Internet Zen Master (profile), 17 Jul 2013 @ 9:20am
Wow
And here I thought the claims being made in the outrage over the verdict in the Zimmerman trial were bad (he was acquitted by a jury of his peers folks, get the fuck over it and move on already!).
In short, in both section 215 and section 702, the government has found a reasonable way to square intelligence-gathering necessities with changing technology. Now that they've been exposed to the light of day, these programs are not at all hard to justify. But we cannot go on exposing every collection technique to the light of day just to satisfy everyone that the programs are appropriate. The exposure itself will diminish their effectiveness.
Hold up.
If the programs aren't all that hard to justify, then: a)why were the programs kept secret in the first place [oh yeah, they're unconstitutional], b)why has the NSA been stonewalling any attempt to discuss their methodology [probably because it SUCKS ASS. See "51% foreignness"], and c) why do you keep acting like nothing has happened when everybody and their dog is now aware of at least part of your surveillance program (except the guys who work for the NSA because they can't access the websites to read the articles on the documents)? [because you might have people who actually work in the NSA start to realize that "oh shit, this stuff really goes against American principles", and start speaking out]
Internet Zen Master (profile), 15 Jul 2013 @ 1:00pm
Re:
Unless the tech world tears the current Internet asunder and rebuilds it the exact way that the MPAA/RIAA/the rest of their cronies envisions for their perfect, gatekeeper-controlled universe, I'm pretty sure the MPAA hates anything the Tech community does by default.
Internet Zen Master (profile), 15 Jul 2013 @ 12:43pm
In the long term, this is probably good
Having the major tech giants come up with collaborative "best practices" agreement on their own (okay, the White House was pressuring them, but that's not the point here!) is great in the long run because it was formed by people who actually understand what they're regulating/doing. Compare that to Congress/politicians, who (aside from Ron Wyden and a few others) can't tell their head from their ass when it comes to things related to the Internet (see: SOPA, PIPA, CISPA, etc, etc.).
I'd take a bunch of tech guys over a bunch of bumbling politicians when it comes to designing with a mutual agreement on how to deal with ad networks and copyright infringement any day of the week (and twice on Sundays).
Will this please the MPAA/RIAA? It did for about 0.00000001 seconds, and then Chris Dodd started whining about the tech giants are still refusing to be Hollywood's personal copyright police force.
Internet Zen Master (profile), 15 Jul 2013 @ 8:52am
Re: Re:
"were the dominate power in the world?"
Last I checked America can still nuke the whole goddamn planet three times over and still have a few warheads left to play with. That sounds like the dominate power in the world to me (at least in the military sense).
And sadly, I have to agree with you on the second part. They wouldn't be surprised to learn that Europe nearly destroyed itself in what was pretty much a pair of back-to-back wars. The Founding Fathers did have to deal with Napoleon after all...
Internet Zen Master (profile), 15 Jul 2013 @ 8:27am
So does the disappointment come before
or after they get over the shocking fact that a) Slavery is now illegal, and b) there is a black man (Obama) in the White House and running the country?
Aside from that, yeah, I figure that the founding fathers would be rather displeased with how our government's currently acting.
That said, do we really need to keep going back to the "Founding Fathers" all the time and treat them like some sort of modern demi-gods every time we've got some major government scandal that should be (but currently is not) rocking this nation to its very core?
Internet Zen Master (profile), 12 Jul 2013 @ 4:48pm
Hmmm...
"That's simply not true. The DOJ's guidelines are just that: guidelines. They can set pretty clear guidelines for themselves that make it clear that the DOJ will not spy on reporters' communications with sources."
"They're more like guidelines anyway."
- Mr. Gibbs, Pirates of the Caribbean
That line immediately popped into my head while reading this.
Internet Zen Master (profile), 12 Jul 2013 @ 4:00pm
I miss Jack Thompson
His bizzaro complaints about video games causing real-world violence are [i]disturbingly reasonable[/i] in compared to what Chris Sevier is whining about.
You didn't know that there is such a think as porn on the internet? That's like saying you didn't know that water is wet until somebody shoved you into a pool.
Internet Zen Master (profile), 12 Jul 2013 @ 11:50am
Re: Re: In Microsoft's defense
And why wouldn't Microsoft buy Skype? It's one of the most (if not most) recognized brands in the VoIP market. I mean, why bother creating your own product when you can just BUY the best product in the market and add it to your collection of products? Business-wise it made perfect sense, participation in a privacy-violating program like PRISM be damned.
Internet Zen Master (profile), 12 Jul 2013 @ 9:54am
In Microsoft's defense
This is the kind of thing that happens when companies aren't allowed to disclose their dealings with the federal government. They're forced to lie to their customers about things like consumer privacy as a result or face the government's wrath.
And sadly, even if Skype had never been bought by Microsoft in the first place, it was already participating in the PRISM program (having joined the program 8 months prior to its acquisition by Microsoft).
Internet Zen Master (profile), 12 Jul 2013 @ 9:25am
Re: Re:
Exhibit A: The kid down in Texas who got thrown in jail and held on $500k bond for several months because he made some snarky comments on League of Legends about "yeah, I'm crazy, I'm gonna shoot up a kindergarten" (or something to that effect) after someone in the chat called him crazy.
Internet Zen Master (profile), 10 Jul 2013 @ 11:07am
About the Amazon complaint
As I recall, didn't this whole thing start when Apple asked the DOJ to look into Amazon for supposedly anticompetitive practices. The DOJ found nothing wrong with Amazon, but when they looked back at Apple and the publishers, they saw that something wasn't adding up.
In the end, Apple got exposed for being greedy scumbags trying to drive out competition by price fixing and then having the gall to turn around and accuse their main competitor of anti-competitive practices.
Looks like the DOJ actually did its job right this time. Well, you know what they say about broken clocks...
Internet Zen Master (profile), 8 Jul 2013 @ 11:48am
Now the big question is
Will the big US news organizations cover stuff like this (along with the latest NSA leak about deals with foreign telecoms)?
*checks CNN*
Nope. They're too busy covering the airplane crash down in San Francisco to bother with such a good story. Unconstitutional secret courts which are effectively eviscerating one of the most important amendments in the US Constitution are apparently a non-story for such a world-class "news organization".
Internet Zen Master (profile), 2 Jul 2013 @ 1:17pm
Re: How we have fallen
Name one politician currently in office that even comes close to the Henry Stimson definition of a "gentleman". I can't really think of any ('course, I'm multi-tasking so that's part of the problem).
Internet Zen Master (profile), 2 Jul 2013 @ 1:13pm
Message to France: Pot, meet Kettle.
And no, I'm not translating into French for you.
Kinda surprised the French are even considering giving Snowden asylum, considering that it will probably remind the US that France is the world leader in industrial espionage (they've probably been spying on US negotiators in preparation for TAFTA/TTIP in order to have an edge at the bargaining table).
But if it kills TAFTA/TTIP then by all means, go right ahead.
Internet Zen Master (profile), 2 Jul 2013 @ 12:34pm
France Doesn't Get to Complain
The NSA's spying apparatus is focused on national security, the French have been actively engaged in state-sponsored industrial espionage since the 1980s, if not before.
In other words, the rest of the EU can feel free to tear Obama a new one over the spying scandal, but the French aren't invited to the "shock and outrage" party.
Internet Zen Master (profile), 28 Jun 2013 @ 3:52pm
Not even "kinda-old"
Judiasm is old.
It's younger brother, Christianity (as in the Catholic Church and everyone who broke off from them) is old. Their half-brother Islam is also old.
Their redheaded stepbrother Mormonism/LDS is what qualifies as "kinda-old".
Scientology is the bratty toddler who comes from Mister Fraud's house down the street. It does not qualify as "kinda-old".
Sigh. I still think the only reason they ever got tax exemption was because their was a scientologist plant at the IRS who granted it to them.
Kind of surprised that it took scientology so long to get into the EFF's Hall of Shame (part of me sort of expected them to be in there already. Learn something new every day I guess.)
Internet Zen Master (profile), 27 Jun 2013 @ 1:54pm
Re: Another way of looking at this
Depending on how many drives are in the laptops he took, you may be right on the quantity of hard drives he has with him. The quality of the data inside of those drives, on the other hand, is something different altogether when you look at how freaked out the NSA has been.
On the post: Former Top NSA Lawyer Blames Civil Libertarians For 9/11, Says Hype About NSA May Lead To A Repeat
Wow
Hold up.
If the programs aren't all that hard to justify, then: a)why were the programs kept secret in the first place [oh yeah, they're unconstitutional], b)why has the NSA been stonewalling any attempt to discuss their methodology [probably because it SUCKS ASS. See "51% foreignness"], and c) why do you keep acting like nothing has happened when everybody and their dog is now aware of at least part of your surveillance program (except the guys who work for the NSA because they can't access the websites to read the articles on the documents)? [because you might have people who actually work in the NSA start to realize that "oh shit, this stuff really goes against American principles", and start speaking out]
On the post: 'Anti-Propaganda' Ban Repealed, Freeing State Dept. To Direct Its Broadcasting Arm At American Citizens
Oh great.
Now will have FOUR news organizations to classify:
MSNBC: Left-Leaning (or as they like to call it, "Forward").
FOX: Right-Leaning (Or "Fair and Balanced")
CNN: Incompetent
BBG: Bullshit
On the post: Google, Microsoft And Other Ad Networks Agree To 'Best Practices' To Stop Ads From Appearing On 'Pirate' Sites
Re:
On the post: Google, Microsoft And Other Ad Networks Agree To 'Best Practices' To Stop Ads From Appearing On 'Pirate' Sites
In the long term, this is probably good
I'd take a bunch of tech guys over a bunch of bumbling politicians when it comes to designing with a mutual agreement on how to deal with ad networks and copyright infringement any day of the week (and twice on Sundays).
Will this please the MPAA/RIAA? It did for about 0.00000001 seconds, and then Chris Dodd started whining about the tech giants are still refusing to be Hollywood's personal copyright police force.
Will it be effective?
As the Zen Master says, "We'll see."
On the post: 71% Of Americans Believe The Founding Fathers Would Be Disappointed At The Way The Nation Has Turned Out
Re: Re:
Last I checked America can still nuke the whole goddamn planet three times over and still have a few warheads left to play with. That sounds like the dominate power in the world to me (at least in the military sense).
And sadly, I have to agree with you on the second part. They wouldn't be surprised to learn that Europe nearly destroyed itself in what was pretty much a pair of back-to-back wars. The Founding Fathers did have to deal with Napoleon after all...
On the post: 71% Of Americans Believe The Founding Fathers Would Be Disappointed At The Way The Nation Has Turned Out
So does the disappointment come before
Aside from that, yeah, I figure that the founding fathers would be rather displeased with how our government's currently acting.
That said, do we really need to keep going back to the "Founding Fathers" all the time and treat them like some sort of modern demi-gods every time we've got some major government scandal that should be (but currently is not) rocking this nation to its very core?
On the post: John Steele Shows Up In Judge Wright's Court; Bet He Wishes He Hadn't
Professionalism
On the post: DOJ: Now That We've Been Embarrassed For Spying On Journalists, We'll Be A Little More Careful
Hmmm...
That line immediately popped into my head while reading this.
On the post: Lawyer: Apple Should Protect Me From My Porn Addiction
I miss Jack Thompson
You didn't know that there is such a think as porn on the internet? That's like saying you didn't know that water is wet until somebody shoved you into a pool.
On the post: The Latest Leaks Contradict Claims Made In Microsoft's Own 'Law Enforcement Requests Report'
Re: Re: In Microsoft's defense
On the post: The Latest Leaks Contradict Claims Made In Microsoft's Own 'Law Enforcement Requests Report'
In Microsoft's defense
And sadly, even if Skype had never been bought by Microsoft in the first place, it was already participating in the PRISM program (having joined the program 8 months prior to its acquisition by Microsoft).
On the post: NSA Talking Points On Utah Data Center: We're Teaming Up With Tech Companies To 'Protect' The Internet
Re: Re:
On the post: DRM-Plus, Or How Eidos Is Treating Anyone With A Jail-Broken iPad Like A Criminal
Re:
On the post: Court Finds Apple Guilty Of Conspiring To Raise Ebook Prices
About the Amazon complaint
In the end, Apple got exposed for being greedy scumbags trying to drive out competition by price fixing and then having the gall to turn around and accuse their main competitor of anti-competitive practices.
Looks like the DOJ actually did its job right this time. Well, you know what they say about broken clocks...
On the post: A Secret Court Making Secret Laws? That's No Democracy
Now the big question is
*checks CNN*
Nope. They're too busy covering the airplane crash down in San Francisco to bother with such a good story. Unconstitutional secret courts which are effectively eviscerating one of the most important amendments in the US Constitution are apparently a non-story for such a world-class "news organization".
On the post: Obama To Angry Europeans: Hey, Come On, You Guys Spy On Us Too, Right? Right?
Re: How we have fallen
On the post: Germans Want To Give Snowden A Medal, French Want To Give Him Asylum -- And To Call Off TAFTA/TTIP
Message to France: Pot, meet Kettle.
Kinda surprised the French are even considering giving Snowden asylum, considering that it will probably remind the US that France is the world leader in industrial espionage (they've probably been spying on US negotiators in preparation for TAFTA/TTIP in order to have an edge at the bargaining table).
But if it kills TAFTA/TTIP then by all means, go right ahead.
On the post: Obama To Angry Europeans: Hey, Come On, You Guys Spy On Us Too, Right? Right?
France Doesn't Get to Complain
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19930418&slug=1696416
Not only have they spied on the US, they've done it to the UK as well.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Industrial+espionage+incident+revealed+involving+BAe+and+Airb us...-a062833503
And according to cables released by Wikileaks back in 2011, they're the #1 country when it comes to industrial espionage.
http://www.france24.com/en/20110104-france-industrial-espionage-economy-germany-russia-china-bus iness
In other words, the rest of the EU can feel free to tear Obama a new one over the spying scandal, but the French aren't invited to the "shock and outrage" party.
On the post: Church Of Scientology Uses Copyright, Trademark, And Cyberbullying Laws To Silence Critical Parody
Not even "kinda-old"
It's younger brother, Christianity (as in the Catholic Church and everyone who broke off from them) is old. Their half-brother Islam is also old.
Their redheaded stepbrother Mormonism/LDS is what qualifies as "kinda-old".
Scientology is the bratty toddler who comes from Mister Fraud's house down the street. It does not qualify as "kinda-old".
Sigh. I still think the only reason they ever got tax exemption was because their was a scientologist plant at the IRS who granted it to them.
Kind of surprised that it took scientology so long to get into the EFF's Hall of Shame (part of me sort of expected them to be in there already. Learn something new every day I guess.)
On the post: President Obama Calls Ed Snowden A 'Hacker' When He Didn't Hack Anything
Re: Another way of looking at this
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