Steve R. 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Cheap DNA Testing Is Giving Some Insurers Even More Ways To Deny Coverage [UPDATED]

    Steve R. ( profile ), 08 Jun, 2017 @ 05:03am

    Prohibit Comapanies from Sharing Information

    The simple solution, if a simple solution were ever allowed, would be to prohibit companies from sharing personal information that you have provided in any manner.

    As a novel approach, if these companies share your information then you should be paid a royalty. After all, my subscription to a couple of services includes royalty fees to the content creators.

    As for insurance companies being able to deny coverage based on genetic testing; it is their right based on free market principles. Insurance companies are in the business of managing risk. The greater the risk, the higher the premium.

    A solution, assuming it is acceptable to the electorate, would be a government sponsored health care system that remove the insurance companies from the health care industry.

  • On the post: Homeowner's House Burns Down, He Tries To Rebuild… But Facing Copyright Threats From Original Builder

    Steve R. ( profile ), 01 May, 2017 @ 11:22am

    Re:

    No indoor plumbing, unless "licensed".

  • On the post: Homeowner's House Burns Down, He Tries To Rebuild… But Facing Copyright Threats From Original Builder

    Steve R. ( profile ), 01 May, 2017 @ 11:00am

    You Don't Own Your Property

    Once again, we have (in this case the owner of the blueprints) the copyright owner asserting that they have "control" over your property. By extension, would the copyright owner be able to stop you from painting the house in a color that they would not approve of? What about installing new windows? Copyright privilege has become an absurd travesty.

  • On the post: No, President Trump Isn't Ditching The First Amendment, But He Is Undermining Free Speech

    Steve R. ( profile ), 01 May, 2017 @ 10:07am

    The Left Attempts to Shutdown Expressing Conservative Speech

    Exposing attempts by right to limit "Free Speech" is good. But the left's unrelenting attack on "Free Speech" may be just as onerous.

    The left increasingly claims that conservative viewpoints, when expressed, constitute "Hate Speech" that should be subject to adverse legal actions by the government (Federal, State, Local, University) and that those who feel terrified by these alien (conservative) concepts have government established "safe spaces" to protect them.

  • On the post: 162 Tech Companies Tell Appeals Court That Trump's 2nd Travel Ban Is Illegal

    Steve R. ( profile ), 21 Apr, 2017 @ 06:00am

    This May Bite the Corporate Executives Back

    in challenging Trumps executive authority, these corporations are opening the door to having their own executive authority castrated. There is not an executive decision that does not have an impact on one or more groups of people, some claiming privilege based on identity politics.

    Imagine, a retail company decides to raise its prices. The executives of that company may find themselves targets of lawsuits claiming that those price increases create "disparate impacts".

    Do we want every executive decision second guessed by the judicial system?

    Be careful of what you ask for. These executives may find-out that they have opened Pandora's Box and will regret it.

  • On the post: No, The Wall St. Bull Sculptor Doesn't 'Have A Point'

    Steve R. ( profile ), 19 Apr, 2017 @ 07:32am

    Re: Re: Moral rights

    An obvious (incorrect) implication; the copyright holder has the "right" to force how people think enforced by the legal system. Artist do not have a "right" to define how other interpret their work.

  • On the post: Microsoft Follows Valve Down The Road Of Refunds On Digital Game Purchases

    Steve R. ( profile ), 19 Apr, 2017 @ 04:01am

    When TOS Declined, No Refund Option

    I bought "CIV V" many years ago, I did not accept the the TOS but there where no instructions for getting a refund. Even after contacting Take-Two Interactive they refused to refund the money. One would think, on a DRM protected game, that when the TOS are not accepted you could return the game.

    Anyway, the credit card company was reasonable and gave me a courtesy refund.

  • On the post: Google Report: 99.95 Percent Of DMCA Takedown Notices Are Bot-Generated Bullshit Buckshot

    Steve R. ( profile ), 23 Feb, 2017 @ 12:11pm

    Re: Re: Force the problem back on the DMCA filers

    A better approach, restore copyright to its original intent and eliminate the automatic unsupervised ability of a private company to have quasi-judicial powers to force the removal of content without any judicial review.

  • On the post: Google Report: 99.95 Percent Of DMCA Takedown Notices Are Bot-Generated Bullshit Buckshot

    Steve R. ( profile ), 23 Feb, 2017 @ 11:15am

    Nothing Surprising

    These numbers are an expected and obvious result when companies can "bully" other companies and private parties without the fear of any retribution.

  • On the post: Encryption Survey Indicates Law Enforcement Feels It's Behind The Tech Curve; Is Willing To Create Backdoors To Catch Up

    Steve R. ( profile ), 05 Dec, 2016 @ 05:24am

    Every Technological "Solution" has a Counter Measure

    Implement a so-called "backdoor", the "bad" guys simply work around it by invoking their own unbreakable encryption app.

  • On the post: Manhattan DA Cy Vance Wraps Up 2016 With Another Call For Gov't-Mandated Encryption Backdoors

    Steve R. ( profile ), 30 Nov, 2016 @ 06:56am

    Hackers it Seems Can Overcome All Security Holes

    It keeps amazing me that those in leadership positions who are supposedly intelligent keep thinking that there is a "secure" backdoor. It is a total fiction, as hackers have demonstrated. When will those proponents of a backdoor ever learn? Apparently never since this story keeps repeating.

    Furthermore, the contention is made that backdoor are necessary to get those evil criminals. Two quick points.

    1. The backdoor proponents seem to ignore the obvious fact that there a perfectly legitimate uses for unbreakable encryption.

    2. In the name of "security and fighting crime", the encryption proponents ignore civil rights on the pretext of making it "easier" for law enforcement to do its job. We should not give-up civil rights to make life easier for law enforcement.

  • On the post: Somehow Everyone Comes Out Looking Terrible In The Effort For Election Recounts

    Steve R. ( profile ), 28 Nov, 2016 @ 12:39pm

    Re: Re: Re: Not totally serious, but...

    The Democrats can solve the problem of voter ID themselves. All they have to do is set-up a registry where those who lack the required documentation can have a Democratic operative pick them up and help them through the process.

    If the Democrats are not willing to assist those who have problems, then the Democrats have no right to complain.

  • On the post: Somehow Everyone Comes Out Looking Terrible In The Effort For Election Recounts

    Steve R. ( profile ), 28 Nov, 2016 @ 11:01am

    Re: It's legal for noncitizens to vote in California

    Obama, on national TV, when asked about illegals voting (nationwide) refused to explicitly state that non-citizens do not have a right to vote. His silence on this easy to answer issue can be assumed to imply that he would be comfortable with non-citizens voting.

  • On the post: Somehow Everyone Comes Out Looking Terrible In The Effort For Election Recounts

    Steve R. ( profile ), 28 Nov, 2016 @ 09:52am

    Re: Re: The Laughable Postion of Democrats on the Integrity of Voting

    Trick question, I obviously do not disagree with the concept of "making it easier to vote". But there is a slippery slope concerning the meaning of "easier to vote". How much "easy" should we have? There are rationale limits.

    OK, in terms of voter fraud being a truth independent of the Democratic party, you have a point. But the reason for me stating it that way - is that this is a Democratic mime which they are now making a 180 on by demanding a recount to "verify the election". Obviously, if fraud is not a serious problem as advocated by the Democrats, the recount is unnecessary.

    On your last point concerning so-called voter suppression, I will have to respectfully disagree. Voter suppression is simply a deplorable manufactured mime by the Democrats. In fact, the Democrats could easily overcome this so-called voter suppression by directly helping those who are being "suppressed".

  • On the post: Somehow Everyone Comes Out Looking Terrible In The Effort For Election Recounts

    Steve R. ( profile ), 28 Nov, 2016 @ 09:19am

    Re: Re: The Laughable Postion of Democrats on the Integrity of Voting

    From: http://www.journalnow.com/news/elections/state/voter-id-opponents-join-fray-over-nc-governor-ballots/article_528a8091-f950-57eb-9caa-62fa3d687769.html

    "Lawyers from Southern Coalition for Social Justice asked a federal judge late Wednesday to reject a lawsuit questioning the verification of voters who used same-day registration to cast ballots. The filing was done by some of the same lawyers and advocates who successfully sued to overturn parts of a wide-ranging elections law enacted by Republicans in the General Assembly.

    They're opposing a lawsuit filed this week by the conservative Civitas Institute. Civitas says the state cannot finish counting votes until it verifies addresses of voters who used same-day registration. A hearing is scheduled next week."

  • On the post: Somehow Everyone Comes Out Looking Terrible In The Effort For Election Recounts

    Steve R. ( profile ), 28 Nov, 2016 @ 08:46am

    The Laughable Postion of Democrats on the Integrity of Voting

    The Democrats have gone to great extremes to remove virtually all impediments to voting. Furthermore, the Democrats have advocated that voter fraud is inconsequential and would not have an adverse effect on voting. The Democrats have lost the election (in terms of the electoral college) and they are now outraged and want to "know the truth". Well, if they where really concerned about the "truth" the Democrats would not be so adamantly opposed to the creation of paper trails that would document the eligibility of the voters.

    In North Carolina the Democrats are attempting to frustrate a Republican attempt at a recount concerning the Governor's election. If Democrats were really concerned about the truth, they would support the recount.

  • On the post: After All That, E-Voting Experts Suggest Voting Machines May Have Been Hacked For Trump

    Steve R. ( profile ), 23 Nov, 2016 @ 08:06am

    Re: Re: Nate Silver

    Reminds me of the "Minority Report", a story by Philip K. Dick.

  • On the post: Trump's Picks For AG & CIA Happy To Undermine Civil Liberties, Increase Surveillance

    Steve R. ( profile ), 20 Nov, 2016 @ 10:30am

    Comapared to the Alternative?

    Trump won the election, so criticisms evaluating Trumps potential impacts on civil liberties and surveillance are
    germane. Nevertheless, had Hillary won; there would have been a high probability that an article similar to this one would have been written. Hillary, was unabashedly for "BIG" government. That simplicity implies greater erosion of civil liberties and greater surveillance.

    On one occasion, Hillary was asked about encryption; her response indicated that she did not understand encryption and couched her answer in gobbledygook worthy of many science fiction scripts.

  • On the post: FBI Boss Blows Past Policies, Guidelines, His Own Staff To Bring Back Clinton Email Investigation

    Steve R. ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2016 @ 04:58pm

    Comey Should have Recommended that Hillary be Indicted

    Worst TechDirt article. Back in July, Comey laid out the case against Hillary. For some reason he did not recommend that she be indicted despite the overwhelming evidence documenting Hillary's guilt.

  • On the post: Pressure Mounts to Punish Russia For Hacking Without Evidence And Before Investigations Are Concluded

    Steve R. ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2016 @ 06:18pm

    The New Red Scare

    Blaming Russia is a distraction. It is part of a new "Red Scare" (not meant as a pun), where the DNC/Hillary/Obama are frantically attempting to vilify and denigrate anyone who opposes the Democratic party.

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