radix 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (283)

• On the post: For All Of Trump's Complaints About Social Media 'Censorship', The White House Itself Moderates Content Similarly To Social Media Sites

  

  radix ( profile ), 22 Jul, 2019 @ 01:05pm

  the First Amendment (which they, as private companies, are not bound by)

  I understand what you're saying, but I think this is the wrong way to frame it. The First Amendment absolutely applies to private companies, just in the other direction than the pro-regulation crowd is wanting. (The difference is between "bound by" and "applies to," but I think it's important to hammer home the fact that support of private moderation is a protection of the 1A rather than a violation.)

  The freedom that companies enjoy to speak their own minds have resulted in the Citizens United case that the right has traditionally defended vigorously. It takes some Olympic-level mental gymnastics to try to have it both ways.

• On the post: College Forgets How The First Amendment Works; Targets Its Own Student Newspaper With A Public Records Request

  

  radix ( profile ), 01 Jul, 2019 @ 12:56pm

  Next Month

  "Southwestern Community College is excited to announce that we have reorganized as a newspaper, though we 'regret' to inform you that all our records are now private. Don't bother asking how this is going to work, that's private, too."

• On the post: Google Stadia Is About To Show Everyone Why Broadband Usage Caps Are Bullshit

  

  radix ( profile ), 13 Jun, 2019 @ 03:35pm

  Re:

  10 Google half-asses a new service
  20 Few people use it
  30 Google cancels the service that few people were using
  40 goto 10

• On the post: Court: Planning To Get A Warrant Is As Good As Actually Having A Warrant When Searching A House

  

  radix ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2019 @ 11:09am

  Re: So, dead child in sight, would need a warrant?

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exigent_circumstance

• On the post: Court: Planning To Get A Warrant Is As Good As Actually Having A Warrant When Searching A House

  

  radix ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2019 @ 11:06am

  Re:

  Nope. As always, you have to follow the letter of the law, while the government only has to do what they think the law should be. See also: https://www.techdirt.com/search.php?tid=Legal%20Issues&search=Search

• On the post: Laying Out All The Evidence: Shiva Ayyadurai Did Not Invent Email

  

  radix ( profile ), 22 May, 2019 @ 01:10pm

  I just created a database that my friends and family can use to write quick updates, and see each other's updates. It's stored in the cloud, so it can be accessed from anywhere. I named it Social Network.

  I INVENTED THE IDEA OF SOCIAL NETWORKS!

• On the post: Adobe Warns Users Someone Else Might Sue Them For Using Old Versions Of Photoshop

  

  radix ( profile ), 14 May, 2019 @ 02:15pm

  Re:

  Also without reading it, I'm going to guess it says something to the effect of "Adobe reserves the right to update or change the terms of this license with or without notice." You pay, we get to make all the rules, and the only thing you can do is stop paying (assuming you aren't under contract).

• On the post: EU Parliament Votes To Require Internet Sites To Delete 'Terrorist Content' In One Hour (By 3 Votes)

  

  radix ( profile ), 17 Apr, 2019 @ 03:09pm

  Call me cynical, but I think there's another angle, here.

  The EU has simply gotten drunk off of literal monopoly money. They've fined Microsoft, twice, totaling over 1.4b euros. Google has been hit three times for 8.2b euros, all over anti-trust concerns. Throw in fines to Facebook and others, and they've gotten judgements of over 10 BILLION euros outside of normal taxation. Sure, taxes a whole other fustercluck, but suffice to say their payments, whatever they are or aren't, are legal. It's easier to blame the American companies than to lobby the Irish and Dutch governments to fully close their tax loopholes.

  Now that those cases are settled, what better way to continue to siphon funds from American internet companies than create unrealistic demands and charge penance every time they fail to bend space and time?

  This isn't about terrorism, it's about money.

• On the post: News Organization Like Reuters Supporting The EU Copyright Directive Is A Shameful Support For Censorship

  

  radix ( profile ), 15 Mar, 2019 @ 08:26am

  This is a symptom of the 21st century news. The lines have been blurred so thoroughly between news and entertainment that the higher-ups at news organizations see themselves as no different than record producers or film directors.

  This is also what's driving the renewed push for the Hot News doctrine. Anything pushed out by news organizations is getting so highly processed that it has just as much "artistic input" (in the minds of the producers) as any piece of multi-media art deserving of more strict copyright protections.

  News organizations are increasingly in the entertainment business, so demanding more rights at the expense of their consumers is really no shock.

• On the post: It Sure Sounds Like Elizabeth Warren Wants To Bring The EU Copyright Directive Stateside

  

  radix ( profile ), 11 Mar, 2019 @ 10:29am

  Re: Comments censored within 10 minutes. -- And by WHOM?

  [citation needed]

• On the post: It Sure Sounds Like Elizabeth Warren Wants To Bring The EU Copyright Directive Stateside

  

  radix ( profile ), 11 Mar, 2019 @ 10:27am

  Re: Re: Re:

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting

• On the post: Once Again, Sharing Streaming Passwords Is Not 'Piracy' Or 'Freeloading'

  

  radix ( profile ), 01 Mar, 2019 @ 09:44am

  Re:

  I suspect there are a fair number of people who pay for accounts who do not consume enough content to make the purchase worthwhile on their own. It's only because they are allowed to share the account that the service becomes a viable purchase. A crackdown on such accounts might well lose a significant number of subscribers. e.g. Unrelated roommates (or a parent/child living apart, whatever) all use the same account, but each only watch 1-2 films/shows per month. Neither would pay the $12 alone, but it's worth it for half that amount, so they split the cost. Netflix cracks down, so they cancel altogether rather than pay double for the same service that each individual person barely uses.

• On the post: Another California Court Rules Against Law Enforcement Secrecy, Says Agencies Must Release Old Misconduct Files

  

  radix ( profile ), 21 Feb, 2019 @ 10:36am

  Re: Bad Apples

  "One bad apple is no big deal?" No, that's not it. "One bad apple ruins the whole bunch?" Close, but doesn't quite capture this situation. "A few bad apples infected law enforcement decades ago and nobody did anything, so the whole system is corrupt by now?" There it is.

• On the post: Another California Court Rules Against Law Enforcement Secrecy, Says Agencies Must Release Old Misconduct Files

  

  radix ( profile ), 21 Feb, 2019 @ 09:07am

  Re: 'Records? What records?'

  Seriously. If anybody has a spare industrial shredder, I've got a business proposal for you. You can have that thing running 24/7 for the next week by taking it city to city in California.

• On the post: FBI's Internal Investigations Of Shootings By Agents Clears Agents 98% Of The Time

  

  radix ( profile ), 14 Feb, 2019 @ 02:59pm

  accidental discharge

  "Nope, nobody did anything wrong here. Guns just do that sometimes. ¯_(ツ)_/¯"

• On the post: Amazon Dash Buttons Ruled Illegal In Germany For… Making It Too Easy To Buy Stuff

  

  radix ( profile ), 16 Jan, 2019 @ 10:55am

  Re: Basically it's "no bait and switch"

  In the US, anyway, a valid contract (even something as simple as a purchase of consumables) requires a "meeting of the minds."
  
  Both sides have to agree on the item being purchased and the price. If one side claims the unilateral ability to alter the agreement, it's not a valid contract.
  
  Outlawing the practice is not only entirely reasonable, it's almost certainly already illegal, even if it hasn't been adjudicated.

• On the post: And Now Professional Sports Teams Are Cutting The Cable Cord, Too

  

  radix ( profile ), 11 Jan, 2019 @ 08:31am

  Re: Despite losses, cable is still BIG.

  "People still ride horses. Obviously this whole 'auto-mobile' revolution has been much ado about nothing."

• On the post: And Now Professional Sports Teams Are Cutting The Cable Cord, Too

  

  radix ( profile ), 10 Jan, 2019 @ 02:07pm

  Cord cutting isn't just about moving to paid IPTV, either.
  
  At least one other MLS team (RSL) airs all their games on a free OTA local channel, and via a mobile app, also free.

• On the post: If You're Surprised By Verizon's AOL, Yahoo Face Plant, You Don't Know Verizon

  

  radix ( profile ), 12 Dec, 2018 @ 08:30am

  I did my part

  I had signed up for a Yahoo email address a very (very) long time ago, and kept it around for all this time. Until they sent an updated T&C in late spring/early summer this year. Some highlights:

  • We’ve added a mutual arbitration clause
  • We’ve updated how we collect and use data.
    1. Analyzing content and information (including emails, instant messages, posts, photos, attachments, and other communications) when you use our services. This allows us to deliver, personalize and develop relevant features, content, advertising and services
    2. Linking your activity on third-party sites and apps with information we have about you
  • New information regarding personalization

  It had been a backup email for a while, but I was finally pushed to just delete my account.

• On the post: When A 'Trade War' Involves Seizing And Imprisoning Foreign Execs, It's No Longer Just About Trade

  

  radix ( profile ), 07 Dec, 2018 @ 10:10am

  Rumors originated from Cisco

  Let's not forget that Cisco itself was the one targeted by the NSA for installing backdoors into foreign-bound equipment.

  Cisco's market position was being eroded precisely because their firewalls were sending information back to a government power, exactly what they are now accusing Huawei of.

  In other words, the US government got caught with it's hand in the cookie jar, and is now attempting to right its own mistake by saying everybody else is doing the same thing.

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