There will always be power and profit in being able to monitor and control what people are going to do. This is a scary fact of life in the human arena. And though this is not the first time that technology has advanced so far so fast, some pretty scary basic concerns about governance and fundamental rights have been raised in recent years.<p>Eventually, in the midst of the well-wishers there will come those souls who are not good actors, and they do seem to seem to spoil the bunch sometimes - don't they?<p>Given enough power, anything is worthy of unusual inspection. Similarly, the current success of Uber is no different. Regardless of whether the social, political and market narratives about Uber are currently accurate, fair or not, it is the sudden nature of company power and the driving essential questions around the nature of new economies that compel articles like these. Uber and AirBnB are challenging fundamental labor and property rights shibboleths, and demanding real consideration from people across the philosophical, commercial, and political realms.<p>Similarly, the 20th century spread of dictatorial socialism was incredible. No matter how much I try to sympathize with the promises of various ideologies, I always return to the premise that in all circumstances, it is the CONCENTRATION OF POWER that is the problem. It is even more disturbing for pragmatists and empiricists when they see something moving fast that is denying anyone the chance to scrutinize, test and debate the merits of the method, the motives, the means.<p>As a good friend says though - it is easy to make these conceptions "heuristics" and see someone's intent as globally bad. Some people's intentions can be good and means and methodology sound. Yet with data as with literacy at large, the medium by which the person't intent is made manifest is the very means by which the power will be exercised and the rules challenged. In this case, massive volumes of data are being generated that have multi-dimensional consequences for all humankind. This IS a concentration of power. Even though a witch hunt is far from a beautiful thing, the world citizen has very real reason to be concerned, and truly should be immediately concerned, about the very topics that are daily discussion here on HN. Matters of technology, privacy, rights, commerce and liberty are not weak, and neither are musings on the mating habits of whales.. from time to time.<p>HN is a fount of a certain kind of literacy. How does that literacy get expanded to all, and seen as a human right?