TheResidentSkeptic’s Techdirt Profile

On the post: UK Politician Demands The Impossible: Social Media Companies Must Not Take Down Political Speech, But Must Block Disinformation

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 17 Nov, 2020 @ 03:36pm

Just a new twist on an old approach.

Used to be "Damned if you do, Damned if you don't".

Now it is "Fined if you do, Fined if you don't".

At least this one makes the government some money...

On the post: Texas Cops Engage In Millions Of Roadside Searches, Find Nothing Illegal 80 Percent Of The Time

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 05 Nov, 2020 @ 04:30pm

Then again...

the 80% probably supplied plenty of that sweet "asset forfeiture cash" so all those stops were good.

On the post: Five Bar Owners Arrested In France For Not Logging Internet Use By Patrons Using Bars' WiFi Connections

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 20 Oct, 2020 @ 09:02am

When is a tax not a tax?

If you record this data, we will fine you.
If you do NOT record this data, we will fine you.

In other words, we are going to "fine" every business to make up for our budget shortfalls since we can't increase the taxes on the business.

On the post: Texas Grand Jury Indicts Netflix For 'Lewd Exhibition' Of Children In Its Movie 'Cuties'

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 07 Oct, 2020 @ 11:30am

Learning from History

I wonder if this indictment will have the same effect for the movie as the old "banned in Boston" did for book sellers in the 1960's??

On the post: Detroit Police Chief Says Facial Recognition Software Involved In Bogus Arrest Is Wrong '96 Percent Of The Time'

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 02 Jul, 2020 @ 06:14am

TV shows are supposed to be fantasy...

This RFQ "...Request for Proposals for a contractor to work closely with the city, DPD, and Motorola (Company that help set up the RTCC) to set up a “turn-key” facial recognition system that would work with the already existing infrastructure of the RTCC. They specifically asked that the facial recognition work on at least 100 concurrent real-time video feeds, be integrated into the PGL system, and can be used by officers with a mobile app ..."

Seems to come right out of Person of Interest. Someone took it a little too seriously and really wants their own "The Machine"

On the post: Five Weeks After Being Sued, DEA Agrees To Return $82,000 It Stole From A Retiree

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 11 Mar, 2020 @ 05:28am

There are several ways this can be fixed.

1) A campaign staffer has picked up cash from many contributors and is stopped on the way to the fundraiser and has it all confiscated.
2) An "Influencer" gets their cash taken, posts it for the world to see, and just happens to be the grandchild of a politician
3) A bunch of white DEA agents stop a Black politician and confiscate all their money.

As long as "no one important" is inconvenienced, then it just doesn't matter or need to be fixed.

On the post: Court Tells Cop That A Person Invoking Their Rights Isn't Suspicious Behavior

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 04 Mar, 2020 @ 08:26am

Re: Re: attempted to divert attention from himself by speaking l

Sadly, yes.
Many years ago I worked in Montgomery, AL. Shortly after arriving, I heard an ad on the radio for new police recruits - the requirements were - "19 with a GED"

On the post: The 'Race To 5G' Is A Giant Pile Of Lobbyist Nonsense

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 27 Jan, 2020 @ 07:19am

All Subsidies and Tax Credits are needed.

To fund more campaign contributions. The more tax money they give to the corporations, the more they return to the politicians.

Revolving doors and vicious circles - the very core of our government.

On the post: Apathy Isn't A Business Model: Major US Telcos Teeter Toward Bankruptcy

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 18 Nov, 2019 @ 07:18am

Out of service... again...

for the 2nd week this month, I have NO service. The company just says "we know". No ETR. Totally could not care less.

However, the bills keep coming. Gotta pay for that service that isn't being delivered.

And that is the biggest problem. No oversight that can tell these companies that they can't bill for service not rendered.

And no, I can't call anyone else. There are 2 providers in my area - both are re-sellers of the same DSL service over the same lines.

On the post: Congress Says The FCC Is Trying To Run Out The Clock On Wireless Location Data Scandals

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 14 Nov, 2019 @ 07:54am

Re: lax ethical standards

No one. Remember this from 2015: "...Dozens of Dartmouth College students are suspended following accusations they were cheating, ironically, in an ethics class ..."

On the post: AT&T Loses Another 1.36 Million Pay TV Subscribers Thanks To Relentless Price Hikes

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2019 @ 08:51am

They could easily get to 50 million subscribers in 2025

if they had 100 million today.

On the post: New French Mandate Will Use Facial Recognition App To Create 'Secure Digital IDs'

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 10 Oct, 2019 @ 04:35pm

If only...

... every set of identical twins would show up at their door on day one - dressed alike, coiffed alike, made up alike - and demanded their "face recognition" individual IDs...

On the post: DC Court: State Secrets Privilege Trumps Any Citizens' Right To Know Whether Or Not Their Own Gov't Is Trying To Kill Them

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 26 Sep, 2019 @ 09:49am

So we just have to wait...

...once he has been killed, then he will have the proof required to show the standing to file suit against being killed...

On the post: Charter Spectrum Once Again 'Competes' By… Raising Prices

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2019 @ 12:29pm

At some point, the formula will fail.

For quite some time, the billing calculation has been "wall street expected revenue" divided by "number of subscribers". As #1 continues to go up, and #2 continues to go down, the result becomes less and less affordable to the remaining subscribers, causing many to join the "ex-subscriber" club. It will be interesting to see how far the companies attempt to push this calculation.

On the post: The FCC Doesn't Actually Know How Many People Have Broadband

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2019 @ 08:32am

Fixed Headline typo

The FCC Doesn't Actually CARE How FEW People Have Broadband

On the post: The Patent And Trademark Office Is Apparently Branching Out Into The Immigration Enforcement Business

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 28 Aug, 2019 @ 11:00am

Vote for funniest line of the year...

"...unlikely a practicing attorney would willingly participate in fraud. ..."

I would say that hundreds of articles on this site alone disagree!!!

On the post: Missouri Attorney General Claims The First Amendment Allows Him To Withhold Public Records

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2019 @ 09:50am

Re: Re:

Because we wouldn't know who to send our highly trained, militarily outfitted SWAT team to visit.

On the post: Whitney Cummings Posts (Partially) Nude Photo Of Herself In Response To Blackmail Threat; Is That Revenge Porn?

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 14 Aug, 2019 @ 12:33pm

taking it a step further...

So the blackmailer had a figure in mind, to earn money from his acquisition of said photos; she by her actions has blocked his earning of that expected income; therefore, he can now sue her for our old favorite, Felony Interference with a Business Model.

And we all know how sacred "expected sales" income is...

On the post: EU Looking To Regulate Everything Online, And To Make Sites Proactively Remove Material

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 17 Jul, 2019 @ 06:55am

Nefarious Plan

1) Create impossible law that only the rich American companies can even attempt to follow
2) Sue them every week for 4% of their annual revenue for failure to meet #1 until they go bankrupt
3) Revise law
4) Give incentives to locals to replace the American companies services under the revised law that favors them but controls what can be published.

And as always,

INTERNET: Damage Detected. Rerouting.

On the post: AT&T Will Now Filter Robocall Spam, If You Pay Them Extra

TheResidentSkeptic ( profile ), 16 Jul, 2019 @ 08:03am

Profit above all

They fear losing the massive profit from the TRUNK and SIP services that they sell to the robocallers and telemarketers - so they have to make that money up somehow.

Jacking prices and adding fees has always worked in the past - since that's what they know, that's what they do.

TheResidentSkeptic 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (261)