I don't think anyone deserves to be scammed. Here's a good Cory doctrow section on the topic: https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/05/cyber-dunning-kruger/#swiss-cheese-security
Everyone is vulnerable to different things at different times, the wrongdoers are the ones at fault. We should aspire to a society where being trusting is a good thing that is rewarded.
It's actually insane that we let people get up on stages and tell blatant lies beamed right into the ears of millions of people. Doubly so when we reward them with unfathomable riches.
If we’re talking about essential items like food, helmets, medicine, safety goggles, etc, absolutely, they don’t deserve to be scammed. But this isn’t an essential item. It’s a tech gizmo that no one needs that promises to do everything that can already be done with a device you already own. Only idiots with a lot of spare money will buy this shit. Even your example isn’t equivalent because someone pretending to be working for your bank’s fraud prevention is a more important issue than some guy pretending to be a AI guru.
Idk, my mate who's mind was shredded by failed psych treatments almost got one till I talked him down. He was optimistic about an interface that could be easier to use with shot working memory and maybe help him remember all the stuff he forgets.
I don't know why you have to be so contemptuous of people. What's the gain? how does anyone's life get better by being scornful of people who believed lies for the few moments it took to impulse purchase something? What's the point of that ideology?
My dad and my grandfather on my mother’s side are both poor as dirt but they can’t stop buying these tech pieces of garbage. They are both over 70 and are not tech bros.
They are both naive but you’re being a jagoff if you believe they deserve it.
If you think you can't get scammed, that makes you especially vulnerable
This right here is why "dumb people deserve to get scammed" is an idiotic sentiment. One day, all guardrails may fail and in spite of all caution and consideration, you too may slip up and fall for a scam. Would you like us to point and sneer, because you were dumb and should have been more cautious?
I'm with you: We should fix trust issues, not make them worse by laughing at those who trusted.
I actually think "it could happen to me" is probably the worst reason to care about something? or at least the most base. But yeah, when those voice gen scams started claiming to be panicked ransom demands from kidnapped relatives it was like... Jesus Christ who wouldn't fall for that on a bad day?
I actually think "it could happen to me" is probably the worst reason to care about something? or at least the most base.
For sure. It is a very egoistic, but also universal and logical reason. "Bad things shouldn't happen" would be a moral reason to care, but even if that's not enough, "This might affect me" should make you wary.
To think "This won't affect me, hence I don't give a damn" is both an egoistic mindset and an idiotic assumption.
But yeah, when those voice gen scams started claiming to be panicked ransom demands from kidnapped relatives it was like... Jesus Christ who wouldn't fall for that on a bad day?
I hate everything about this. Voice Gen could be useful enough, but even if the idea of something imitating your voice wasn't so universally creepy as to be a part of plenty of horror stories, a small percentage of humans being such massive assholes that turn every new tech into a new avenue of exploiting people ruin it.
small percentage of humans being such massive assholes that turn every new tech into a new avenue of exploiting people ruin it.
It's one of the deep ironies of interconnectedness. We can multiply the impact of positive people but awful people can reach massive audiences too and that's easier as good is often personalised.
Previously you had a few jerks in your local community but now one scammer can robotically interfere with millions of lives. I think this strengthens the awful tendency to assume we live in fallen times or that humanity is fundamentally bad.
I don't think anyone deserves to be scammed. Here's a good Cory doctrow section on the topic: https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/05/cyber-dunning-kruger/#swiss-cheese-security
Everyone is vulnerable to different things at different times, the wrongdoers are the ones at fault. We should aspire to a society where being trusting is a good thing that is rewarded.
It's actually insane that we let people get up on stages and tell blatant lies beamed right into the ears of millions of people. Doubly so when we reward them with unfathomable riches.
For a second i thought you linked the article of the woman who handed $50k to "the FBI"
If we’re talking about essential items like food, helmets, medicine, safety goggles, etc, absolutely, they don’t deserve to be scammed. But this isn’t an essential item. It’s a tech gizmo that no one needs that promises to do everything that can already be done with a device you already own. Only idiots with a lot of spare money will buy this shit. Even your example isn’t equivalent because someone pretending to be working for your bank’s fraud prevention is a more important issue than some guy pretending to be a AI guru.
Idk, my mate who's mind was shredded by failed psych treatments almost got one till I talked him down. He was optimistic about an interface that could be easier to use with shot working memory and maybe help him remember all the stuff he forgets.
I don't know why you have to be so contemptuous of people. What's the gain? how does anyone's life get better by being scornful of people who believed lies for the few moments it took to impulse purchase something? What's the point of that ideology?
My dad and my grandfather on my mother’s side are both poor as dirt but they can’t stop buying these tech pieces of garbage. They are both over 70 and are not tech bros.
They are both naive but you’re being a jagoff if you believe they deserve it.
From the CD section:
This right here is why "dumb people deserve to get scammed" is an idiotic sentiment. One day, all guardrails may fail and in spite of all caution and consideration, you too may slip up and fall for a scam. Would you like us to point and sneer, because you were dumb and should have been more cautious?
I'm with you: We should fix trust issues, not make them worse by laughing at those who trusted.
I actually think "it could happen to me" is probably the worst reason to care about something? or at least the most base. But yeah, when those voice gen scams started claiming to be panicked ransom demands from kidnapped relatives it was like... Jesus Christ who wouldn't fall for that on a bad day?
For sure. It is a very egoistic, but also universal and logical reason. "Bad things shouldn't happen" would be a moral reason to care, but even if that's not enough, "This might affect me" should make you wary.
To think "This won't affect me, hence I don't give a damn" is both an egoistic mindset and an idiotic assumption.
I hate everything about this. Voice Gen could be useful enough, but even if the idea of something imitating your voice wasn't so universally creepy as to be a part of plenty of horror stories, a small percentage of humans being such massive assholes that turn every new tech into a new avenue of exploiting people ruin it.
It's one of the deep ironies of interconnectedness. We can multiply the impact of positive people but awful people can reach massive audiences too and that's easier as good is often personalised.
Previously you had a few jerks in your local community but now one scammer can robotically interfere with millions of lives. I think this strengthens the awful tendency to assume we live in fallen times or that humanity is fundamentally bad.