The major problem with mass surveillance is asymmetry:
Whenever governments get additional power to track what citizens do (and ultimately think), citizens need to gain an additional degree of transparency regarding its government [0], so the system keeps its balance. If that does not happen - and obviously the opposite is the case for a very long time now - the degree of abuse of the new power imbalance will continue to increase, at the cost of the citizen.
[0] (This is something the President has emphasized, but his actions have, as we must expect from every politician, gone in the opposite direction - including the persecution of whistleblowers.)
Huge upvote. In many regards I'm anti-privacy. I think privacy probably causes more harm than good. But the reason privacy is bad is asymmetry. Not just citizen vs govt, but also individual vs individual.
I think if they did this camera surveillance and made the data public, that MIGHT be a step in the right direction.
Asymmetry is used to dominate others. Asymmetry is generated via wealth imbalance (rich dominate poor) and now also via information imbalance (government/banks/tech companies dominate the consumer/citizen).
We are created equal and should therefor have the same rights. Asymmetry in wealth and information kills this principle.
> In many regards I'm anti-privacy. I think privacy probably causes more harm than good.
Privacy is necessary in order to feel free to express yourself, in your space, without fear. As long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others, such a private space is where you can retreat to be creative and to enjoy life without pressure. Not just people, but also businesses, lawyers, doctors and such need privacy in order to function. How would you run a company when your competition has direct access to your inbox?
A society under surveillance suffers from self censure and over time, a decrease in initiative and creativity - just check the communist block in Eastern Europe.
Whenever governments get additional power to track what citizens do (and ultimately think), citizens need to gain an additional degree of transparency regarding its government [0], so the system keeps its balance. If that does not happen - and obviously the opposite is the case for a very long time now - the degree of abuse of the new power imbalance will continue to increase, at the cost of the citizen.
[0] (This is something the President has emphasized, but his actions have, as we must expect from every politician, gone in the opposite direction - including the persecution of whistleblowers.)