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How we learned to stop worrying and love campus surveillance

269 points · 139 comments · cdrnsf

  1. collyw · · focus · HN ↗
    Has any of this surveillance bullshit reduced the number of incidents that occurred where they have been installed? I find it terrifying.
    1. augment_me · · focus · HN ↗
      No because its not the purpose. The purpose is to reduce risk by having accountability assignment to things like demonstrations that hurts the funding of the institution.

      There was a bunch of anti-Israel stuff for example, which goes against the alignment of the university donors. In order to be able to assign accountability and prevent reoccurrence of such events, its useful to know who did these things so you can take necessary measures.

      A bunch of cameras cost much much less than what stopped funding would cost the university, so it's the rational choice.

      1. rembal · · focus · HN ↗
        If the goal of the university is to be a fund vacuum cleaner it's rational. If the goal is to output free thinking, open minded graduates...
        1. augment_me · · focus · HN ↗
          I don't think the board of a 5.3 billion dollar(2025) revenue machine with a 8-9% yearly profit margin care about the latter things to the same extent as the former.
          1. georgeecollins · · focus · HN ↗
            Maybe what has happened is Universities have become too rich and economically important to be places of free speech and independent thought. If so, some other institution will have to take on that role.
            1. augment_me · · focus · HN ↗
              What's the monetary incentive to fund such institutions? Or how is such an institution going to survive, pay its teachers, etc?
            2. tancop · · focus · HN ↗
              What happened is boards and MBAs. There would be a lot less of this if all universities had a democratic assembly that can replace the director any time and overrule their decisions. Schools belong to students and teachers not business people. Management should serve them not the other way around.
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