GHB 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (274) comment rss

  • On the post: Microsoft Suddenly Decides To Prevent Third Party Accessories From Working On Xbox

    GHB ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2023 @ 04:46pm

    That f*cking sucks for anyone who hates analog drift

    Vendor lock-in, hardware edition. So, does a controller that has turbo mode (auto-press button repeatedly) is considered cheating? What about the worse one, analog drift? Is it cheating to use a 3rd party controller that is drift-proof? Seriously. Imagine Apple forcing iphone owners to use only approved lightning charging cables to charge their phones. They're notorious for fraying terminals. Like they seriously want us to use inferior products.

  • On the post: New French AI Copyright Law Would Effectively Tax AI Companies, Enrich Collection Societies

    GHB ( profile ), 24 Oct, 2023 @ 04:08pm

    So it is private copying levy, AI instead of music recording devices

    In case you didn't know, it is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_copying_levy but AI instead.

  • On the post: Air Canada Would Rather Sue A Website That Helps People Book More Flights Than Hire Competent Web Engineers

    GHB ( profile ), 24 Oct, 2023 @ 02:36pm

    Pathetically stupid as Gmarket trying to stop the sharing of facts that are publicly available.

    In case you didn't know very few shopping sites also hate scrapers, and one of them go great lengths to disable rightclicks on its site - http://gmarket.co.kr/ even though automated scrapers don't actually NEED to rightclick at all. Another one was a clothing site that I can't remember (think was a link from an extension that counteract the disabling of rightclicks). The text on the bottom of the page also admits that it does not like web scraping, despite it being a FRICKEN SHOPPING SITE OF PHYSICAL GOODS. This tells me this isn't for the purpose of copyright (duh, 99% of stuff on there are more of facts then creative content), rather to do the practices that airports that techdirt pointed out are doing to make it harder for consumers to save money. The act of being incompetent also reminds me of Getty Images attacking google for letting users accessing the image URLs directly (which is why the view image button feature got removed, angering users). They could've use robots.txt, some anti-hotlink measures or just require an account to enable access to protected content, which by the way, is COMPLETELY FREE compared to the cost of a lawsuit against a search engine for indexing your publicly available content that you set it up for.

  • On the post: Streamer In Japan Gets 2 Years Jail Time For Uploading Let’s Plays, Anime Spoilers

    GHB ( profile ), 08 Sep, 2023 @ 08:25pm

    sigh

    https://www.techdirt.com/2022/06/01/are-fast-movies-really-a-substitute-for-the-real-thing-or-just-good-marketing/ the same CODA attacked that. I wonder: Youtube FORCES ads on videos whether you like it or not. Only difference is you getting revenue or not. Does either case violate japan’s copyright law? How can you tell if the video poster is making revenue off of it? Does merely spoiling a story’s ending without monetizing and permission is still an infringement? If so, they might as well sue anyone TALKING about an ending of a movie/novel. I’m still waiting for a lawsuit against wiki sites.

  • On the post: L. Ron Hubbard’s Estate Is Against Right To Repair For Scientology’s E-Meters

    GHB ( profile ), 01 Sep, 2023 @ 06:26pm

    Church of Scientology is Acerthorn, Imminent Uprising, the KKK, Alex Thomas Mauer, copyright industry, and dictatorship regimes, rolled into one.

    This organization represents all the people that supports authoritarian-styled censorship, butthurt people that hates criticism, and ANY law that is abuseable as their censorship toolbox (yes, I'm looking at you, copyright). Just look at this wikipedia article

  • On the post: Will Browsers Be Required By Law To Stop You From Visiting Infringing Sites?

    GHB ( profile ), 05 Aug, 2023 @ 01:45am

    Literally this is conscripting tool makers so that their tools cannot be misused and this is govware.

    I would say, hands off my browser. It's like to use a computer (even if you own it) or a knife you must have a policeman watch over your shoulder, in your personal property. EU to regulate the use of people's own stuff isn't new: https://www.techdirt.com/2021/06/04/google-facebook-chaos-computer-club-join-to-fight-new-german-law-allowing-government-spies-police-to-use-trojans-against/ Something like this happened with the 996 controversy in china: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/996_working_hour_system#Browser_blacklist Not once have I seen the US attempt to regulate a tool or a product that is either owned by the device owner or open-source licensed to allow the user to use the software however he/she wishes provided that the agreement has been met. There are also reasons why law enforcement should not have control on people's devices either, because there are malware on the internet, and there are also scammers who can abuse it to confuse people. Here is an example: https://www.zdnet.com/article/new-malware-poses-as-wga-validation-and-notification/

  • On the post: Google’s Plan To DRM The Web Goes Against Everything Google Once Stood For

    GHB ( profile ), 02 Aug, 2023 @ 02:10pm

    WEI = website agent, not user agent

    There are reasons why a website cannot control and restrict the browser and/or its features, it is because it is simply a user agent (as in, it acts in behalf of the user). Sites can disable right-click menu (context menu) all they want but that is handled by the browser (because html/js/css are all text that is executed by the browser, they're not executable code). Sure they can disable shortcut keys, but that is just a limited set of what sites are allowed to do. Things like force-closing the already-opened devtools is off-limits is one example. Reason is because sandboxing. No site should have access on your PC and that should be determine by you, not the website. There are tech support scammers abusing certain browser features to try to make an illusion your PC is infected with a virus (a term "browlock" by malwarebytes), as well as fake software update scams. All of these are often found on malware-laiden advertisements (malvertisments). And google is allowing this by making sites force users to use a potentially unsecure browsers. DRM like this should be separated from the open web and browsers, be with video games, music, and with non-web-browser based entertainment and other things. GTFO. That's the reason why no site should control your browser.

  • On the post: Legacy Copyright Industries Obsession With Infringement Is Pathological

    GHB ( profile ), 26 Jul, 2023 @ 07:23pm

    I don't even know if statute of limitations would block this

    10 years after a reddit post is very strange to file a lawsuit using that information.

  • On the post: Malaysian Government Asks Interpol To Arrest An American Comedian Over Her Airline Crash Joke

    GHB ( profile ), 21 Jun, 2023 @ 11:05am

    transnational repression, interpol edition

    wtf?!? Trying to censor people outside their borders by attempting to punish people where their laws don’t apply

  • On the post: Reddit CEO Triples Down, Insults Protesters, Whines About Not Making Enough Money From Reddit Users

    GHB ( profile ), 17 Jun, 2023 @ 10:53am

    Steve Huffman is a fucking idiot

    Huffman, No worker (moderator, as in the "janitors" of your website), should have to PAY money to keep your site clean, or to use advance tools to assist in doing that work. You have forgotten how a community functions. People coming to your site to moderate are either volunteers or paid workers, and even more so is that the vast majority are volunteers. Your site is being cleaned up mostly for free and now you are asking them to pay up. Mike Masnick, I 100% agree with you, and the last paragraph. It's not professional to declare that paywalling essential features for moderation tools is an "adult" job.

  • On the post: Top EU Court To Consider If Copyright Is More Important Than Privacy

    GHB ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2023 @ 04:19pm

    typo

    Really hate typing on my iphone, it is actually "CallMeMoneyBags".

  • On the post: Top EU Court To Consider If Copyright Is More Important Than Privacy

    GHB ( profile ), 12 Jun, 2023 @ 03:19pm

    anti-piracy, more like anti-privacy if they go that route

    Subpoenas are common and they don’t always limit the scope to just infringers. History has shown that copyright holders want ALL of the community’s data just to go after a few. The same happened with callmenoneybags. It should be that each person included in the scope must have proof of infringement, not get their information first regardless of any proof. You don’t get their PIs first “just in case if that person is a criminal”.

  • On the post: The Stupidity Of Making Porn Filters Mandatory On Mobile Devices (And Other Musings On Reality)

    GHB ( profile ), 24 May, 2023 @ 07:24pm

    Did they not know about Tumblr's disaster?

    Ah, the NSFW ban on tumblr that resulted in 1000s of posts embarrassingly rendered inaccessible thanks to an algorithm thinking a random SFW picture is somehow porn. It's so shit, it flagged its own announcement post. I'd be surprised if it did work properly at the device level to filter content, but that is unrealistic. It is a branch of "how do you filter content?" Word filters? Scunthorpe problem. Antivirus programs? Potential flagging innocent software.

  • On the post: Reddit Defeats Film Studios’ Attempt To Reveal Identities Of Anonymous Users Over RCN Trial

    GHB ( profile ), 04 May, 2023 @ 05:11pm

    Also, anti-piracy? More like anti-privacy

    I've seen content gets taken down that are mere discussion and are not contributory copyright infringement (no links to illegal content, instruction to do illegal activity etc.). Now imangine the same thing with a subpoena, over users talking ABOUT piracy.

  • On the post: Reddit Defeats Film Studios’ Attempt To Reveal Identities Of Anonymous Users Over RCN Trial

    GHB ( profile ), 04 May, 2023 @ 05:08pm

    CallMeMoneyBags, reddit r/piracy edition

    Jesus fuck. Piracy activity that happens off-platform and that users just talk about it risk reddit and its users into a copyright lawsuit. That is a conscription. As if they're interrogating reddit as if somehow reddit is a witness to oversee activity elsewhere beyond its platform. The first amendment blocking the subpoena happened with twitter user CallMeMoneyBags over an image, his identity was thankfully not exposed. Subpoenas are dangerous. Imagine on youtube, that your legally-posted video got falsely taken down, and you choose not to counter-claim to avoid getting sued (since the counter-claim requires personal data, address, real name, contact info, etc.). Despite you choosing not to counter-claim, you can still get sued because there is another way a copyright holder can obtain your information - Subpoena.

  • On the post: Wizards Of The Coast Sends Pinkerton Agency To Person That Bought Unreleased ‘Magic’ Cards In Error

    GHB ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2023 @ 04:42am

    Saw this on youtube

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDMFV75nURs Literally treating a customer who unknowingly obtain something else in the buying process as a thief is absolutely the reason not to buy their products. Give them the excuse of “We don't buy your products because you will attack us for doing so.” or playing dumb saying “We respect your IP by not buying your products because buying is theft”

  • On the post: Wizards Of The Coast Sends Pinkerton Agency To Person That Bought Unreleased ‘Magic’ Cards In Error

    GHB ( profile ), 27 Apr, 2023 @ 06:00am

    reminds me of this

    https://www.techdirt.com/2015/12/10/disney-sending-out-dmca-notices-over-pictures-fans-took-their-legally-purchased-star-wars-toy/ yeah. It’s awful

  • On the post: Nintendo Goes To War With YouTubers Right Before New ‘Zelda’ Release

    GHB ( profile ), 21 Apr, 2023 @ 03:48pm

    Nintendo's Shining force 3

    https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1ajt7d/sega_has_now_responded_directly_to_me_regarding/ Sigh.

  • On the post: Australian Police: Cracking Down On Piracy… Except When The Police Are The Pirates

    GHB ( profile ), 15 Apr, 2023 @ 04:19pm

    The police department has not been rated.

    Oh the irony.

  • On the post: EU Website Links Keep Getting Delisted Over Piracy Advertisements

    GHB ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2023 @ 08:28pm

    Hard as the scunthorpe problem

    Policing copyright infringement is hard. Hard for those operating websites that allow for the public to input content and hard for the rightsholders that far too often use automated systems that suck out loud at determining what is actually infringing and what isn’t.
    Both swear words and infringing content to be filtered have in common are that people can bypass the filter by altering it in many ways: swear words can have its characters being substituted, rephrased, use homoglyph characters like cyrillic, accent letters and infringing content can be placed inside an encrypted zip file, be split into multiple files, using steganography. Both also prone to false positives for ordinary users: wordfilters think you say “ass” when you say “pass”. And copyright filter on youtube think using white noise is infringing.

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