Tanner Andrews 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Author Of Texas’ Social Media Law Admits That He Meant The Law To Exempt Any Moderation Decisions Protected By Section 230 (That’s Everything)

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 21 May, 2022 @ 11:08pm

    Texas Social Media Law Blocked by US 1st Amendment

    currently does nothing because there’s a statute which supersedes it. But if circumstances change somehow HB20 would be “triggered” and actually be enforceable

  • On the post: Author Of Texas’ Social Media Law Admits That He Meant The Law To Exempt Any Moderation Decisions Protected By Section 230 (That’s Everything)

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 20 May, 2022 @ 11:02pm

    poor choice of words

    ssumes that there are actually better alternatives in the running
    I hate to term the term ``better choice'' in such a situation. In a lot of counties and even many states, states, a better term would be ``less bad''. Even Newspeak offered us that range: doubleplusgood, plusgood, good, ungood, plusungood, doubleplusungood. Let us not abandon even so little as is left unto us today.

  • On the post: And Now The Copia Institute Tells The US Supreme Court There’s A Big Problem With Texas’s Social Media Law

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 20 May, 2022 @ 04:59am

    not addressing the problem of poop from flying pigs

    brief doesn’t address the common carrier claim
    I have not seen a non-frivolous argument that twitter, facebook, &c., are any sorts of common carriers. It may be that the common carrier issue is omitted because of page limits. These limits also lead to omission of discussion as to need for stronger umbrellas to avoid faeces from flying swine.

  • On the post: And Now The Copia Institute Tells The US Supreme Court There’s A Big Problem With Texas’s Social Media Law

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 20 May, 2022 @ 04:53am

    sophistication

    Okay, I challenge you to explain exactly how China is ‘more sophisticated’ than the US in terms of censorship
    Obviously the Great Firewall is the most notable example of censorship in Red China. However, they have a lot of effective censorship. Most criticism of the government on their social media seems to disappear promptly. The speed and thoroughness suggest that there is a large army of official monitors keeping eyes on social media. They seem to prevent mentions of various things like * tien an men square * covid-19 origins * sex harassment by party bosses * treatment of uighurs, along with spelling of same * free tibet * dalai llama * blind scientists * re-education camps They also block many web sites, and slow others to inutility. It is a lot of work to put up an illusion of a useful and informative array of accessible web services, while tamping down those which might lead to criticism of the officials in charge. Red China is clearly willing to do that work.

  • On the post: PlayStation Boss Addresses Abortion Concerns From Staff With Jaunty Email About His Cats

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 19 May, 2022 @ 01:15am

    sailing the unsalted waters

    took a different tact
    Should be ``took a different tack''. Term refers to an adjustment in direction, particularly when trying to sail in a direction largely opposed to that toward which the wind is blowing.

  • On the post: Judge Is Not At All Impressed By Trump’s Lawsuit Against Twitter; Dismisses It Easily

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 17 May, 2022 @ 11:24pm

    what is broken with preview

    Preview is still broken, in that it does nothing, on linux using firefox 78.4.0 esr (64-bit), no javascript. It used to work on old site with same web browser, and stopped working with the move to the new site. We can probably disregard javascript because requiring javascript would be a sign of moral or technical failure not expected here except for a few trolls of whom we all think little. It may be that new site has only been tested on windows or BSD and so no one else has noticed that preview was broken.

  • On the post: Did Twitch Violate Texas’ Social Media Law By Removing Mass Murderer’s Live Stream Of His Killing Spree?

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 17 May, 2022 @ 12:59am

    you can beat the rap but not the ride

    I realize that potentially 1000’s of dumb HB20 suits over moderation would be painful but shouldn’t they all be thrown out?
    They ought to be thrown out because * they are claims founded on the decision to remove, or not remove, third party content, S:230 * the decision is protected speech, US 1st Am However, getting there means that the defendant has to take the papers to and hire a lawyer. For some people, the stress of litigation is itself punishment. For others, paying the lawyer is punishment. In any event, being sued is rarely ``free'' as in beer. Think of it as a broken preview: you ought to be able to get to the right place, but with javascript disabled you may need to get lucky because the preview button is purely decorative. And maybe if you get sued you get a lawyer who is relatively inexpensive, reassuring, and familiar with S:230 and 1st Am law, along with a sensible judge. These things are about as certain as your chances of using Firefox 78.4.0 ESR / 64 on Linux and having everything that worked on the old site still work on the new site.

  • On the post: Conde Nast Threatens Pub In The UK For Existing In Town Called Vogue

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 17 May, 2022 @ 12:38am

    Where the Term Comes From

    Nasty, adj,also Nastier, Nastiest 1. in the manner of Nast 2. of or similar to Nast. 3. having the Nast quality or property

  • On the post: The 5th Circuit Reinstates Texas’ Obviously Unconstitutional Social Media Law Effective Immediately

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 16 May, 2022 @ 01:16am

    Truth Social, [ ... ] only protected from it to the extent that it still has [fewer] than 50 million monthly users.
    From appearances, this protection is likely to be long-lasting.

  • On the post: NYPD Lawyer Forged Emails, Lied To Courts, Withheld Information From Lawsuit Plaintiffs

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 16 May, 2022 @ 12:41am

    (optimist)

    At the very least I would hope this person would be permanently disbarred
    If not disbarred, at least required to work at a different agency.

  • On the post: The 5th Circuit Reinstates Texas’ Obviously Unconstitutional Social Media Law Effective Immediately

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 15 May, 2022 @ 05:37pm

    What Happens in Texas

    What happens in Texas may not stay there. The US 5th Circuit seems to follow the rule of Zippo [Mfg Co v. Zippo Dot Com], 952 F.Supp. 1119 (W.D. Pa. 1997). See Mink v. AAAA Dev, 190 F.3d 333. Actually, I think most everyone follows that now. The Zippo sliding scale generally means that if a site is interactive and has subscribers in a particular state, that is enough to meet the minimum contacts of International Shoe. Twitter and other web sites most likely should use some sort of IP-based blocking and perhaps also amend their terms of service to expressly bar use from Texas. (preview still broken, in that it does nothing, on linux using firefox 78.4.0 esr, 64-bit, no javascript. used to work on old site with same web browser.)

  • On the post: Disney Gets Fans Who Made Their Own ‘Club Penguin’ Online Game Arrested Over Copyright

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 13 May, 2022 @ 01:46am

    what is broken with preview

    Flag and preview both have been working.
    Not here (firefox 78.4.0esr/linux). Click either one, nothing happens. Suspect that there is some sort of javascript dependency, though requiring javascript would normally be classed as either a moral or technical failure.

  • On the post: Court Dismisses Case After Prosecutors Make It Impossible For Defendants To Access Evidence

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 13 May, 2022 @ 01:39am

    what is broken with preview

    There is a button the screen that says ``preview''. Press it, nothing happens. I suspect that it is some sort of javascript-requiring thing, though requiring javascript for basic functionality would generally be seen as either a moral failing or an intellectual shortcoming. I remember that preview worked on the old site. So did the flag function, and the mark-as-funny function. All these things no longer work, despite the fact that I am using the same browser (firefox) on the same computer (amd64/linux). (sending e-mail would work if only I had your e-mail address)

  • On the post: Judge Is Not At All Impressed By Trump’s Lawsuit Against Twitter; Dismisses It Easily

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 13 May, 2022 @ 01:30am

    What makes California more proper
    The terms of service on Twitter include a forum selection clause. Try to act surprised.

  • On the post: Judge Is Not At All Impressed By Trump’s Lawsuit Against Twitter; Dismisses It Easily

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 12 May, 2022 @ 04:37am

    Is being a Frump lawyer something to brag about or something to be embarrassed about?
    Ask Rudy Giuliani. Alternative form: is being a Giuliani client something to brag about or something to be embarrassed about? And, for inquiring minds, s/Giuliani/Sidney Powell/ Finally, yes, preview is still broken.

  • On the post: Florida Republican Gov’t Officials Bend Over Backwards To Tell Everyone That, Yes, Absolutely, They Are Punishing Disney For Its Speech

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 10 May, 2022 @ 02:24am

    what happens to responsibility for that bond debt if the counties declare bankruptcy
    Should not be an issue. The bonds are not backed by the full faith and credit because Orange and Osceola voters never approved them. Expect the bondholders to look to the state, which pledged that the RCID would continue to exist so long as its bonds were outstanding.

  • On the post: Florida Republican Gov’t Officials Bend Over Backwards To Tell Everyone That, Yes, Absolutely, They Are Punishing Disney For Its Speech

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 10 May, 2022 @ 02:21am

    There is a problem with the theory that Greedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) debt will transfer to local general purpose govt. RCID is present in two counties. Do you have a plan to apportion the debt? Also, the bonds are generally backed by a state promise not to dissolve the district. It is possible that the state will get to pay, rather than leaving Orange and Osceola to divide. And, indeed, Orange and Osceola may have a right to not pay anyway, since their voters did not approve the bonds. There is certainly no ``full faith and credit'' of either county implicated in the RCID bonds.

  • On the post: Florida Republican Gov’t Officials Bend Over Backwards To Tell Everyone That, Yes, Absolutely, They Are Punishing Disney For Its Speech

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 10 May, 2022 @ 02:14am

    Disney itself may simply be forced to leave simply because this transfer of infrastructure/operational responsibilities will effectively make it impossible for Disney to maintain its trademark, perfect fantasy, “Disney experience”
    More likely, Disney will simply have to accept that Orange and Osceola taxpayers will have to heavily subsidize their operations. As a Disney stock holder, I cannot be too upset about these things. My views might differ if I owned property in Orange or Osceola.

  • On the post: Florida Republican Gov’t Officials Bend Over Backwards To Tell Everyone That, Yes, Absolutely, They Are Punishing Disney For Its Speech

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 10 May, 2022 @ 02:10am

    Florida citizens are going to get fucked
    Maybe on the bonds, but that is probably only about $100 per resident. Maybe a bit less if some of the bonds can be paid from utility revenues rather than taxes. The ones who should really expect to get it, long term, are Orange and Osceola residents who suddenly get to pick up the services for which Disney (Greedy Creek Improvement District, or RCID) taxed itself. That will continue more or less forever. It should be interesting to watch. Interesting, as in ``may you live in interesting times''.

  • On the post: Florida Republican Gov’t Officials Bend Over Backwards To Tell Everyone That, Yes, Absolutely, They Are Punishing Disney For Its Speech

    Tanner Andrews ( profile ), 10 May, 2022 @ 01:40am

    Disney might not be as angry due to not having to pay for road maintenance and other expenses
    It may be that Disney makes out on the deal. The original problem, back in 1967, was that neither Orange nor Osceola were really able to provide infrastructure or services to something as big as Disney. At the same time, Disney were reluctant to pay full price. The Greedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) allowed them to turn these expenses into tax write-offs with sovereign immunity to reduce liability exposure. It also allowed them to be exempt from most regulation. Now, if the RCID goes away, the counties will have to pick up the tab for police and fire, and roads, and pretty much everything else. They could do it now, but it will not be cheap for the other property owners in Orange and Osceola. There remains the interesting question of whether the state or the counties will be on the hook for the outstanding bonds. At the time of issuance, the state promised that the RCID would remain in place until the bonds are repaid, as is standard for most bonds by government entities.

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