Roger Strong 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Counter-Terrorism Expert Suggests 'Nutrition Labeling' For News Sources During Senate Testimony

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 10 Apr, 2017 @ 08:27am

    Re:

    Much like the sustained denial.

  • On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 09 Apr, 2017 @ 03:55pm

    Re: LETS see...

    CAN we change the word DRONE..there are to many TYPES..
    Abnormal pairings are an important part of any cop movie.
    One's a no-nonsense by-the-book fixed-wing drone pilot in Mumbai. The other is a maverick quad-copter pilot in Kiev who doesn't play by the rules! Together they protect the streets of New York from protesters and others who would threaten the good corporate citizens of America! (Exciting music mixed with explosions...)

  • On the post: New York Appeals Court Says Facebook Can't Challenge The 381 Broad Warrants Handed To It By New York Prosecutors

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 07 Apr, 2017 @ 11:14am

    Re: just a 1st amendment question

    just because it is a social network, don't people have a first amendment right to assemble in a digital arena as well?
    If so, it raises another interesting question: Martial law was declared in parts of the United States half a dozen times in the last century. Which often suspends that right to assembly. If the first amendment right to assemble extends to a digital arena, then does martial law extend there also?

  • On the post: If Facebook Becomes The Internet's Authentication System, Can Citizen Scores Around The World Be Far Behind?

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 06 Apr, 2017 @ 11:36am

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

    Speaking of cognitive dissonance....

    The story is about someone who DOES live without it, who IS trying to live without it. Only to find it a requirement for non-Facebook, non-internet things like car rentals.

    The story you imagine is not what the rest of us are reading.

  • On the post: If Facebook Becomes The Internet's Authentication System, Can Citizen Scores Around The World Be Far Behind?

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 06 Apr, 2017 @ 08:28am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Can you still arrange a group outing of 5-10 friends without routing it through Facebook?
    Wikipedia: Nuclear football
    If the president (who is commander-in-chief) ordered the use of nuclear weapons, they would be taken aside by the "carrier" and the briefcase is opened. A command signal, or "watch" alert, would then be issued to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [...] Then, using whatever communications technology the satchel contains, the aide would presumably[citation needed] make contact with the National Military Command Center or, in a retaliatory strike situation, multiple airborne command posts (who likely fly Boeing E-4Bs) and/or nuclear-armed submarines. [...] Before the order can be processed by the military, the president must be positively identified using a special code issued on a plastic card, nicknamed the "biscuit". The United States has a two-man rule in place at the nuclear launch facilities, and while only the president can order the release of nuclear weapons, the order must be verified by the Secretary of Defense to be an authentic order given by the president (there is a hierarchy of succession in the event that the president is killed in an attack). This verification process deals solely with verifying that the order came from the actual President. The Secretary of Defense has no veto power and must comply with the president's order. Once all the codes have been verified, the military would issue attack orders to the proper units. These orders are given and then re-verified for authenticity. It is argued that the President has almost single authority to initiate a nuclear attack since the Secretary of Defense is required to verify the order, but cannot legally veto it.
    So it's still possible, but authenticating and coordinating through Facebook looks simpler.

  • On the post: DOJ Memo Shows NSA And White House Lawyers Mainly Unconcerned About Evidence Obligations In Criminal Trials

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 06 Apr, 2017 @ 07:51am

    Re: Re: Who will even find the Brady material?

    The problem is confirmation bias.

    "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him."
    - Cardinal Richelieu

    Richelieu's point is valid even without evil intent. Even without electronic surveillance there are endless cases of people put through hell because of confirmation bias: Officers seizing on details that support their suspicion while ignoring those that oppose it.

    WITH electronic surveillance - emails, Facebook posts, Google search history, grocery purchase history etc. - instead of six lines they're getting six million. They'll always be able to find something with which to hang the most honest of people. And there's a growing number of examples of this happening.

  • On the post: Investigation Finds IRS Seized Millions Of Dollars From Innocent Individuals And Business Owners

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 06 Apr, 2017 @ 11:12am

    It's worth mentioning that some of these "structuring" cases happened because it's what the banks instructed their customers to do.

    In February 2012, the IRS seized the entire bank account for Randy and Karen’s farm, containing $62,936.04. [...] Randy and Karen deposited cash in amounts under $10,000 only because a bank teller told Karen that doing so would avoid unnecessary, unspecified paperwork.

    The IRS assumes that everyone is an expert in tax law with an encyclopedic knowledge of banking laws. That way they never have to treat "This is what the experts told me to do" as a valid defense.

  • On the post: If Facebook Becomes The Internet's Authentication System, Can Citizen Scores Around The World Be Far Behind?

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 06 Apr, 2017 @ 07:08am

    Developers who use ASP.NET are adding Facebook login support whether they want to or not.

    New versions of Microsoft's Visual Studio have dumped the tools for the old ASP.NET Authentication and Authorisation system, replacing them with a new system that supports logins from Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

  • On the post: DOJ Memo Shows NSA And White House Lawyers Mainly Unconcerned About Evidence Obligations In Criminal Trials

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 02:58pm

    Re:

    Back during the Clinton administration there were a few news stories about an accused terrorist who was being held apparently indefinitely, no trial, his legal counsel effectively forbidden to communicate with him. Perhaps there you could make the case for "In certain circumstances, with good reason." Of course the next administration ran with that and did it for hundreds of people. Just on vague (and often wrong) suspicions that they might have some connection to terrorism. Laws approving otherwise criminal behavior by government tend to quickly have their scope greatly expanded. Note how the OLC "apparently decided Yoo's memo was the final word on the subject." That's the same John Yoo who wrote the Torture Memos - handing Bush II power to turn the country into a torture state...

    Watch the movie Unthinkable and tell me your thoughts there.
    A movie which asks the classic pro-torture question "Is it OK to torture a man to prevent a bomb from going off." With an added "Is it OK to torture a man's children in front of him to prevent a bomb from going off." We know John Yoo's answer:
    On December 1, 2005, Yoo appeared in a debate in Chicago with Doug Cassel, a law professor from the University of Notre Dame. During the debate, Cassel asked Yoo, 'If the President deems that he's got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the person's child, there is no law that can stop him?', to which Yoo replied 'No treaty.' Cassel followed up with 'Also no law by Congress—that is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo', to which Yoo replied 'I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.'

  • On the post: DOJ Memo Shows NSA And White House Lawyers Mainly Unconcerned About Evidence Obligations In Criminal Trials

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 02:14pm

    Re:

    Things have gotten awkward since coworkers noticed my resemblance to the Easter Island statues and put two and two together....

  • On the post: Bipartisan Bill Would Require A Warrant To Search Americans' Devices At The Border

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 11:52am

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

    I agree with the courts, legal scholars and law professors. As opposed to the all-claim-no-evidence Anonymous Coward who simply claims "intellectual dishonesty" and "Dunning–Kruger effect" when all the facts and experts disagree with him.

  • On the post: Bipartisan Bill Would Require A Warrant To Search Americans' Devices At The Border

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 10:59am

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

    Non-citizens - and that would include both immigrants and tourists - have rights protected under the Constitution. That is a simple fact backed by the courts, legal scholars and law professors. Citations provided above.

    Your claim is your opinion alone. Your interpretation of the Constitution is yours alone.

  • On the post: Bipartisan Bill Would Require A Warrant To Search Americans' Devices At The Border

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 10:53am

    Re:

    Incorrect.

  • On the post: Bipartisan Bill Would Require A Warrant To Search Americans' Devices At The Border

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 10:37am

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

    The United States is built on immigration. This was especially true when the U.S. Constitution was written. Many of those who wrote it were immigrants if not children of immigrants.

    There is no sign, let alone any reason to believe, that they wanted to deny anyone the Constitution's protections until they gained citizenship.

    Those professors, legal scholars and courts I "trotted out" are experts on the Constitution and US law. You on the other hand get a 5% member discount on Breitbart merchandise. I'm still having a hard time deciding which is more convincing...

  • On the post: Garage Door Opener Company Bricks Customer Hardware After Negative Review

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 10:22am

    Re: Re:

    A device rendered useless is "bricked" regardless of damage. When Google simply shut down the servers for Revolv home automation devices, those devices were indeed bricked.

    When you buy a cloud server dependant device, you do so with the completely reasonable expectation that the cloud server won't be shut down just months later.

  • On the post: Bipartisan Bill Would Require A Warrant To Search Americans' Devices At The Border

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 09:46am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Gosh, this leaves me in a difficult position.

    I have to choose between Politifact's article, for which they interviewed several legal scholars. And cite the author of immigration books about constitutional protections for undocumented immigrants. And quote a law professor at University of California-Davis. And cite several court decisions outlining the rights of undocumented immigrants. And more.

    Or, believe an Anonymous Coward babbling the sort of pretentious nonsense expected from those who wander out of Breitbart of InfoWars when their views don't align with the facts.

    What to do, what to do...

  • On the post: Bipartisan Bill Would Require A Warrant To Search Americans' Devices At The Border

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 09:15am

    Re: Re:

    Even when in the US illegally, non-citizens have constitutional rights. Politifact: Do undocumented immigrants have constitutional rights? They get the protections of the Constitution vs. deprivation of life, liberty or property without due process of law. They have freedom of speech and religion, and if arrested, a right to a Miranda warning. The big exception - other than not being allowed to vote in state and national elections - is that they get almost no due process in removal proceedings.

  • On the post: Garage Door Opener Company Bricks Customer Hardware After Negative Review

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 10:14am

    It Could Be Worse

    Consider the story last night where Connecticut may join North Dakota in police use of weaponized drones.

    The User Bad Attitude Mitigation process could go far beyond bricking the drone.

  • On the post: Bipartisan Bill Would Require A Warrant To Search Americans' Devices At The Border

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2017 @ 08:10am

    What Happens Next...

    The US already has agreements with Canada and other countries whereby any time an American flashes his passport to cross into a *third* country, the US is notified. It already shares legal and some medical history, so that a citizen can be stopped at the border if they've ever been busted for pot possession or threatened suicide.

    Americans must have a passport to cross into Canada, not because Canada requires it, but because America requires it for them to return.

    If this law passes you can expect similar agreements for devices. The other countries will be required to search devices - outside US territory and the US Constitution's reach - and report the data back to the US.

  • On the post: Connecticut Lawmakers Vote To Give Police Drones With Guns

    Roger Strong ( profile ), 04 Apr, 2017 @ 07:27pm

    Re: above the law

    Relax. With ever-increasing battery energy density, soon the drones can be launched from a central location rather than by hand from a nearby squad car. No local human assistance required.

    That means they can be controlled by outsourced labor in another country. Heck, people sitting in California have been tele-killing people via drones in Afghanistan and Yemen for years!

    Outsourced drone pilots will be far cheaper than police officers, there'll be no police union, and they're easy to replace with another anonymous hire if they screw up. It makes deflecting the blame in a wrongful death a lot easier too.

    They might even locate the drone "call centers" in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen to provide jobs as part of the rebuilding process. Abundant cheap labor; folks who have already been taught the concepts and potential of drone operations.

    The outsourced drone cops won't be normal citizens or government employees. Equality problem solved.

    Hope This Helps!

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