "tells" that we humans are really bad at hiding.

I understand that Only psychopaths or mentally badly ill people can maintain
deeply convincing acts over long periods - that was my point - not that you
are a psychopath.

~~~
shitlord
Just FYI, I'm a different person. I don't know who that person is.

