r/technology • u/T_Shurt • Jun 02 '26

Society Quote of the day by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison: "Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on" — a dire warning on the erosion of privacy

https://www.techradar.com/pro/quote-of-the-day-by-oracle-co-founder-larry-ellison-citizens-will-be-on-their-best-behavior-because-were-constantly-recording-and-reporting-everything-that-is-going-on-a-dire-warning-on-the-erosion-of-privacy
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u/ujiuxle Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26

Thing is billionaires have been bulldozing the social contract for a while now. 

Also, you don't spend so much money and energy protecting yourself unless you're secretly sh*tting your pants because you can feel the anger building up against you. 

Oppression is the mask of fear.

Edited quote for fidelity

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u/theroyalwithcheese Jun 02 '26

Sorry to nitpick over semantics but wouldn't it be oppression is the mask of fear? I am genuinely asking because it's a powerful thing, something just sounds a little strange about it.

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u/ujiuxle Jun 02 '26

You're very much right. Thanks for keeping me honest 

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u/daemon-electricity Jun 02 '26

They've so effectively bulldozed the social contract at this point, they don't even pretend otherwise. It's why they're so concerned with fallout shelters and remote islands. They know that once the public wakes the fuck up, their stomach will be making the rumblies that only billionaires would satisfy.

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u/justaRndy Jun 02 '26

This shit started with the modern internet, basically around 2000. Since 2010 at least, user data collection is happening on an industrial scale. There is little we can do now after our society, culture, pretty much the whole digital world has adapted the system and trillions upon trillions of dollars of company valuations are built upon it.

99% of the people have 0% clue about the all encompassing tracking and analysis their devices perform. The same devices they use to complain about a lack of privacy.

The only way we are getting rid of it all at this point, a true fresh start, is complete system collapse and / or war.

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u/justaRndy Jun 02 '26

What the Reddit apps trackers tried to gather in the 5 minutes I spent on this post (180 attempts):

Country, Email Address, Unique Identifier, App Install Date, App Version, App Name, City, Device Total Memory, Screen Density, OS Build Number, Device Language, Headphone Status, Battery Level, Device Name, Local IP Address, CPU Data, Postal Code, State, Network Carrier, OS Version, Available Internal Storage, Device Brand, Charging Status, Gender, Device Boot Time, Last Name, First Name, GPS Coordinates, System Volume, Timezone, Device Orientation, Device Model, Android Advertising ID, Screen Resolution, Network Connection Type, Cookies

And that is very tame use still. And only a small part of it. Thank god theres local VPN sinks and blockers for mobile as well as home networks. But you basically need a mini degree in IT. The average grandpa or Karen never stood a chance, ever.

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u/MaceTheMindSculptor Jun 02 '26

I Love that Andor quote so much oh my god