Re:Messaging and chat control
by ForHackernews on Monday August 09, 2021 @12:23PM
(#28118822)
Yes it's absolutely hyperbole to compare the racist policy of apartheid to reasonable restrictions on people who voluntarily choose to avoid vaccines for mostly-nonsense reasons.
Do you also oppose driver's license restrictions? Or existing pre-covid vaccine requirements? I struggle to see how these new restrictions are so onerous.
Re:Messaging and chat control
by slickrick216 on Monday August 09, 2021 @01:46PM
(#28119897)
Equating drivers licenses to vaccine passports is a false equivalency.
Re:Messaging and chat control
by ForHackernews on Monday August 09, 2021 @04:52PM
(#28122202)
Why? Drivers' licensing makes people safer on the roads, vaccines make people safer in crowded indoor spaces.
The abuses rationalized by the War on Terror, such as mass surveillance and profiling haven't been walked back. Yet many somehow believe vaccine passports won't be similarly result in mission creep and abuse. More recently it has been suggested to expand the designation of terrorist to include those who have concerns about this process.
When has government willingly returned liberties taken under emergency pretenses? Once Pandora's box is opened...
Re:Messaging and chat control
by ForHackernews on Monday August 09, 2021 @12:26PM
(#28118859)
> When has government willingly returned liberties taken under emergency pretenses?
How about the dozens of times already since the start of this pandemic? Every time case rates drop even slightly, they've rushed to re-open businesses, eliminate mask rules and limitations on gatherings.
There have been some outliers like Florida's Ron DeSantis, but for the most part lockdowns have been on and off. The CDC now recommends masking for vaccinated individuals. Restrict, loosen restrictions and then tighten restrictions further. Repeat as necessary. Say what you will of some of the temporary restorations of freedom of movement, but they've normalized putting people on house arrest.
The goal in my view appears to be getting people onboard with the vaccine passports. Once implemented it will be a stepping stone towards CBDC, UBI and social credit scores.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-06-23/digita...
My observation is that in the name of: a) Covid b) Counterterrorism c) Child abuse almost everything can be presented as justifiable, at least to the mainstream media. The burden of questioning the rulers' decisions remains on us, and the limitations of personal freedom, both digital and physical, set a dangerous precendent to anything that might happen in the future.