Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
Not so much a thought experiment as a single neuron misfire.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


   

Internet death penalty

Deletion from the internet in perpetuity as a punishment
  (+4)
(+4)
  [vote for,
against]

This is inspired by "Virtual Death Penalty".

Like Charlie Brooker, i assume the day will come when dead people's identities are reconstituted from their traces left online. It would be a form of resurrection. However, certain religious groups hold the doctrine of annihilationism, where the alternatives are not Heaven and Hell but Paradise and non-existence after death.

In anticipation of our virtual resurrection, another punishment, akin to airbrushing people out of pictures, would be to erase them from internet history. No trace would remain of their history except offline for archival purposes, possibly as an awful warning. Then, when the time comes for everyone's simulacrum to be uploaded into android bodies or clones, they will not be among the chosen.

The existence of that threat could act as a deterrent for naughtiness of all kinds.

nineteenthly, Apr 07 2013


Please log in.
If you're not logged in, you can see what this page looks like, but you will not be able to add anything.



Annotation:







       I like it both for its modernity, but also how it references the striking from the records of the Ancient Egyptians.
zen_tom, Apr 07 2013
  


 

back: main index

business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle