Trails 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (1055)

• On the post: DOJ To Researchers: First Amendment Does Not Protect Violating Websites' Terms Of Services

  

  Trails ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2016 @ 11:13am

  Re: Does that suggest.....?

  While I'd love it if this happens, it's a tough sell.
  
  The whole "they broke into my house" real world pseudo-analogy muddies the waters for jurors, and most people prosecuted under this CFAA bullshit are unsympathetic to a public primed on irrational (and in some cases overtly anti-rational) fear.
  
  You and I might support Aaron Swartz (RIP) and Edward Snowden (at least I do), but I doubt we're in the majority.

• On the post: Bogus Defamation Lawsuit Using Fake Plaintiff And Defendant Challenged By Public Citizen

  

  Trails ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2016 @ 02:15pm

  Interesting

  If you look at the end of the complaint, the signature is just "BS".

• On the post: DOJ To Researchers: First Amendment Does Not Protect Violating Websites' Terms Of Services

  

  Trails ( profile ), 12 Sep, 2016 @ 11:10am

  Pedant (me) is pedantic

  the product of panicked early-80s legislating in response to underdeveloped hacker fears

  
  Perhaps you mean overdeveloped?

• On the post: Trump's 'Cyber' Policy Against ISIS Is… 'Hey Look At This New Poll!'

  

  Trails ( profile ), 07 Sep, 2016 @ 12:47pm

  Ha!

  He just compared himself to ISIS:
  

  it is the psychology because so many people think [ISIS are] winning. [...] Trump is winning. It's good psychology, you know. It's good psychology.

  Good lord.

• On the post: Court To Prenda's John Steele: Okay, Now We'll Sum Up How Much You Cost Taxpayers And Need To Pay

  

  Trails ( profile ), 19 Aug, 2016 @ 10:58am

  Re: Speculation about the costs...

  Imagine if it comes back as more. That would be glorious.

• On the post: Donald Trump On Intellectual Property: China Is Bad

  

  Trails ( profile ), 09 Aug, 2016 @ 11:48am

  Re: Re: Dear Mr. Trump: Just build a wall around China

  The Chinese Wall is already the only(?) human-built structure discernible with the naked eye from orbit.
  
  Die, evil trope! Die! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China#Visibility_from_space

• On the post: Sheriff Uses Unconstitutional Law To Raid Home And Seize Electronics Belonging To Watchdog Blogger

  

  Trails ( profile ), 05 Aug, 2016 @ 01:41pm

  Conflict of whatnow?

  When Larpenter was asked whether there is a conflict in him investigating an alleged crime involving himself, he replied, "If you're gonna lie about me and make it under a fictitious name, I'm gonna come after you."

  
  
  So, yes?

• On the post: Houston Law Firm Sues Student With Severe Back Injuries For $200k After She Posts Negative Reviews To Yelp, Facebook

  

  Trails ( profile ), 02 Aug, 2016 @ 01:52pm

  Re: The Call of Kthulhu?

  Dubious? More like squamous and rugose...

• On the post: TSA Scores Another PR Win With Assault Of Nineteen Year Old Brain Tumor Patient On Her Way To Treatment

  

  Trails ( profile ), 06 Jul, 2016 @ 10:44am

  Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Government beyond crooked.

  If you have a beef with the Militia or Government then you have a beef with America itself for both are part of America's heritage!

  
  
  So is slavery. Te strength of America comes from questioning itself and improving its position.
  
  Your appeal from authority "respect our heritage" bullshit is much more anti-American than someone slagging militias.

• On the post: Israeli Company Claims Its Software Can Look At Your Face And Determine If You're A Terrorist Or Murderer

  

  Trails ( profile ), 31 May, 2016 @ 01:26pm

  Re: Expeditious to say the least

  This isn't even science. Software automates application of theories.
  
  For example, ballistics software takes theories of ballistic trajectories and wind resistance, factors in information like projectile details and wind velocity, and predicts a landing spot.
  
  You could achieve the same thing on paper, but it's less reliable over time and much slower. That being said, it's reproducible.
  
  This software automates what science, exactly? Computers can only do what we can tell them to do (Skynet notwithstanding) so what amazing algorithmics did some podunk company from nowhere come up with to solve problems that have stymied some of the best funded organizations on the planet? (e.g US defense dept)

• On the post: Ignorant Anti-Encryption Law Enforcement Groups Made A Logo And A Hashtag… And It All Backfired

  

  Trails ( profile ), 19 Apr, 2016 @ 10:43am

  Re: Crowdsourced!

  How about:
  
  #ClapYourHandsToSaveTinkerbell
  #WeAssumeYouAreAPedo
  #IdentityTheftOnlyHappensToBadPeople
  #LetMeInYourBackdoor

• On the post: You Don't Actually Own What You Buy Volume 2,203: Google Bricking Revolv Smart Home Hardware

  

  Trails ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2016 @ 11:07am

  Here's an idea

  Open source the software.
  
  Some nerd can update the app to let people choose a central node address, and allow people to run their own servers.
  
  Doing that would qualify as not being evil.

• On the post: Full Brief From San Bernardino District Attorney Even More Insane Than Application About 'Dormant Cyber Pathogen'

  

  Trails ( profile ), 05 Mar, 2016 @ 01:20am

  Re: Proving A Negative

  Someone proved you couldn't do it.

• On the post: Penis Pump Company Threatens To Report Techdirt To Interpol Because We Wrote About Its Bogus DMCA Demands

  

  Trails ( profile ), 24 Feb, 2016 @ 10:25am

  Re:

  They start out big and blustering but quickly become limp and fail to perform.

• On the post: FBI's Scorched Earth Approach To Apple Means That Tech Companies Now Have Even Less Incentive To Help Feds

  

  Trails ( profile ), 23 Feb, 2016 @ 12:22pm

  Re: Re: Re: Re:

  Indeed. One would even say that taking the comment to mean they would actually use random numbers is skirting the actual issues the comment discusses, almost as if "Whatever" were being a dickhead to obscure the weakness of his point... hmmm.....

• On the post: FBI's Scorched Earth Approach To Apple Means That Tech Companies Now Have Even Less Incentive To Help Feds

  

  Trails ( profile ), 23 Feb, 2016 @ 10:55am

  Re:

  The phone will still be secure with those patches applied

  
  
  Bullshit. Password attempt limits and delays are security measures meant to counter brute-force attacks. Removing them makes the phone less secure.
  
  To demonstrate your belief in your own nonsense, I'm sure you'd apply this patch to your phone should it ever become available, yes?

• On the post: FBI Director: We're Only Forcing Apple To Undermine Security Because We Chase Down Every Lead

  

  Trails ( profile ), 22 Feb, 2016 @ 07:32am

  If hopes and feels were fish and eels, the ocean would have no room for water

  We don't want to break anyone's encryption or set a master key loose on the land. I hope thoughtful people will take the time to understand that, despite the fact that what we are asking for will set loose a master key upon the land. It's like they say, it's the thought that counts.

  
  
  Fixed that for Comey.

• On the post: Remember How US Marshals Seized All Those 'Hoverboards' At CES In A Patent Dispute? The Company Has Now Dropped The Case

  

  Trails ( profile ), 17 Feb, 2016 @ 02:54pm

  Re: Corruption

  Unlikely. FM probably realised they had a slam dunk as it plays on the prejudice of "sneaky chinese bastards who don't respect IP."
  
  "Chinese knock offs" are a common theme in a lot of media. I'd speculate they just banked on the judge having typical western bias to Chinese products.

• On the post: Apple Responds To Order To Help Decrypt Phone, As More Details Come To Light

  

  Trails ( profile ), 17 Feb, 2016 @ 12:08pm

  Re:

  More like "Boeing manufactures planes so it shouldn't be hard for them to retrofit a jet to propellers mid-flight."

• On the post: Sony Music Issues Takedown On Copyright Lecture About Music Copyrights By Harvard Law Professor

  

  Trails ( profile ), 16 Feb, 2016 @ 10:29am

  Re: 99.9% accuracy... .01% of the time

  This is absolutely why many copyright stumpers try to frame fair use as an affirmative defence. It complicates schemes like this, where automated tools/manual takedown companies (aka tools) are very very bad at discerning fair use, hence they (severe copyright enforcement types) want to make it not their problem.
  
  The problem with it as an affirmative defence is that engage to protect this involves lawyers and lawsuits to get content unblocked and that, to date, this has not resulted in fees.

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