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Bill Gates: Tech Companies Inviting Government Intervention (axios.com)
In an interview with Axios on Tuesday, Bill Gates warned Apple and other tech giants that they risk the kind of nightmarish government intervention that once plagued his Microsoft if they act arrogantly. Axios reports: The big picture: "The companies need to be careful that they're not ... advocating things that would prevent government from being able to, under appropriate review, perform the type of functions that we've come to count on." Asked if he sees instances of that now, Gates replied: "Oh, absolutely." Why it matters: With the Big Tech companies feeling they're suddenly drawing unfair scrutiny, this is Microsoft's co-founder saying they're bringing some of the problems on themselves, by resisting legitimate oversight.
They'll keep making as much profit, gain as much market share, and reducing/externalising costs as much as they can until someone or something stops them. The only way they understand of avoiding government regulation is lobbying politicians to stop legislation and funding for regulators from going through. It's the government's responsibility to protect the people from abusive practices by corporations. It's time for government to do their job.
Debate is a form of harassment. Do not question my truth.
In another words, using encryption that works and not installing back doors every time the NSA asks.
Gee - thanks Gates, for having our backs. But please go to hell.
No wonder Microsoft can't be trusted with our data if it was founded by assholes like him.
You can get ahead of it, or you can get run over by it. You may get away with shenanigans for a long time, but once you cross the line, the government hammer is going to hit you hard. Unfortunately a lot of companies have no restraint. They will creep up to the edge of legality, pretty much guaranteeing government intervention.
The problem is that the oversight provided turned illegitimate when the government decided to build a mass surveillance apparatus in violation of the fourth amendment of the US constitution. It is the government itself that is driving people to encryption. It's no surprised that trust has been lost in the government when even the local PD will hack your phone and make a complete copy without a warrant. Encryption is a way to ensure your rights because they abdicated themselves of that responsibility. The fact that they have been burned by their own bad behavior is unfortunate but there is nobody else to blame but themselves.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
I don't have to buy Google's services; however, I *do* have to buy Uncle Sam's, or be thrown into a cage for refusing.
You have no choice.
You do consume Google/Alphabet's services and you have no choice in the matter other than staying off the internet and mobile devices.
And considering what little people like me have dealt with the last decade, government is a MUCH lesser evil - even with Trump in office.
These words are subject to interpretation. I initially jumped to the conclusion that he means encryption; anyone who knows anything about how good encryption works knows that that's just bullshit because math doesn't abide by human law. Then I thought about Uber's Greyball and similar advanced authority-evading tactics and I realized that there is a legitimate point to be made if that's the context he's referring to instead of encryption.
Don't you just LOVE ambiguity?
they risk the kind of nightmarish government intervention that once plagued his Microsoft
It was found that Microsoft violated a de facto monopoly position, and they got off with a handslap. "Plagued" is not the right word here, unless you want to say that we were plagued by Microsoft, as it has been said that Microsoft set back computing significantly.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
There is no reason to believe that the Democratic party has any intention of repealing the PATRIOT Act or FISA.
Unfortunately, our democracy has been crippled and has resulted in a non-representative government that doesn't work for the people because of the reductive first-past-the-post voting system that in effect in 99.9% of the country.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
The courts are secret, the decisions are secret, the evidence is secret, the verdicts are secret. And no jury.
Lawmakers however would like you to think, that copyright-violations are bringing our countries to their knees and threatening their foundations.
Windows 2000 - from the guys who brought us edlin
The point, I think, was that true libertarianism is inevitably replaced by authoritarianism. You will never see a libertarian paradise, because it can only exist long enough for a strong man to gather enough power to destroy it.