Throwaway08080909070

Throwaway08080909070 t1_jebjlbr wrote

I think the more interesting question is how this data has actually been used to harm you, if it has.

For decades now there have been endless warnings of an emerging "surveillance state" just a step away from 1984, but... where is the harm being done? Where are the disappearances, the discrimination based on it, the equivalent of the social credit scores?

It just seems to be used for law enforcement and advertising we can all block for free.

2

Throwaway08080909070 t1_je5rzks wrote

Two points there.

First, breaking up a company isn't a plan to keep it small forever, in the same way that pulling weeds doesn't imply some insane belief that you've conquered weeds forever.

Second, this isn't some "Oh dear, I say chaps, Alibaba has gotten rather large and it needs to break up" on the part of Alibaba. China doesn't allow corporate independence anymore than they allow personal independence, and after Jack Ma had to be "re-educated" for speaking truth to power, there has been a push to keep companies in line.

Clearly some people in power believe that Alibaba needs to be smaller and more manageable, but not for the sorts of reasons that we might hope to see in regards to big tech in the West.

6

Throwaway08080909070 t1_je3dsc6 wrote

It's worth saying that the vast majority of settlements and plea deals don't involve the super wealthy. It's just what you said, cases are expensive and time consuming, both criminal and civil cases. There's another factor though, one that just can't be overstated: they're really uncertain!

A verdict is a giant gamble, even the most solid case might run into some unforeseen event, some crazy and charismatic juror or wacky judge. It's not just the verdict itself though, damages or sentencing can vary widely, and so a lot of the time people just don't want to take chances. If a company can settle a claim without taking the risk of a trial, they usually will, because even a slam dunk case has the potential to blow up.

5

Throwaway08080909070 t1_je3c8yt wrote

Water weight refers to water in your cells and the spaces between cells that your body retains due to the presence of excess salt and sugar. When people begin to diet they tend to cut down on salt and sugar, which leads to a rapid loss of weight, but it's easy come, easy go. This isn't a loss of fat tissue, it's a loss of retained water, so it isn't what people usually mean by "losing weight" which to most means "burning fat."

20