Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin
How Russia is using authoritarian tech to curb coronavirus (cnn.com)
4 points by kjhughes on March 29, 2020 | hide | past | favorite | 3 comments



We are the good guys so when we are using the same tech we are caring and progressive.


Exactly, this anti russia / china rhetoric has become pathetic.


So is the opposite, namely citing the apparent effectiveness of the Chinese response to argue for more authoritarianism broadly and generally.

Emergencies are not normal conditions, and it is both rational and ethical to behave differently and even employ different political and ethical models during them. In an emergency, naked pragmatism rules. Do what works, whatever that is.

Example: its normally very unethical to torture someone. What if a nuke is about to destroy a city and they know the disarm code? Maybe it is under that condition, but if so it does not follow that torture is now broadly legitimate. That was an ethical edge case.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: