Comment by matheusmoreira a day ago
> Corporations are free to impose requirements for access to their platforms.
Yeah? They shouldn't be. Any attempt to deny us service on the basis of the software we use should be classified as discrimination. It should be a crime of the same caliber as racial discrimination.
> Demanding access to Gmail or Facebook doesn't sound like it.
I would argue that Gmail (or at least some kind of email service) is actually a necessity for modern life -- and if "access" includes sending emails to @gmail.com without being black-holed into the spam folder then I would argue it is one of the most essential digital rights these days. For most of the public, no access to Gmail would make it impossible to get a job, use most online services, or communicate with most people. Arguably this is a right more people exercise every day than some fundamental human rights (like the right to a fair trial -- most people are never a party to a criminal trial).
Facebook is somewhat less relevant than it was a decade or two ago, but if you include all of the services under the Facebook umbrella (Instagram and WhatsApp) then I think there is an argument it is would also inch close to that line. I remember it being incredibly difficult to attend events and interact socially with classmates without having a Facebook account when I was in university ~10 years ago.
(All of that being said, I don't necessarily think this is the key issue here.)
The ability to run our own software in all contexts is absolutely essential for our dignity and safety.
It is the only thing that allows us the chance to resist their surveillance capitalism. Being surveilled and having algorithms extract value out of us is exploitation which absolutely goes against basic human dignity. It also creates the potential for information leaks which are safety risks.
Think about it. The only thing that separates corporate software from literal malware is a huge terms of service document filled with legal boilerplate that nobody actually reads. Everybody theoretically "agrees" to this stuff.
> It should be a crime of the same caliber as racial discrimination.
Universal, but unmentionable and with no consequences in practice?
"Yeah? They shouldn't be. Any attempt to deny us service on the basis of the software we use should be classified as discrimination"
but this doesn't work in real world are they??? I mean look at apple, the iOS is locked down device and consumer know what they buy into
and its user also fine with it
> consumer know what they buy into
Consumers don't know anything about what's being done to them. Even on Hacker News I get accused of being a paranoid schizophrenic "tinfoil hat" user when I point out the fact we have trillion dollar corporations building digital fiefdoms with users as the serfs. You think non-technologists can grasp this? You have far more optimism and faith in humanity than me if you truly believe that.
> building digital fiefdoms with users as the serfs
I wouldn't call you names, but this does sound rather extreme. It also sounds rather imprecise. Is this a metaphor, or a hyperbole, or do you actually mean this literally? If so, in what way I, an iOS user, going to be an Apple serf?
but that just late-stage capitalism ?????
I understand where your coming from but the words of choice make it maybe more hyperbole
also stop acting like most user is idiot tbh they just dont care enough for this shit
they do care if the situation get worse, and until then if said corporation is "refuse" to
serve customer like they used to be people can retaliate
> they just dont care enough for this shit
That is the definition of idiot. A person who's so alienated they don't participate in these public matters.
> they do care if the situation get worse
By the point normal people start caring, the system will be so thoroughly entrenched that violent revolution will be the only option avaliable to them.
Sure, I can get behind that statement for certain things that we consider essential to a person's dignity and safety. Demanding access to Gmail or Facebook doesn't sound like it.