Chris-Mouse 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (538)

• On the post: Police Departments Skirting Public Accountability By Using Private Foundations To Obtain Controversial Surveillance Technology

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 16 Oct, 2014 @ 05:08am

  One possible solution is to require that records of any and all donations to the police be posted where the public has free access to them. This would include money donations, as well as equipment and services donated.
  
  That would have to be at least state level laws, possibly forced, or backed by federal laws, so I'm not gonna hold my breath until it happens.

• On the post: John Oliver Takes On The US Government's Legalized Theft Programs, Asset Seizure And Civil Asset Forfeiture

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 09 Oct, 2014 @ 02:05pm

  I really, really have to wonder what sorts of logic knots the courts had to use to get these laws past the 4th amendment of the consitution.

• On the post: San Diego District Attorney Issues Warning About Dangerous Spyware She Purchased & Distributed; But Still Stands By It

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 02 Oct, 2014 @ 08:52am

  Re:

  The best sort of Internet filter I've ever seen is putting the computer in the living room with the screen placed so anyone in the room can see it.

• On the post: Only Surviving Recording Of The Very First Superbowl Is Because A Fan Recorded It, But You Can't See It, Because Copyright

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 18 Sep, 2014 @ 09:39am

  Unless the NFL has something in writing saying they got the copyright on the game, then they don't have it.
  The TV cameraman might have a claim on it. The TV network probably would have a stronger claim as a work for hire, especially if there were multiple cameras used.
  If the network broadcast the game live, and didn't make a recording, then the person who made the fixed recording would also have a claim for the copyright.
  It would be an interesting question to run through the courts. Anyone willing to make a few million dollars available to pay the lawyers?

• On the post: LA School District Reluctantly Gives Up The Grenade Launchers The Pentagon Gave Them

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 17 Sep, 2014 @ 12:11pm

  and they were mainly kept around in case other police needed them

  
  
  Someone needs to tell the school board that this whole 'Arsenal of Democracy' thing ended in 1945.

• On the post: CIA's John Brennan Refuses To Tell Senate Who Okayed Spying On The Senate

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 15 Sep, 2014 @ 11:36am

  There really is a simple solution to get to the bottom of this. Too bad the politicians aren't brave enough to use it.
  
  1) Send a list of questions to the head of a government department, along with a date, time, and location where the head is to present the answers. Order the head of the department to bring his second in command along for the presentation.
  2) If the head of the department fails to show up, or fails to answer the questions, fire the head of the department, and revoke any and all security clearances. Promote the second in command to head of the department. Give the new head of the department the same list, a new date and time, and orders to return with a new second in command of the department.
  3) Repeat until either the answers are forthcoming, or the department runs out of personnel.

• On the post: Sculptor Says 'Capitalism' Drives His Aggressive Enforcement Of Rights To Publicly-Funded 'Portlandia' Statue

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2014 @ 01:18pm

  Re: Re: Re: Copyright : Work for Hire?

  Copyright law still applies. Back when the statue was commisioned, the city had the option of adding a clause to the contract that would turn the copyright over to the city. The city chose not to do this, so the artist keeps the copyright.

• On the post: Seattle Cops Crowdsourcing Legal Battle Against DOJ-Imposed Excessive Force Remedies

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2014 @ 11:05am

  Re:

  Probably because it's not a criminal offence for a government official to knowingly violate the constitution. at worst, the punishment is a slap on the wrist followed by a fine that the taxpayers have to pay.

• On the post: DOJ Inspector General Says FBI Actively Preventing Him From Doing His Job

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2014 @ 05:15am

  But...but...but.. If we release all this information to the terrorits in the administration, we might actually face punishment!

• On the post: Big Broadband Begs FCC Not To Expose Their Lies By Defining Broadband Accurately

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2014 @ 11:00am

  Given the pace at which the industry is investing in advanced capabilities, there is no present need to redefine “advanced” capabilities

  
  
  Of course there's no need to redefine "advanced." The current standard is well in advance of what the ISPs are providing now, and at the rate they're upgrading, it will be a very long time before they catch up to the standard.

• On the post: Huffington Post And The View From Bogustan: Standing Behind Blatantly False Claims Isn't Journalism

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2014 @ 01:22pm

  So if I write a book called "Murder Mystery" and register the copyright with the US government, does that immediately give me a patent on the concept of writing a murder mystery story?

• On the post: When Can The FBI Use National Security Letters To Go After Journalists? Why, That's Classified!

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 05 Sep, 2014 @ 04:38am

  The FBI is obviously worried about terrorists.
  They're terrified that if the public finds out what the FBI is up to, they will take drastic steps in an attempt ti influence political decisions.

• On the post: Indian Media Giant's New Policy For Employees: Hand Over Your Social Media Passwords

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 02 Sep, 2014 @ 05:32am

  From Facebook's terms of service...
  Under Safety

  You will not solicit login information or access an account belonging to someone else.

  
  Does this mean that Facebook could remove the official Facebook account of any employer demanding the password to an employee's personal account?
  
  Under Registration and Account Security

  You will not share your password (or in the case of developers, your secret key), let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account.

  
  Does this mean that facebook could remove your account if you happen to work for an employer that demands your account passwords?

• On the post: University Bans Social Media, Political Content and Wikipedia Pages On Dorm WiFi

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2014 @ 01:00pm

  It is a life lesson for the students. The lesson is that this is what the world will be like with a corporate owned internet.

• On the post: Police In Ferguson Sign Court Agreement Promising Not To Interfere With Media… Then Go Threaten And Arrest Media

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 19 Aug, 2014 @ 06:24am

  Re: Re:

  If the union wants to strike over the issue, they're going to have a hard time putting up a picket line inside a jail cell.

• On the post: Police In Ferguson Sign Court Agreement Promising Not To Interfere With Media… Then Go Threaten And Arrest Media

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 19 Aug, 2014 @ 05:52am

  It's all part of the government's war on whistleblowers

  The police activity has to be kept top secret. After all, if terrorists knew the procedures used by the police, they'd be able to find ways around them. This means that anyone releasing video of police activities is revealing police procedures, and must be treated as a security leak
  
  /sarc

• On the post: Police In Ferguson Back To Threatening And Arresting Reporters: Tells Them To 'Get The Fuck Out Of Here'

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 18 Aug, 2014 @ 07:06am

  Re: Re: That didn't last long

  To start with, Obama CAN'T send in the national guard. That requires a request from the state government, not the federal government.
  Secondly, the National Guard is a military force, not a police force. They are neither trained, nor equipped to handle civil protests. Most of the protests can be traced to the local police using military tactics to solve a civil problem, the National Guard wouldn't change anything.

• On the post: Snowden: NSA Was Building 'Automated' System To Hit Back At Perceived Cyberattacks

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 13 Aug, 2014 @ 01:49pm

  What would that software do if someone were to hire a botnet of infected US government computers, and use it to attack the NSA?

• On the post: NYPD Officer Chokes Man To Death; Cops Blame Cellphone Recordings And People 'Feeling They Have More Rights'

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 12 Aug, 2014 @ 05:12am

  Let me see if I've got this right. The fact that a police officer killed someone isn't a problem. The problem is a result of the officer getting caught killing someone.

• On the post: NYPD Puts Terrorism On The Run By Ordering Twitter To Turn Over Parody Account User Data 'Linked' To Brooklyn Bridge Flag-Switching

  

  Chris-Mouse ( profile ), 11 Aug, 2014 @ 07:03am

  Re: Re: Re: At last!

  If they really want to create a jail that big, it's going to be easy. Just have all those border patrol guards turn around, and call them prison guards.

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