lfroen 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Lavabit Tried Giving The Feds Its SSL Key In 11 Pages Of 4-Point Type; Feds Complained That It Was Illegible

    lfroen ( profile ), 03 Oct, 2013 @ 03:57am

    Judge is right

    Basically, what the judge said is correct: "just because you-all have set up a system ..., that doesn't in any way lessen the government's right to receive that information".

    In other words, US have laws which explicitly allow wiretapping. Nothing extraordinary about it. Remember, this government official gave sword testimony, and judge have no reason to think he's lying. If this official says "we're not looking", what do you thing judge will do, say: "nah, don't believe you"?

    That's not how (any) functional government works.

  • On the post: NSA Defenders Need To Learn: Trust Is Something You Earn, Not Legislate

    lfroen ( profile ), 01 Oct, 2013 @ 10:54am

    Re: Re: Re: Post from OOTB

    OOTB is dead wrong. The whole point of having "the government" is that you can trust them. That, btw is true for any form of government, monarchy included.

    With democratically elected one, issue of trust is resolved by the very process - those are people you choose, so choose someone you trust.

    Under monarchy, usually king is god-given, which is trustful enough for religious population.

    So please, stop this nonsense of "government is evil"/"never trust" etc.

  • On the post: The DOJ's Insane Argument Against Weev: He's A Felon Because He Broke The Rules We Made Up

    lfroen ( profile ), 01 Oct, 2013 @ 04:06am

    Re: Re: Mike's arguments are similary ridiculous

    > ...and this kind of attitude is exactly why these attacks on due process and rights are so dangerous
    You are confused about what due process is. Since this is different in every country, let me tell you what it is NOT. It is NOT blind application of pre-coded (in laws) rules. That's what computer does. What a judge does, is another thing entirely.
    Let me bring you an example. You drop a hammer from your window and someone is killed. Only human can decide whether you killed someone in cold blood or just was careless. If you're already convicted in murder felon, you will have very hard time arguing "just careless".

    That's why in almost any trial intent and character matter. So, yes, it is important whether I "like that guy".

  • On the post: The DOJ's Insane Argument Against Weev: He's A Felon Because He Broke The Rules We Made Up

    lfroen ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2013 @ 01:52pm

    Re: Re: Mike's arguments are similary ridiculous

    > Turning a doorknob is not making a request -- it's physically opening
    So, by this logic, if I have a door operated by button it will be different, because pressing the button is "a request"? That's not how criminal justice (supposed to) work.

    > A "mere" URL as presented by the server and then ...
    I think you have no idea how SQL-injection works. You also take "URL as presented by server" and modify it to your needs. Yes, it's quite different from discussed case, but that's not what is argued. The argument is "just because it's URL it doesn't mean it's harmless"; as one can see slightly modified URL can bring a lot of action.

    > They're comparing apples and oranges.
    Comparing apples and oranges is OK if all you need to estimate mass of cargo, for example.

    I don't mean that guy did "41-months-in-jail-serious-crime". But, I do mean that DOJ's logic is not "insane".

  • On the post: The DOJ's Insane Argument Against Weev: He's A Felon Because He Broke The Rules We Made Up

    lfroen ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2013 @ 01:43pm

    Re: Re: Ugh

    > Not contacting AT&T doesn't matter
    Wrong, it does. It shows intent. You saying that "this wasn't done maliciously", and DOJ arguing otherwise. That's a core of an argument, the rest is technical explanation about what's happened.
    Now, going public can be seen as malicious (attack on reputation, for example).

    Basically, that's why courts are ruled by judges (or juries) and not by machines - to decide about such fuzzy thing as "intent".

  • On the post: The DOJ's Insane Argument Against Weev: He's A Felon Because He Broke The Rules We Made Up

    lfroen ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2013 @ 12:41pm

    Mike's arguments are similary ridiculous

    >> Furthermore, they didn't need to "ask permission" because they sent a request to the server and the server answered.
    That's irrelevant. If I failed to lock the door, this doesn't mean that it's OK to enter. It doesn't matter that you made a "request" (turned the knob) and door-lock "answered". It's still trespassing.

    >> It does this by arguing that because SQL injection attacks can happen via a URL, therefore any "hack" via a URL can be a malicious hack.
    Argument here is presented incorrectly. What DOJ tries to tell, is that "mere URL" can be quite dangerous thing, depends on content, like in SQL-injection.

    So, like in many other cases it's matter of intent. If this guy is known to be "world-class jerk", he will (probably) have hard time trying to prove that his intentions were harmless.

  • On the post: Study: Claiming That Games And Violence Are Linked Now Linked To Violence

    lfroen ( profile ), 26 Sep, 2013 @ 02:24pm

    Re:

    >> Remember, guns don't kill people. Desperate people kill people.
    So, what do you think guns do? Make funny noises? Guess what - guns kill people, that's what they made for. Sorry, correction: guns only made to kill.

    And while I agree that videogames have nothing to do with murder, guns (the real ones) are very related. And yes, military training is also related.

  • On the post: Redefining English: Senator Feinstein Says The Press Needs To Stop Calling Patriot Act Surveillance Program A 'Surveillance Program'

    lfroen ( profile ), 26 Sep, 2013 @ 02:01pm

    Re: If you're going to be consistent, start calling Google a SPY AGENCY.

    Google obsession hit again?

  • On the post: School Suspends Students For Playing With Airsoft Guns In Their Own Yard

    lfroen ( profile ), 26 Sep, 2013 @ 10:09am

    Re: Techdirt exception to "get offa my lawn" for juveniles, eh?

    > I regard guns as a fundamental right, as stated literally in the Constitution.
    Do you know how fucking insane this stuff sounds is for any non-US person? WTF do you need a gun for? Really? Is that some form of entertainment? If you love shooting - why not join the military (I heard US spend on military more than rest of the world combined).
    In Israel, there are have real terrorists and war-crazy neighbors you can't have a gun "just because". Even if soldiers carry their M16 with them all_the_time, even at homes.
    So maybe it IS time to change culture and realize, like rest of the world did, that guns belong to army/police. It's not a "fundamental right", in no shape of form

  • On the post: What The Continuous Flourishing Of New Cocktails Can Teach Us About Intellectual Property

    lfroen ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2013 @ 03:56am

    Re: Re: Ooh, me! "who is really ready to say they're sure"

    What is to discuss here? Article is kind of "duh!" moment - cocktails have no copyright, therefore there's lots of them. Now, since there's lots of new movies, that's must be because them have no copyright too. No, wait a minute, movies DO have copyright.
    So, "What The Continuous Flourishing Of New Cocktails Can Teach Us ..." - nothing really, except as ootb pointed out, mixing drinks is somewhat different than making movies.
    Sometimes copyright makes sense, other times it doesn't. Like any other concept humans invented.

  • On the post: Profile Of NSA Boss General Keith Alexander Reveals: He Wants All The Data, And He Doesn't Care About The Law

    lfroen ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2013 @ 12:15pm

    What a waste

    If I were US citizen, I would be enraged on this kind of waste. Even if I don't care about legality of all this crap: it's still wasted money. There's no that many terrorists in US to justify this kind of spending.
    It's not even that good for "dissident control" - if you want to harass them, you still have to arrest them, drag through courts etc. You don't have to _find_ those people: they will march for protest on main street.

  • On the post: Wacky NSA Slide Tells Agents Not To Worry About 'Incidental' Collection Of Info On Americans

    lfroen ( profile ), 16 Aug, 2013 @ 06:56am

    Re: Mike, Google has already fully indexed your email!

    Ah, It's you again. Let's say for argument sake that Mike, indeed, is Google employee. Now what?
    Yes, he won't tell bad things about them. Never ever. Now, unless YOU want to employ him - can you shut the fuck up, please.
    Since I don't live in US, I don't really care about this NSA scandal. And yes, Google scanning all emails for commercial purposes. Don't care either.
    When I have something to hide - I don't post in on Facebook and don't send it over email.

  • On the post: White House Changing Its Story On James Clapper's Role In Independent Surveillance Review

    lfroen ( profile ), 13 Aug, 2013 @ 08:55pm

    Re: Re: Is Mike naive, or hopelessly naive? Discuss.

    While you definitely right about guy being obsessed, his point is correct: Mike is naive or hopelessly naive.
    Your administration is corrupt. Corrupt as a whole group. You want to see changes - march to the Washington and demand them out.
    No, don't ask to "rebuild the trust". Demand them all fired.

  • On the post: Latest 'Think Of The Children' Scaremongering: Pirated Films Might 'Disturb' Them

    lfroen ( profile ), 13 Aug, 2013 @ 10:04am

    Re:

    As a married adult WITH children, I want no scheme that interferes with right of my children to see dirty, disgusting films

  • On the post: As Russia Expands Its 'Think Of The Children' Laws To Copyright, Agency In Charge Investigated For Infringement

    lfroen ( profile ), 06 Aug, 2013 @ 04:56am

    Re: If you think about it...

    USSR already tried this. Didn't work even in Iron Curtain era.

  • On the post: What Edward Snowden Has Given Us

    lfroen ( profile ), 25 Jul, 2013 @ 02:00pm

    Police states fall, too

    Soviet Union was very real police state. And the day come, and it fell. Once money stream ended, empire was no more.
    See, you can't maintain huge army (and NSA-CIA is also "army") without lots of money.
    Only when people will be starved, change will suddenly happen. Since US people have weird "right" to pile up guns, this change will not be pretty.

    In the end, people will die and empire will fall. That was a fate of _every single empire_ for millennia.

  • On the post: Feds Trying To Get Master Encryption Keys From Tech Companies

    lfroen ( profile ), 25 Jul, 2013 @ 04:43am

    Re: Not that we'd care

    Nothing prevent you from storing your data at your own computer, you know.
    Go buy some tiny box with linux inside, connect usb disk, turn encryption on. That's it. Want to communicate with your box over internet - few more checkboxes.

    Your government want an ability to wiretap communications. What's new about it? Do you know that you phone has never been encrypted?

  • On the post: Canonical Goes Big In Attempt To Crowdfund Exclusive Ubuntu Phone

    lfroen ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2013 @ 01:45pm

    Re: Really, a new phone? Whee! Innovation!

    Actually I agree.
    Are they about to compete with let's say Nokia, that has about 20 years of experience in industrial design? Or with Apple, which have ~10 years in UI design? Or maybe with Samsung+Google, both having budget counted in billions?

    Now, 32M is not very big number. It actually means, that custom SoC is out of question; or in simpler terms: not Apple/Samsung level of integration for you.

    So, crappy hardware is almost guaranteed. Now, since software is supposed to be "Android-compatible", I don't see much innovation here either.

    In short - useless gimmick.

  • On the post: Anyone Brushing Off NSA Surveillance Because It's 'Just Metadata' Doesn't Know What Metadata Is

    lfroen ( profile ), 08 Jul, 2013 @ 01:29pm

    Re: Same with Google for "mere" search terms and websites.

    What's that with your obsession with Google? Did you on some personal vendetta or something?
    Or you're getting paid for this bunch of nonsense?

  • On the post: Newly Leaked NSA Slides On PRISM Add To Confusion, Rather Than Clear It Up

    lfroen ( profile ), 01 Jul, 2013 @ 06:01am

    Re: Limited hangout now into full "Well, maybe it's okay..."

    I'm curious - does somebody paying for this shit? I understand that US is big country and all kind of nutcases can be found there, but I never actually met one.
    Until now. What's that obsession with Google? Yea, we already know that they're bad, violating privacy and all that. But - did they hurt you somehow? Someone from Google dumped/beaten/cheated you?

    Another possibility is that "out_of_the_blue" is several people, each spewing its own nonsense: "Google is bad", "Rich people are evil", "Internet grifters" and so on. They probably doing it for money.

    Also possible, (however less probable) that this guy(s) know(s) Mike personally. So he just post opposite opinion, no matter what is the topic.

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