HACKER Q&A
📣 logicallee

On what grounds would a device that treats you as its slave be illegal?


on what grounds would a device that literally treats you (its owner) as its slave, to punish and control, be illegal?

I wrote this comment up here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24626193 but thought it was worth a dedicated discussion.

how would you legislate against this?

  👤 AnimalMuppet Accepted Answer ✓
The device wouldn't live long enough for the question of legality to come up.

You don't deal with it by law. You deal with it by refusing to be treated like that - by physically destroying the device, if needed.

👤 kleer001
Can you supply more practical information about this device and why someone would put up with it?

A machine is an extension of its owner. Whips, billy clubs, guns, and knives don't get into trouble when they're used to damage or kill people. The people that use them are. The same logic would apply here. Why wouldn't it?

In the end all laws that would apply in this situation (unless OP provides more information) already exist and have existed since the first written laws.

👤 PaulHoule
Like this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyOEwiQhzMI

👤 Skaven
It will be illegal the moment you loose ownership of it. Otherwise you are essentially a slave to the new owner. It can not endanger you and others and you always have to retain the ability to stop it and control it.

Therefore it will be fine as long as all punishment is self inflicted and you always have the ability to just ignore it or turn it off.