Ben S 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: More NSA Spying Fallout: Groklaw Shutting Down

    Ben S ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2013 @ 08:20am

    Re: Re: Re: "psychological impact"? -- Mike, they've built concentration camps!

    That's why I use Ghostery to block stuff like that.

  • On the post: Feds Threaten To Arrest Lavabit Founder For Shutting Down His Service

    Ben S ( profile ), 17 Aug, 2013 @ 07:11am

    Re: Re:

    Sorry, I hit the wrong link, that was supposed to be in reply to Ross.

  • On the post: Feds Threaten To Arrest Lavabit Founder For Shutting Down His Service

    Ben S ( profile ), 17 Aug, 2013 @ 07:10am

    Re:

    That's not necessarily true. If the officers are coming with a warrant for specific information, and not one from the secret courts, it means the request was subject to actual oversight, and deemed worthy of obtaining the information because law enforcement was able to prove there's just cause to have that information revealed.

  • On the post: Feds Threaten To Arrest Lavabit Founder For Shutting Down His Service

    Ben S ( profile ), 17 Aug, 2013 @ 07:08am

    Re: Re: What's the next Lavabit?

    I forgot to mention, the keys aren't really interacted with by the user, merely saved then used automatically as needed. Aside from your public key acting as an email address, you don't need to see the keys at all. The public key is also just text, so one can copy/paste the one line as a key quite easily. This gets rid of the hassle for the casual user, while still providing the protection you're after.

  • On the post: Feds Threaten To Arrest Lavabit Founder For Shutting Down His Service

    Ben S ( profile ), 17 Aug, 2013 @ 07:04am

    Re: What's the next Lavabit?

    BitMessage is an attempt at a completely distributed email service using public/private key pairs. Your public key also acts as your email address with this system. They're currently looking for security experts to test the current cryptography, so there is a question as to the degree of security, but there has been at least one person to answer the call, break the crypto, and send the creators of the program a fix for the issue.

  • On the post: Rep. Mike Rogers Blocking Other Congressional Reps From Access To Info On NSA Surveillance

    Ben S ( profile ), 05 Aug, 2013 @ 07:21am

    Re: Re: Re: Rep. Mike Rogers

    With that quote, you've got to take the context into consideration. The "eye of the needle" was a term that referred to the archway entering into certain larger cities. It was too small for the camel to just walk through. Getting the camel through required a fairly significant amount of work, it wasn't an easy task, but it was possible.

  • On the post: SEC Confirms That Bitcoin Savings & Trust Was A Ponzi Scheme; Files Lawsuit

    Ben S ( profile ), 24 Jul, 2013 @ 07:19am

    Re: Re: Ah, Mike the "economist" defending "virtual" money.

    Not only that, but if it didn't hold value like real currency, I doubt the SEC would be getting involved. It's the real value that makes it worth the time to deal with the problem.

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

    Ben S ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2013 @ 12:03pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    With a startup loan, the bank is hoping to get paid back. They will filter things through a very different lense (how much money can we possibly make, how likely are we to make money). This is different from a business or consumer who isn't expecting a monetary return on a product, and just wants to have their own copy of the finished product. On top of that, you're expected to pay back a loan, with a crowdfunded item, it's hoped you'll be capable of delivering on the promises.

  • On the post: NSA Talking Points On Utah Data Center: We're Teaming Up With Tech Companies To 'Protect' The Internet

    Ben S ( profile ), 12 Jul, 2013 @ 09:34am

    Re: Re: Re:

    Many are not opposed to it at all, some even welcome this. Others feel it's not quite THAT bad, etc. Even for those opposed, a protest is too much of a hassle, and too much work, for people to actually get off their lazy butts.

  • On the post: NSA Whistleblower Ed Snowden: From My Desk I Could Wiretap Anyone: You, A Federal Judge Or The President Of The US

    Ben S ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2013 @ 10:56am

    Re:

    It sounds as though you don't understand communism. Communism is the government people were to implement after overthrowing the existing establishment in order to prevent the exploitation of the lower classes by the upper classes. It would do this by means of total control so that businesses couldn't push or force the government to give them excessive power over the lesser classes. Nothing about our current government is trying to do this. It's a police state for sure, and is exercising more and more power all the time, claiming it's in our interest, even though it isn't, but it's most definitely not communist.

  • On the post: More Details Emerge On Key Legal Fight Over DMCA Abuse

    Ben S ( profile ), 22 May, 2013 @ 07:45am

    Re: Passerby - NOT a silly fight.

    I'll try to explain the purpose of the site for you. Basically, Techdirt is about how new technologies can disrupt established industries, resulting in something that is overall good for the industry as a whole, yet seem harmful to the established players in those industries. In particular, the attempts by those established players to try to block the new innovations and advancements in technologies.

    Due to regulatory capture causing copyright, as well as patent law, to go far beyond anything reasonable, copyright and the DMCA are frequent topics here. The reason for this article is specifically the abuse of the takedown provisions of the DMCA, rather than the fight itself. This is a clear and obvious attempt to silence free speech using the DMCA is the method, despite defenders of the takedown provisions claiming that nothing about copyright can or will harm free speech.

  • On the post: More Details Emerge On Key Legal Fight Over DMCA Abuse

    Ben S ( profile ), 22 May, 2013 @ 07:14am

    Re: Re: Re: Why am I not surprised?

    If, as you suggest, this email is not the original email, the defendant could subpoena a copy of the original email from the provider of the email service, or from the hosting provider, to prove the plaintiff is lying. This would be a very easy tactic to undermine all credibility the plaintiff may have, making a victory in this regard that much easier. I'm not really seeing that here, so chances are this email is indeed the original email.

  • On the post: John Steele Plans To Appeal Judge Wright's Order; Says Judge Is 'No Fan Of IP Law'

    Ben S ( profile ), 08 May, 2013 @ 10:48am

    Re: Huff and Puff

    I like that reference. It's been a while since I've seen that show. I should watch it again some time.

  • On the post: John Steele Plans To Appeal Judge Wright's Order; Says Judge Is 'No Fan Of IP Law'

    Ben S ( profile ), 08 May, 2013 @ 10:37am

    Re: Re: Re:

    That's a grey area, not sure if the 5th amendment covers that, though it might. Realistically, you can plead the 5th for any reason at all, even if you aren't technically guilty. The reason for this is that probing into the reasons for pleading the 5th would be trying to force the person to incriminate themselves. You'd have to provide solid evidence that the answer to the question could not possibly have incriminated the person giving testimony to be able to levy any form of punishment.

    For example, a person could testify in court in defense of some one who was definitely guilty of a crime, then plead the 5th when asked certain questions in order to deflect suspicion from the accused, onto them. You could try and question them as to why they plead the 5th, but they would respond by just pleading the 5th some more. How are you going to prove the answers to the questions can't possibly be seen as incriminating? That would be a hard thing to do, and I don't see it happening. The end result would be that a person can plead the 5th for any reason they want with out fear of any form of punishment.

  • On the post: Over 90% Of The Most Innovative Products From The Past Few Decades Were NOT Patented

    Ben S ( profile ), 07 May, 2013 @ 09:41am

    Re: Re:

    What patents are these? A while back Oracle lost a lawsuit it filed against Google for infringing on its Java Copyright (specifically claiming the API is covered by copyright) on the Android OS. If they had patents on Java, why wouldn't they have also filed for infringement of the patents in question?

  • On the post: CBS Says It Could Move To Cable In A 'Few Days' If Aereo Wins; Receives Several Offers To Help Pack Its Bags

    Ben S ( profile ), 02 May, 2013 @ 06:58pm

    Re: Dear CBS:

    What a perfect response. Also, I happen to love that song, but I prefer the fan video Valve featured at one point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25ClYY5mwbc

  • On the post: Authors Guild Shuts Itself Off From Public Criticism, As People Realize It Represents Publishers, Not Authors

    Ben S ( profile ), 19 Apr, 2013 @ 08:24am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: As usual, Misleading Mike reads only what fits his template.

    Probably nothing. It's just a Target he can aim at.

  • On the post: Things You Don't See Every Day: MPAA Argues For Fair Use In Court

    Ben S ( profile ), 10 Apr, 2013 @ 09:56am

    Re: Not even remotely fair use, they should pay

    For putting the logo on the uniforms yes, but not for things like a documentary which happens to show the logo they put on the uniforms. Same with the pictures on the stadium wall, as that's showing their history (even if it is one that includes copyright infringement). I could certainly see a potential argument regarding the video game though, as that isn't about documenting anything historically, but rather just a "retro" uniform that isn't needed to play the game.

  • On the post: The Law Should Never Be Secret, So Why Will CISPA Debate Be Secret?

    Ben S ( profile ), 10 Apr, 2013 @ 07:45am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    In that last sentence, died should be dyed.

    I wish I could edit my comments on here.

  • On the post: The Law Should Never Be Secret, So Why Will CISPA Debate Be Secret?

    Ben S ( profile ), 10 Apr, 2013 @ 07:43am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Maybe I'm feeding a troll here, but here goes.

    The Department of Justice (DoJ) has claimed that violation of the Terms of Service (ToS) is a violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). Anyone (including Clinton) who has ever violated the ToS of a website, is, by the DoJ interpretation of the law, guilty of violating the CFAA, and, if convicted, is a felon.

    There was no accusation by Mike. His complaint here, was that the DoJ interpretation of the CFAA is far too broad, and makes felons out of the average citizen for doing things that would be considered mundane and ordinary, rather than a seeming ethical or moral wrong. Here's a few examples.

    Under the DoJ interpretation, any child under the age of 13 who signs up for a Facebook account is a felon. Same with any parent that sets up an account for said child. If a website tells you not to view the source code for the website, and you do so, you are a felon. If you tell a little white lie in your profile on a dating site, such as claiming your hair color is natural, and not died, and the website says you aren't allowed to lie about your personal information, you are a felon.

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