Michael Johnstone’s Techdirt Profile

On the post: Police Cameras Are Valuable… But Not If They Can Alter The Videos

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2015 @ 12:29pm

Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink"

My first thought when I read the original news release was, "dead men tell no tales." Gladwell's book discusses how our subconscious works out the details before our conscious does.

I suspect we will never no the truth, but if we did it serve as another reminder that the government deals harshly with thorns in its side. (I'll not reference the mountain of cases where this has been proven to be the case. The reader will choose to believe what they believe.)

On the post: Even If You Think Kim Dotcom Is Guilty As Sin, The US Government Stealing His Assets Should Concern You

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2015 @ 11:56am

And Asset Forfeiture Continues at Home

Certainly not as obviously an act of injustice as this story, but still something to consider if you want to buck the system.
http://www.adn.com/article/20150721/apd-seizes-anchorage-pot-delivery-services-cars-owner-vows-drive

'It’s an intrusion on people’s lives and their property rights. With that said, I think law enforcement has legacy laws to fall back on, and until the Legislature takes a look at those, there’s a huge risk,' Schulte said. 'I want all potential businesses to succeed. But I would tell any friend looking to get into the business, and it comes up a lot, don’t do anything you wouldn't have done a year ago,' when Alaskans legalized recreational pot."

On the post: Huge Loss For Free Speech In Europe: Human Rights Court Says Sites Liable For User Comments

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 16 Jun, 2015 @ 04:15pm

The Perfect Ruling to Game the System

Target a rival's blog with hate speech, and boom they're liable. Absolutely perfect.

I suppose this ruling was predicted as several sites have dumped commenting.

It will be a contest to see if EFF or Techdirt outlasts each other by holding onto comments.

On the post: FBI Successfully Stonewalls Inspector General Into Irrelevance By Withholding Timely Section 215 Documents

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2015 @ 04:19pm

No Truer Words Have Been Written

"if there's anything government agencies fear more than a loss of power, it's a loss of funding."

And there are very few morals exercised in acquiring both. Without oversight and the ability to act out of the public's view U.S. government officials have no qualms about doing anything to acquire both.

Cthulhu is an appropriate euphemism for our government.

On the post: Dish Eyes T-Mobile Takeover, And That Could Be A Very Good Thing For Wireless Competition

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 05 Jun, 2015 @ 12:07pm

Seems Like A Good Deal Now....

But eventually I think that T-Mobile customers are going to suffer. Deutsche Telekom wanted out bad enough to dump huge resources into making T-Mobile attractive to buyers. But once the deal is done the profitability mentality will set in, and T-Mobile customers (I'm one) are going to get the same crappy service as Dish customers do now.

My hope had been for a new player into the media market, a disrupter, cable cutter company to pick up T-Mobile, but seems like we getting the sucky Dish company. Sad, sad day for me.

On the post: Sony Uses Copyright To Force Verge To Takedown Its Copy Of Sony's Spotify Contract

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 22 May, 2015 @ 03:40pm

Power Breeds Fear

As those who acquire power fear the loss of it. (Officials at Sony, the FBI, and NSA all come to mind.) Their actions become more erratic as they seek to hold onto their power. Either they resort to desperate measures, or they capitulate to the zeitgeist.

Time will tell.

On the post: FBI Director Claims That The World's Most Knowledgeable Cybersecurity Experts Are Not 'Fair Minded' About Encryption Backdoors

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 22 May, 2015 @ 03:31pm

The Real Issue IMHO Is Financial Loss

Good encryption equals less money. Spooks hack governments, government leaders, telcoms, corporations, Darknet, and financial institutions so they can make bank. Sewing up the holes equals loss of income.

On the post: Verizon Buys AOL, Because Two Lumbering Dinosaurs Who Can't Figure Out The Modern Internet Must Be Better Together

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 12 May, 2015 @ 10:48am

AOL is Verizon's Sony

U.S. government loves media companies. As observed when Sony got so much lovin' by the spooks after their hack (while the average American pensioner that has their ID stolen and retirement account drained can't get so much as a nod to their plight). (And don't try to tell me the NSA doesn't have the identity of every major crime syndicate working the cybercrime angle in their trove of data they've hoovered.) Verizon needs some Sony type lovin' from the Feds if they want to push their agenda through.

Remember it's all a game of money and power.

On the post: Stanford Prison Experiment Psychologist: You're Never Going To Get Laid, You Game-Playing, Porn-Watching Fat-Asses

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 12 May, 2015 @ 10:32am

It's Hard To Tell the Addicts From the Adolescents

Tim's article makes a valid point, in that Zimbardo has a specific issue that he's demonizing, but Tim is using pure speculation as to the reason for Zimbardo's push against this cultural activity. I don't know if Tim is a gaming addict, but they do exist; at least by society's definition of addiction.

For the those who are an addict, or lose a family member to this or another addiction the loss is significant. Those who disparage the idea throw contempt on those who are suffering and show a callous disregard and lack of empathy. But meh, people in general suck and are asshats towards their fellow man.

It's easy to see why there is a negative reaction to Zimbardo's comments. People in general get wrapped up in their worlds and can't see past their egotistical nature, and so I get why gamers (whether adolescents and addicts) attack those who take a dim view of their life choices. If you've dealt with addicts you know they have a very visceral reaction when they think someone is endangering their drug du jour, and if you been around adolescents you notice they don't have the wisdom to know that they're not immune to life's dangers and pitfalls.

Whether an adolescent or an addict both will say, "I can stop whenever you want to", but their life of poor choices proves otherwise.

On the post: Latest Explanation For James Clapper Lying About 'Essential' NSA Spy Program: 'He Forgot About It'

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 11 May, 2015 @ 02:22pm

Too Much Power and Too Little Concious

True power in government is wielded by unelected officials. You can spot them because nothing seems to stick to them.

This dude could seize your assets, dump your family into the ocean, and go on with life with not a care in the world.

And the American public is powerless to stop them.

On the post: Huge Win: Appeals Court Says NSA's Bulk Phone Records Collection Not Actually Authorized By PATRIOT Act

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 07 May, 2015 @ 11:35am

I wish it were that simple and straightforward

The U.S. government isn't so easily thwarted (or morally burdened) by truth and legality.

For as long I can remember our government, in general, behaves as if the law of the land applies to majority, but not to them. (The power wielded by Washington, and to a lesser degree local governments, have create an impression of elitism among the populis.)

The exception to this is when the swell of public opinion causes the powers that be to fear for their lives (think agency funding). Then they find a scapegoat to sacrifice which appeases the public. But they don't change their ways and as soon as the flurry of concern dies down they just go back to doing that they always do.

On the post: Encryption: What The FBI Wants It Can Only Have By Destroying Computing And Censoring The Internet

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 06 May, 2015 @ 06:31pm

I Smell Fear

Since Snowden there has been so much clamor, hand wringing, and FUD exuding from the pores of various government spook agencies that I believe they are scared. And what they are scared about has very little to do with whether or not our women and children are protected from internal or external threats.

This is pure and simple fear of the loss of power. The upper echelons of power brokers need information to retain their power and they can see it fading in the light of the public backlash to their machinations.

On the post: The Exposure Of CIA Torture Is Finally Costing Someone A Job: Former Senate Staffer Alissa Starzak

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 29 Apr, 2015 @ 02:40pm

Why is Anonymous Reporting Necessary?

Because those in power will destroy the truth and truth tellers in their attempt to keep the darkness of their deeds hidden.

On the post: If You're Promoting Copyright Without Fair Use, You're Promoting Out And Out Censorship

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 28 Apr, 2015 @ 09:04am

By The People and For The People

The U.S.'s response to the Sony hack should be all the evidence anyone needs. Contrast the U.S.'s Sony hack response to the continued lack of response to cyber attacks against its citizens in which they lose their savings and pensions due cybercrime.

Be very sure that with the amount of data collected by the spooks they know the perpetrators of cybercrime. The only reason they don't do more thwart it is because they haven't been mandated to do more by those in authority.

The culture of the elite class is so far removed from that of the common citizen they have no concept of what it means to be fair in terms of an egalitarian society. They just want us to be good consumers and stop complaining about the lack of fairness.

On the post: Senators Introduce Anti-Aaron's Law To Increase Jail Terms For 'Unauthorized Access' To Computers

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 23 Apr, 2015 @ 03:06pm

American Justice phtt: No such thing.

American law is predicated on the myth of an egalitarian system. Since the elite demonstrate by their actions they are above the law we have nothing like "justice for all" in this country.

It's all about money and power. See http://www.vox.com/2014/4/11/5581272/doom-loop-oligarchy

On the post: Richard Dreyfuss Takes Disney To Court Over Its Refusal To Allow An Outside Auditor To Examine Its Accounting Methods

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 23 Apr, 2015 @ 09:02am

Jack Black on Piracy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LkWKvMCzqA

Disney has no rocket sauce for you Jack, lulz.

On the post: Sony Execs Freaked Out That Its Marketing People Wanted To Use Torrents For Marketing

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 21 Apr, 2015 @ 04:05pm

Sony elites couldn't careless about any of us

I just ran across this article (http://www.vox.com/2014/4/11/5581272/doom-loop-oligarchy) referencing the nature of money and power. Sony leadership is obviously in the Elite camp within the American culture. And way too many of these super-rich, super-powerful people, Sony included, have way too little regard for the rights of the rest (99.9%) of America. Other than as consumers Sony leadership has less regard for the individual American than they do the soil used to produce their favorite wines.

On the post: Wall Street Journal Suggests Snowden Gave China Its 'Great Cannon' Software… Based On Pure Random Speculation

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 17 Apr, 2015 @ 02:28pm

Headlines: WSJ Trolls Techdirt With Snowden Article

John Oliver proved that the populace doesn't know who Snowdens is and nor do they care. The audience for Snowden articles is tech journalists and spook agency pundits.

On the post: Senate Intelligence Committee Finally Decides That Maybe It Should Figure Out What The Intelligence Community Is Up To

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 13 Apr, 2015 @ 11:51am

I Predict They Will Quickly Lose Interest

Congress' interest will last up until they realize that J. Edgar Hoover isn't the only person who collected dirt on politicians.

The spooks will control funding through what ever means they need to keep their spy games going. (See uproar over Sony hack.)

On the post: Don't Think Open Access Is Important? It Might Have Prevented Much Of The Ebola Outbreak

Michael Johnstone ( profile ), 10 Apr, 2015 @ 11:54am

Is there liability on the part of these Paywall enforcers

I believe the Houston nurse infected with ebola is suing because of lack of proper information.

I truly believe that there are some decision makers in some companies that would rather have a 100,000 people die from a curable disease than losing profits.

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