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[frankensteinian]

[It had taken him some time to figure out how to communicate with the network, but now that he has, he has a question for his fellow imPorts. Right now he's choosing with the relative anonymity of text rather than showing his face to everyone.]

Is anyone else bothered by the fact that the choices available here are 'put your name on a list' or 'stay off the list but then we'll be able to track where you're going all the time'?

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[by_candlelight]

Yeah. I won't pretend it isn't at the very least suspicious. I mean, a government making sure they've got a way to keep tabs on you is pretty spooky, even more so if they promise they won't.

Still kind of a step up from my previous experiences, as long as they don't make it a law that all imPorts have to fight for them or something like that. That's probably not in their best interests, seeing as how it's much easier when people are willing to help than it is to force the unwilling, and there'd be a whole lot more unwilling people if it was a legal responsibility.

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[frankensteinian]

Precisely. When's the last time they could be trusted not to keep tabs on someone? Why else would they want a list?

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[by_candlelight]

Honestly, they have a list either way. They get files every time someone gets ported in, so they have names and basic power information. The difference seems to be that the list you sign up for is more of an 'I agree to not cause crap' list, which probably means that if they're keeping track of everyone secretly, they're keeping less close track of those who sign up.

Even if they aren't keeping track of us, they have the means to do so. So promising 'we won't' but insisting they have the ability to do so is kinda like when a company lobbies for the power to do something that will negatively impact their customers, but promises they won't, even though they're putting an awful lot of work in to be allowed to do so! Oh but they promise they won't! But they really want you to let them.

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[frankensteinian]

What would they do if we didn't let them?

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[by_candlelight]

Probably be far less hospitable.

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[frankensteinian]

That sounds familiar.

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[by_candlelight]

I do have to ask in what way. I might not be from a world that shares your history, or even if it does, may not have had all the same things happen. Though in a general sense, yeah, that's really not great.

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[frankensteinian]

Suffice it to say that when I was a boy, the government of the country I was born in got away with quite a lot, because they could.

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[by_candlelight]

Damn. You have my condolences. That rarely ends up well for others.

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[frankensteinian]

It didn't. Six million of my people suffered the consequences.

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[by_candlelight]

Oh damn. There was something in my world with a similar number of casualties, but I don't know if it's the same event. And, uh, due to ignorance forced on to me for a long time I don't know how that event started.

Either way, you have my condolences. Governments shouldn't be allowed to do things that will cause widespread harm to large numbers of their people. Not that 'should' and 'shouldn't' hold much weight in the world a lot of the time...