Looking back I think allowing more centralized control to various forms of media to private parties did much worse overall than government surveillance on the long run.
For me the problem was not surveillance, the problem is addiction focused app building (+ the monopoly), and that never seem to be a secret. Only now there are some attempts to do something (like Australia and France banning children - which am not sure is feasible or efficient but at least is more than zero).
Re:Prism
by linkregister on Wednesday January 28, 2026 @12:02PM
(#46798085)
Protests in 2025 alone have outnumbered that of those during the Vietnam War.
Protesting is a poor proxy for American political engagement.
Child neglect and missing children rates are lower than they were 50 years ago.
Re:Prism
by sunaookami on Wednesday January 28, 2026 @04:39PM
(#46801948)
Remember when people and tech companies protested against SOPA and PIPA? Remember the SOPA blackout day? Today even worse laws are passed with cheers from the HN crowd such as the OSA. Embarassing.
Someone once said "Religion is opium for the people." - today, give people a mobile device and some doom-scrolling social media celebrity nonsense app, and they wouldn't noticed if their own children didn't come home from school.