For a spammer, you have an incredibly bloated, over-inflated sense of self-importance.
You're like a dog that shits over everything, playing a funny little game by yourself. If people get annoyed and clean up your shit, you win. If people don't clean up after you, you win. That behavior doesn't get you taken seriously; it gets you filtered just like any decent human would do with something undesirable and anti-social. There's no dealing with you, because you don't want to be dealt with in anything other than what you consider to be a victory, tantamount to little more than a playground bully screaming "Neener neener neener."
That you think this is an achievement is just pathetic, and the fact that you keep coming back for more, spamming through multiple computers and IP addresses - like what your side claims only pirates would do - makes it worse.
How is it spamming? I think it's hypocritical of Mike to publish an article by Glyn about a new problem identified by Tor when Mike himself is part of that same problem. He wants to be seen as a friend to Tor, but his own actions show that he's part of a problem Tor is facing. He won't own up to it. That's not spam. That's criticism. I know criticism isn't welcome here, as you yourself are making clear. But there it is.
If the person wanted Anonymity they wouldn't be posting from an actual profile with a username but posting as Anonymous Coward without a profile. So Anonymity can't really be that important to them.
Answer me this: Do you think Mike demonstrates a respect for posters' anonymity when he comes into the comments and explicitly links my current username to my old username? I don't. It shows a complete lack of respect for my anonymity. And funny too how he only does this sort of thing with his critics. Mike's not hard to figure out. You just have to open your eyes.
You don't need your anonymity; you regularly shit on it by posting the same things over and over again.
How did I move the goalposts? Tor identified a problem where sites treat Tor users differently. Mike admits that he treats Tor users differently by using captcha and routing some posts through Tor to the spam filter. This makes it so that Tor users have trouble participating on Techdirt. I'm sure Mike has legitimate reasons for doing this, but it's also clear that he can't simply admit that he's part of the very same problem Tor has identified. As per usual, he takes no responsibility for his own actions. He's part of the problem.
And Mike has again proved here that he doesn't respect my anonymity. Rather than own up to being a part of the problem Tor identified, he made sure that everyone knew my old login so that he could attack me personally. If he truly respected anonymity, he wouldn't have done that. When it comes to his critics, he doesn't respect anonymity. He's only proved that again in the very comment where he denies it. I'm not hiding the fact that I changed usernames. But that doesn't mean it's right for Mike to say it explicitly. He just had to get those personal digs in, so my anonymity didn't matter any more. He had to post that link (the one he never wants to address directly) to discredit me because that's sadly all he can do.
He knows for a fact all of things that happened last summer. It was a ridiculous game where, for example, posts that contained certain words were routed to the spam filter because I would use those certain words. He was so desperate to keep me from criticizing him. It was hilarious. And of course he can't admit to any of it. I wouldn't want to admit to it either. The lengths he went to to silence my criticism of him were incredible, yet he pretends like he doesn't know what I'm talking about so he can save face with you guys. I love it. It makes me smile. But the one thing he can't do is ever just have an honest discussion on the merits where he doesn't dodge the tough questions. I suspect he never will. But I didn't intend for this thread to turn into that conversation. I just wanted Mike to admit that he's part of the problem that Tor identifies. Of course, Mike can't just admit that. He could unblock my home IP so my posts don't go to the spam filter today if he wanted to, but he doesn't want to. He likes that his critics have trouble criticizing him. If he could stop me from posting completely, I believe he would in a second. But he knows it's futile.
Simply untrue. But if you wish to post lies, go ahead. Most sites completely ban users. We have never done that
You do not create a hospitable environment for dissenting views. You run from debates. You won’t stand behind your posts, no matter how ridiculous your claims. You offer no leadership when your minions “report” any posts that disagree with you. If you want to prove that you don’t run from debates, then debate me. You pick the topic. You have all your minions jumping in and ganging up on me. I don’t care. I’m happy to do it.
We've answered you on this front many times. I'll post this again, even though I thought we were done with this. Did you go away for a while and then come back with a new account pretending people would forget this?
And that reminds me, that you usually go on these idiotic diatribes claiming I'm not responding during weekends when I'm away from my computer. Note to you: I tend not to be at my computer on weekends. I'm not avoiding you, I'm living my life.
I created a new account because I was unable to log into my old account. It told me there was no such account. I see that I can log in to that account now, so thank you for restoring it. I’d love to go through that post you always link to sentence by sentence. But something tells me you have no interest in that. Wouldn’t want the truth to come out, right?
Neither of these things are true. Can you tell me what account you think was deleted? And as far as I know we've never blocked an IP.
You know which account it is. Again, thanks for restoring it. And you know that my home IP is flagged so that my posts originating from it go to the spam filter. You could fix that if you wanted to, but you don’t want to. Not sure of my IP? I’ll gladly supply you with that info privately. Just tell me where to send it, and we could have this issue fixed today.
As I've explained to you and others in the past, we use a series of tools and filters to protect the site. We currently use a combination of a different anti-spam tools to protect the site from the well over 1000 spam comments that try to get through per day. If you're getting caught in the spam filter, perhaps it's because of your own actions. Either way, we do go through the spam comments multiple times per day and release any legit comments.
You know exactly what happened last summer. I was critical of your assessment of the charges against Kim Dotcom. I posted a lengthy explanation of why you were wrong. My home IP was routed to the spam filter. Less than 24 hours later, my phone’s IP was routed to the spam filter. I’d log in with a proxy and criticize you, and that IP would be routed to the spam filter. It was a game that went on for a couple of weeks where each new IP I used would be routed to the spam filter. Don’t play dumb. You know I’m your biggest critic, and you know exactly what you did to silence my criticism.
And we recently did start using Cloudflare after someone hit us with a DDoS and tried to extort us to stop. So we needed some increased DDoS protection, and Cloudflare appeared to offer the best solution. I'm looking into the issue of people getting CAPTCHAs to see if we can tweak it to make that happen less.
Thank you for the explanation. I don’t think the captcha thing is that bad, though it is inconvenient for users of Tor.
But, again, there has been no hypocrisy here. In both cases, we're relying on third party services Cloudflare and a few different anti-spam comment filters, and those often recognize that bad users come via tor. We recognize that's an issue, which is why we thought this was a good post -- and are happy that tor is looking for ways to deal with this issue. We wanted this posted because we're hopeful that there are better solutions as well that will help allow the good actors through while still stopping the bad actors.
The fact remains that many posts from Tor are being routed to the spam filter, and this makes it difficult if not impossible for users of Tor to participate on Techdirt. You are part of the very same problem Tor identifies since you treat Tor differently. Own up to it.
Either way, your claims that I am somehow hypocritical on anonymity are false. We have always allowed anonymous posting. We are looking for better ways to deal with good users of Tor, which is a big part of why we posted this story. But we need to do basic levels of protections against bad actors or there would be no site here at all.
You have referred to me in a personally identifiable way in the comments. You have revealed that certain posters are posting from Washington DC to discredit them. You have quoted my anonymous posts here elsewhere. When someone is critical of you, you don’t completely respect their anonymity. And you do in fact send posts from Tor and many other proxies to your spam filter. That’s hypocritical. Own up to it.
I do. And your misleading attacks, which we've debunked before, don't change any of that.
Again, you pick the topic and we’ll have a talk. Let’s see you actually give honest answers without weasel words. You won’t.
I know you think that link is your “get out of the debate” card, but all you’re doing is giving excuses for why you won’t have a debate. Stop stalling. Stop making excuses. Again, I’m happy to go through that post line by line to explain myself. But you don’t want that. I get it. You’re scared of me.
Simply not true. The fact that you are still posting (and, that you had to lie in claiming we shut down your account) kinda proves that you're full of it. You have not been shut down, and you have not been interested in legitimate debate. Every time I've tried to have a conversation with you, you bring out your lies and "strawman mike" in which anything I say that doesn't agree with the strawman mike you've built up in your head must be me being dishonest. Then you throw a tirade in the comments, often disrupting plenty of other interesting conversations.
No one’s throwing a tirade. Debate me right now and prove that you’re right. Of course, you’re just giving us excuses on why you won’t. Maybe one day you’ll be able to link to the post where you actually had a conversation where you supplied direct and honest answers to direct and honest questions. Wouldn’t that be better?
I told you years ago that if you stopped acting like a toddler then perhaps people would treat you with more respect. But don't turn around and pretend that people treating you like a toddler throwing a tantrum is due to anything other than your own behavior (which we've detailed many times before, but most completely here: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120818/01171420087/funniestmost-insightful-comments-week-techdir t.shtml#c1210 )
Excuses. Excuses. Excuses. I’m not acting like a toddler. I’m criticizing you. I know your only defense is to attack me personally, since you can’t actually discuss the merits of anything that actually matters.
As per in the past, this will be my last comment to you on this particular topic. And, no, it's not because I'm "running away" though I'm quite sure you will make that false claim. The reasons are detailed in that link. I have and will debate with lots of people who disagree with me. I have debated with you in the past. What I will not do is engage repeatedly with a toddler throwing a tantrum. I explain myself firmly and then go away, hoping that, maybe, one day, the toddler will grow up. Unfortunately, it appears that in the years since we wrote that comment you have chosen not to grow up, and have now added lies about us deleting accounts and blocking you from the site. Neither is true.
Oh look. More excuses. Just personal attacks. Why are you scared, Mike? I suspect it’s because you know you don’t have the goods. Prove me wrong? Not likely. Sadly, all you can do is attack me personally. Again, you pick the topic and I’ll be there. No childishness. No running away. No personal attacks. Let’s talk about the merits. This talking about talking about it but not actually talking about it is dumb. Is this the best you can do? I appreciate you taking the time to respond to me. I know it was the weekend, and I wasn't thinking your were running away. There's no need for all the personal attacks, and no need for the excuses. Unless, of course, excuses are all you really have.
As for the "usual crew" I don't know the exact number, but it only takes a very clicks on the report button to banish a post. It seems that the same sorts of posts generally get canned. While not proven, it's pretty reasonable to assume the same people are offended each time - or at least think they are doing the right thing by getting rid of the offending discussion.
Right. The "report" button says it's for comments that are "abusive, spam, trollish, or otherwise inappropriate." Yet his users treat it like a downvote on a post they don't agree with. And is there any leadership from Mike reminding his flock that dissenting views should be encouraged? Of course not. He's glad his critics get shut down. He can't stand the criticism.
Point taken. There's no perfect anonymity. But for a guy who pretends like Tor and anonymity are really important, Mike goes out of his way to make those things difficult on his own blog. And when challenged, he plays the "we're just reporting on it" card. That's bullshit. He wants to be seen as a big supporter of Tor and anonymity, but his actions speak louder than his words. In my experience, Mike can't take any responsibility for his own actions. Question a post? He says his errors are OK since the comments will sort them out. God forbid he actually do his homework before posting. Question him? You get your account deleted with no admission or explanation. I've never seen anyone like him. (Thank God.) There's no transparency. No responsibility.
Combine all that with the aforementioned use of the report button to block or shut off unpopular comments, and you have a situation where there are plenty of ways on Techdirt for "undesirable" comments to not make it onto the site.
Yeah, for all of Mike's talk about how important dissenting views are, he goes out of his way to shut down dissenting views on his own blog. He really can't take any criticism, and he runs from debate faster than anyone I've ever met. Heck, he blocks my IP and he even deleted my old user account, yet he won't even acknowledge that he's done this. Transparency? Nope. Leadership? Hell no. I love it when he posts about the importance of the search for truth with journalism like he did this week. I wonder if he actually believes that's what he does. You'd think someone searching for truth would at least stand behind his own words. You'd think he'd welcome debate on the issues. But say something "bad" about Mike or dare to challenge his views, and you're shut down. That's Techdirt for ya.
Yep, Mike "I love Tor and Anonymity" Masnick makes it hard for users of Tor to be a part of Techdirt. Just don't ask him about it. What hypocrisy? LOL! This guy's unreal.
You think spamming the same message on multiple topics, regardless of relevance or application, is funny and insightful?
Wow, and you wonder why no one takes you seriously.
By the way, according to your usual talking points (your in the plural sense of you dickheads with a hard-on for copyright), TOR users are filthy pirates. Hello, filthy pirate.
Yes, it's funny because it's true. Mike does hate it, and he hates anyone asking him why he hates it even more. In my experience, Mike can't stand criticism, and he doesn't really value anonymity nearly as much as he claims. Hence his desire to treat Tor differently, while his blog pretends to value Tor.
I'm actually a Tor supporter. I used to run an exit node. I got in trouble with my ISP, so I moved my node offshore. I haven't been into it in a long while though. I paid my Tor dues. That's why I think it sucks that Mike treat Tor users in this way. You'd think he'd be leading the way with Tor, but that's not how Mike rolls. And of course his fanboys can't even criticize him over it.
Since, apparently, you like copyright enforcement - what is you view on extortion attempts sent to individuals in the hope they pay rather than fight? You know, the ones where the recipient is obviously not involved in the infringement they are accused of. Do you love it when granny who does not own a computer is sent a threatening settlement letter?
I'm not a fan of the "trolls," but I do think they represent a problem. Rightholders are up against thousands if not millions of people violating their rights with no financially reasonable way to do anything about it. I think pointing out the occasional "granny" who gets a questionable notice is disingenuous. I know Techdirt loves to do that, but in my opinion it takes things out of perspective.
Since, apparently, you like copyright enforcement - what is you view on extortion attempts sent to individuals in the hope they pay rather than fight? You know, the ones where the recipient is obviously not involved in the infringement they are accused of. Do you love it when granny who does not own a computer is sent a threatening settlement letter?
I'm not a fan of the "trolls," but I do think they represent a problem. Rightholders are up against thousands if not millions of people violating their rights with no financially reasonable way to do anything about it. I think pointing out the occasional "granny" who gets a questionable notice is disingenuous. I know Techdirt loves to do that, but in my opinion it takes things out of perspective.
So far you have demonstrated that there were some problems, but not what the root cause is. A poor connection in a TOR route causing problems does not make it this sites fault that the page would not load properly. As to comments being trapped as possible You have listed problems, without any supporting evidence, spam, that could well be because of their content, such as being total gibberish, and that could be the problem, rather this sites handling of TOR. Yes you have had problems, but no you have not given enough evidence to demonstrate the root cause, but rather jumped to blaming the site.
Mike tacitly admitted that he uses captcha for Tor users, so I think that's settled. As far as posts through Tor being sent to the spam filter, I suggest you test this yourself. I notice that Mike isn't denying it, nor is he giving us any transparency about how he handles Tor. For a guy that claims to promote anonymity and transparency, you'd expect better than this. Where's the transparency? Why does he treat Tor users differently if he really believes that anonymity and Tor are important?
Thought I would post this, because some folks here seem to not know what the definition is.
hy·poc·ri·sy The behavior of people who do things that they tell other people not to do. Bhavior that does not agree with what someone claims to believe or feel
The image not displaying strongly suggests that you have either bandwidth problems to Techdirt, and/or problems with DNS resolution. Because of a marginal broadband connection I can suffer the same problems, which probably include IP address changes, and have noticed that this results in page elements going missing, and also tripping of the spam filter. Some of your problems could be due to a poor quality connection to Techdirt.
I hit refresh a few times, and the entire page would reload yet the captcha image was never displayed. For whatever reason, that particular Tor connection wouldn't display it. But this just demonstrates the problem Tor is identifying as a threat to Tor's success. If Mike wasn't treating Tor users differently, I wouldn't have had the problem posting on Techdirt.
The image not displaying strongly suggests that you have either bandwidth problems to Techdirt, and/or problems with DNS resolution. Because of a marginal broadband connection I can suffer the same problems, which probably include IP address changes, and have noticed that this results in page elements going missing, and also tripping of the spam filter. Some of your problems could be due to a poor quality connection to Techdirt.
I hit refresh a few times, and the entire page would reload yet the captcha image was never displayed. For whatever reason, that particular Tor connection wouldn't display it. But this just demonstrates the problem Tor is identifying as a threat to Tor's success. If Mike wasn't treating Tor users differently, I wouldn't have had the problem posting on Techdirt.
That's really not shocking. "Mike Masnick just hates it when copyright law is enforced" is the cleverest thing you copyright boys think you have to say, and you routinely post on articles even when copyright isn't involved.
By the way, I'm not the one posting that. Though, I do think it's funny and it makes a good point. Mike absolutely hates it when copyright law is enforced, yet nothing makes him more scared than having an honest discussion on the merits about his personal views of copyright. He wants so desperately for people to think he's not anti-copyright or pro-piracy, yet he runs from any conversation trying to establish exactly what his position is. Everyone knows what he really thinks. Why can't he just say it explicitly?
Here's the hypocrisy: Tor identifies a "third threat to Tor's success," namely, that "a growing number of websites treat users from anonymity services differently." Mike absolutely treats users from Tor differently.
I just ran a test. I did a clean install of Tor, and selected "New Identity" to get assigned a random IP. Here are the results:
So, 9/10 posts were caught by the captcha filter. 2/10 posts could not be posted at all because captcha wouldn't display the captcha image. 4/10 posts were routed to the spam filter. And only 4/10 posts were posted immediately.
Mike lambasts others who lack transparency, yet he won't give us an explanation of why he treats Tor differently. Mike claims to believe that anonymity is sacred, yet he punishes those who use Tor. When posts don't show up immediately, either because they're routed to the spam filter or trapped by the captcha image failing to appear, he makes it so that anonymous users using Tor can't take part in the conversation on Techdirt.
In typical Mike fashion, Mike tries to brush this off: "Where is the hypocrisy? We're pointing out that this is an issue, and highlighting that Tor is looking for ways to try to deal with it." The hypocrisy, Mike, is that Glyn's post makes it appear that Techdirt supports Tor's efforts to make Tor more attractive for users. But the fact that you yourself are part of the problem that Tor identifies means that you're not part of the solution.
Why not be a man and admit you're part of the very same problem this article is about, Mike? Take responsibility for your own actions. Give us some of that transparency you demand of others.
Of course, if it turns out that Disney does have a license, will you call him out for his false DMCA style claims?
He did send real takedown notices. I saw a copy of the video on YouTube that had the frowny-face-we're-sorry thing, citing Deadmau5 as the sender. And there's a few search results on Google that were also taken down.
Of course, if Disney does have a license, I expect a post from Mike blaming Deadmau5 for killing innovation and free speech. Oh wait, no I don't.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
You're like a dog that shits over everything, playing a funny little game by yourself. If people get annoyed and clean up your shit, you win. If people don't clean up after you, you win. That behavior doesn't get you taken seriously; it gets you filtered just like any decent human would do with something undesirable and anti-social. There's no dealing with you, because you don't want to be dealt with in anything other than what you consider to be a victory, tantamount to little more than a playground bully screaming "Neener neener neener."
That you think this is an achievement is just pathetic, and the fact that you keep coming back for more, spamming through multiple computers and IP addresses - like what your side claims only pirates would do - makes it worse.
How is it spamming? I think it's hypocritical of Mike to publish an article by Glyn about a new problem identified by Tor when Mike himself is part of that same problem. He wants to be seen as a friend to Tor, but his own actions show that he's part of a problem Tor is facing. He won't own up to it. That's not spam. That's criticism. I know criticism isn't welcome here, as you yourself are making clear. But there it is.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
Answer me this: Do you think Mike demonstrates a respect for posters' anonymity when he comes into the comments and explicitly links my current username to my old username? I don't. It shows a complete lack of respect for my anonymity. And funny too how he only does this sort of thing with his critics. Mike's not hard to figure out. You just have to open your eyes.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
You don't need your anonymity; you regularly shit on it by posting the same things over and over again.
How did I move the goalposts? Tor identified a problem where sites treat Tor users differently. Mike admits that he treats Tor users differently by using captcha and routing some posts through Tor to the spam filter. This makes it so that Tor users have trouble participating on Techdirt. I'm sure Mike has legitimate reasons for doing this, but it's also clear that he can't simply admit that he's part of the very same problem Tor has identified. As per usual, he takes no responsibility for his own actions. He's part of the problem.
And Mike has again proved here that he doesn't respect my anonymity. Rather than own up to being a part of the problem Tor identified, he made sure that everyone knew my old login so that he could attack me personally. If he truly respected anonymity, he wouldn't have done that. When it comes to his critics, he doesn't respect anonymity. He's only proved that again in the very comment where he denies it. I'm not hiding the fact that I changed usernames. But that doesn't mean it's right for Mike to say it explicitly. He just had to get those personal digs in, so my anonymity didn't matter any more. He had to post that link (the one he never wants to address directly) to discredit me because that's sadly all he can do.
He knows for a fact all of things that happened last summer. It was a ridiculous game where, for example, posts that contained certain words were routed to the spam filter because I would use those certain words. He was so desperate to keep me from criticizing him. It was hilarious. And of course he can't admit to any of it. I wouldn't want to admit to it either. The lengths he went to to silence my criticism of him were incredible, yet he pretends like he doesn't know what I'm talking about so he can save face with you guys. I love it. It makes me smile. But the one thing he can't do is ever just have an honest discussion on the merits where he doesn't dodge the tough questions. I suspect he never will. But I didn't intend for this thread to turn into that conversation. I just wanted Mike to admit that he's part of the problem that Tor identifies. Of course, Mike can't just admit that. He could unblock my home IP so my posts don't go to the spam filter today if he wanted to, but he doesn't want to. He likes that his critics have trouble criticizing him. If he could stop me from posting completely, I believe he would in a second. But he knows it's futile.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
You do not create a hospitable environment for dissenting views. You run from debates. You won’t stand behind your posts, no matter how ridiculous your claims. You offer no leadership when your minions “report” any posts that disagree with you. If you want to prove that you don’t run from debates, then debate me. You pick the topic. You have all your minions jumping in and ganging up on me. I don’t care. I’m happy to do it.
We've answered you on this front many times. I'll post this again, even though I thought we were done with this. Did you go away for a while and then come back with a new account pretending people would forget this?
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120818/01171420087/funniestmost-insightful-comments-week-te chdirt.shtml#c1210
And that reminds me, that you usually go on these idiotic diatribes claiming I'm not responding during weekends when I'm away from my computer. Note to you: I tend not to be at my computer on weekends. I'm not avoiding you, I'm living my life.
I created a new account because I was unable to log into my old account. It told me there was no such account. I see that I can log in to that account now, so thank you for restoring it. I’d love to go through that post you always link to sentence by sentence. But something tells me you have no interest in that. Wouldn’t want the truth to come out, right?
Neither of these things are true. Can you tell me what account you think was deleted? And as far as I know we've never blocked an IP.
You know which account it is. Again, thanks for restoring it. And you know that my home IP is flagged so that my posts originating from it go to the spam filter. You could fix that if you wanted to, but you don’t want to. Not sure of my IP? I’ll gladly supply you with that info privately. Just tell me where to send it, and we could have this issue fixed today.
As I've explained to you and others in the past, we use a series of tools and filters to protect the site. We currently use a combination of a different anti-spam tools to protect the site from the well over 1000 spam comments that try to get through per day. If you're getting caught in the spam filter, perhaps it's because of your own actions. Either way, we do go through the spam comments multiple times per day and release any legit comments.
You know exactly what happened last summer. I was critical of your assessment of the charges against Kim Dotcom. I posted a lengthy explanation of why you were wrong. My home IP was routed to the spam filter. Less than 24 hours later, my phone’s IP was routed to the spam filter. I’d log in with a proxy and criticize you, and that IP would be routed to the spam filter. It was a game that went on for a couple of weeks where each new IP I used would be routed to the spam filter. Don’t play dumb. You know I’m your biggest critic, and you know exactly what you did to silence my criticism.
And we recently did start using Cloudflare after someone hit us with a DDoS and tried to extort us to stop. So we needed some increased DDoS protection, and Cloudflare appeared to offer the best solution. I'm looking into the issue of people getting CAPTCHAs to see if we can tweak it to make that happen less.
Thank you for the explanation. I don’t think the captcha thing is that bad, though it is inconvenient for users of Tor.
But, again, there has been no hypocrisy here. In both cases, we're relying on third party services Cloudflare and a few different anti-spam comment filters, and those often recognize that bad users come via tor. We recognize that's an issue, which is why we thought this was a good post -- and are happy that tor is looking for ways to deal with this issue. We wanted this posted because we're hopeful that there are better solutions as well that will help allow the good actors through while still stopping the bad actors.
The fact remains that many posts from Tor are being routed to the spam filter, and this makes it difficult if not impossible for users of Tor to participate on Techdirt. You are part of the very same problem Tor identifies since you treat Tor differently. Own up to it.
Either way, your claims that I am somehow hypocritical on anonymity are false. We have always allowed anonymous posting. We are looking for better ways to deal with good users of Tor, which is a big part of why we posted this story. But we need to do basic levels of protections against bad actors or there would be no site here at all.
You have referred to me in a personally identifiable way in the comments. You have revealed that certain posters are posting from Washington DC to discredit them. You have quoted my anonymous posts here elsewhere. When someone is critical of you, you don’t completely respect their anonymity. And you do in fact send posts from Tor and many other proxies to your spam filter. That’s hypocritical. Own up to it.
I do. And your misleading attacks, which we've debunked before, don't change any of that.
Again, you pick the topic and we’ll have a talk. Let’s see you actually give honest answers without weasel words. You won’t.
As always, we have always welcomed debate and continue to. The problem is that you don't "debate." You do this kind of bullshit: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120818/01171420087/funniestmost-insightful-comments-week-techdir t.shtml#c1210
I know you think that link is your “get out of the debate” card, but all you’re doing is giving excuses for why you won’t have a debate. Stop stalling. Stop making excuses. Again, I’m happy to go through that post line by line to explain myself. But you don’t want that. I get it. You’re scared of me.
Simply not true. The fact that you are still posting (and, that you had to lie in claiming we shut down your account) kinda proves that you're full of it. You have not been shut down, and you have not been interested in legitimate debate. Every time I've tried to have a conversation with you, you bring out your lies and "strawman mike" in which anything I say that doesn't agree with the strawman mike you've built up in your head must be me being dishonest. Then you throw a tirade in the comments, often disrupting plenty of other interesting conversations.
No one’s throwing a tirade. Debate me right now and prove that you’re right. Of course, you’re just giving us excuses on why you won’t. Maybe one day you’ll be able to link to the post where you actually had a conversation where you supplied direct and honest answers to direct and honest questions. Wouldn’t that be better?
I told you years ago that if you stopped acting like a toddler then perhaps people would treat you with more respect. But don't turn around and pretend that people treating you like a toddler throwing a tantrum is due to anything other than your own behavior (which we've detailed many times before, but most completely here: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120818/01171420087/funniestmost-insightful-comments-week-techdir t.shtml#c1210 )
Excuses. Excuses. Excuses. I’m not acting like a toddler. I’m criticizing you. I know your only defense is to attack me personally, since you can’t actually discuss the merits of anything that actually matters.
As per in the past, this will be my last comment to you on this particular topic. And, no, it's not because I'm "running away" though I'm quite sure you will make that false claim. The reasons are detailed in that link. I have and will debate with lots of people who disagree with me. I have debated with you in the past. What I will not do is engage repeatedly with a toddler throwing a tantrum. I explain myself firmly and then go away, hoping that, maybe, one day, the toddler will grow up. Unfortunately, it appears that in the years since we wrote that comment you have chosen not to grow up, and have now added lies about us deleting accounts and blocking you from the site. Neither is true.
Oh look. More excuses. Just personal attacks. Why are you scared, Mike? I suspect it’s because you know you don’t have the goods. Prove me wrong? Not likely. Sadly, all you can do is attack me personally. Again, you pick the topic and I’ll be there. No childishness. No running away. No personal attacks. Let’s talk about the merits. This talking about talking about it but not actually talking about it is dumb. Is this the best you can do? I appreciate you taking the time to respond to me. I know it was the weekend, and I wasn't thinking your were running away. There's no need for all the personal attacks, and no need for the excuses. Unless, of course, excuses are all you really have.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
Right. The "report" button says it's for comments that are "abusive, spam, trollish, or otherwise inappropriate." Yet his users treat it like a downvote on a post they don't agree with. And is there any leadership from Mike reminding his flock that dissenting views should be encouraged? Of course not. He's glad his critics get shut down. He can't stand the criticism.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: hypocrisy
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
Yeah, for all of Mike's talk about how important dissenting views are, he goes out of his way to shut down dissenting views on his own blog. He really can't take any criticism, and he runs from debate faster than anyone I've ever met. Heck, he blocks my IP and he even deleted my old user account, yet he won't even acknowledge that he's done this. Transparency? Nope. Leadership? Hell no. I love it when he posts about the importance of the search for truth with journalism like he did this week. I wonder if he actually believes that's what he does. You'd think someone searching for truth would at least stand behind his own words. You'd think he'd welcome debate on the issues. But say something "bad" about Mike or dare to challenge his views, and you're shut down. That's Techdirt for ya.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Blocked for using TOR
Screenshot of Techdirt blocking TOR users: http://oi62.tinypic.com/a1thy9.jpg
Yep, Mike "I love Tor and Anonymity" Masnick makes it hard for users of Tor to be a part of Techdirt. Just don't ask him about it. What hypocrisy? LOL! This guy's unreal.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
Wow, and you wonder why no one takes you seriously.
By the way, according to your usual talking points (your in the plural sense of you dickheads with a hard-on for copyright), TOR users are filthy pirates. Hello, filthy pirate.
Yes, it's funny because it's true. Mike does hate it, and he hates anyone asking him why he hates it even more. In my experience, Mike can't stand criticism, and he doesn't really value anonymity nearly as much as he claims. Hence his desire to treat Tor differently, while his blog pretends to value Tor.
I'm actually a Tor supporter. I used to run an exit node. I got in trouble with my ISP, so I moved my node offshore. I haven't been into it in a long while though. I paid my Tor dues. That's why I think it sucks that Mike treat Tor users in this way. You'd think he'd be leading the way with Tor, but that's not how Mike rolls. And of course his fanboys can't even criticize him over it.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
I'm not a fan of the "trolls," but I do think they represent a problem. Rightholders are up against thousands if not millions of people violating their rights with no financially reasonable way to do anything about it. I think pointing out the occasional "granny" who gets a questionable notice is disingenuous. I know Techdirt loves to do that, but in my opinion it takes things out of perspective.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
I'm not a fan of the "trolls," but I do think they represent a problem. Rightholders are up against thousands if not millions of people violating their rights with no financially reasonable way to do anything about it. I think pointing out the occasional "granny" who gets a questionable notice is disingenuous. I know Techdirt loves to do that, but in my opinion it takes things out of perspective.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
As to comments being trapped as possible You have listed problems, without any supporting evidence, spam, that could well be because of their content, such as being total gibberish, and that could be the problem, rather this sites handling of TOR.
Yes you have had problems, but no you have not given enough evidence to demonstrate the root cause, but rather jumped to blaming the site.
Mike tacitly admitted that he uses captcha for Tor users, so I think that's settled. As far as posts through Tor being sent to the spam filter, I suggest you test this yourself. I notice that Mike isn't denying it, nor is he giving us any transparency about how he handles Tor. For a guy that claims to promote anonymity and transparency, you'd expect better than this. Where's the transparency? Why does he treat Tor users differently if he really believes that anonymity and Tor are important?
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: hypocrisy
hy·poc·ri·sy
The behavior of people who do things that they tell other people not to do.
Bhavior that does not agree with what someone claims to believe or feel
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocrisy
Are you serious? Mike pretends like he thinks it's important to protect anonymity online in many of his posts.
For example:
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070118/160351.shtml
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/201 40130/16415926056/importance-anonymity-wonders-youtubes-saddest-comments.shtml
https://www.techdirt.c om/articles/20060220/1132247.shtml
Why does Mike hate Tor? Why does Mike hate free speech? Why does Mike hate dissenting views?
This isn't hard. He talks the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
I hit refresh a few times, and the entire page would reload yet the captcha image was never displayed. For whatever reason, that particular Tor connection wouldn't display it. But this just demonstrates the problem Tor is identifying as a threat to Tor's success. If Mike wasn't treating Tor users differently, I wouldn't have had the problem posting on Techdirt.
On the post: This Week In Techdirt History
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
I hit refresh a few times, and the entire page would reload yet the captcha image was never displayed. For whatever reason, that particular Tor connection wouldn't display it. But this just demonstrates the problem Tor is identifying as a threat to Tor's success. If Mike wasn't treating Tor users differently, I wouldn't have had the problem posting on Techdirt.
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
By the way, I'm not the one posting that. Though, I do think it's funny and it makes a good point. Mike absolutely hates it when copyright law is enforced, yet nothing makes him more scared than having an honest discussion on the merits about his personal views of copyright. He wants so desperately for people to think he's not anti-copyright or pro-piracy, yet he runs from any conversation trying to establish exactly what his position is. Everyone knows what he really thinks. Why can't he just say it explicitly?
On the post: Tor Asks For Help In Keeping Net Anonymity As An Option For Anyone, At Any Site
Re: Re: Re: Re: Hypocrisy much?
I just ran a test. I did a clean install of Tor, and selected "New Identity" to get assigned a random IP. Here are the results:
1. 171.25.193.131 / Germany / captcha / spam filter
2. 89.207.132.76 / anonymous proxy / captcha / posted
3. 37.221.161.235 / anonymous proxy / captcha / spam filter
4. 178.175.139.140 / Belgium / captcha / couldn't post because captcha
5. 178.63.154.93 / anonymous proxy / captcha / spam filter
6. 5.104.224.246 / anonymous proxy / captcha / posted
7. 77.109.141.138 / anonymous proxy / captcha / spam filter
8. 37.187.39.124 / anonymous proxy / no captcha / posted
9. 81.89.96.88 / Germany / captcha / couldn't post because captcha
10. 77.95.231.11 / anonymous proxy / captcha / posted
So, 9/10 posts were caught by the captcha filter. 2/10 posts could not be posted at all because captcha wouldn't display the captcha image. 4/10 posts were routed to the spam filter. And only 4/10 posts were posted immediately.
Mike lambasts others who lack transparency, yet he won't give us an explanation of why he treats Tor differently. Mike claims to believe that anonymity is sacred, yet he punishes those who use Tor. When posts don't show up immediately, either because they're routed to the spam filter or trapped by the captcha image failing to appear, he makes it so that anonymous users using Tor can't take part in the conversation on Techdirt.
In typical Mike fashion, Mike tries to brush this off: "Where is the hypocrisy? We're pointing out that this is an issue, and highlighting that Tor is looking for ways to try to deal with it." The hypocrisy, Mike, is that Glyn's post makes it appear that Techdirt supports Tor's efforts to make Tor more attractive for users. But the fact that you yourself are part of the problem that Tor identifies means that you're not part of the solution.
Why not be a man and admit you're part of the very same problem this article is about, Mike? Take responsibility for your own actions. Give us some of that transparency you demand of others.
On the post: It Appears Mickey Mouse May Have Picked An Intellectual Property Fight With The Wrong Mau5
Re: Re:
He did send real takedown notices. I saw a copy of the video on YouTube that had the frowny-face-we're-sorry thing, citing Deadmau5 as the sender. And there's a few search results on Google that were also taken down.
Of course, if Disney does have a license, I expect a post from Mike blaming Deadmau5 for killing innovation and free speech. Oh wait, no I don't.
On the post: It Appears Mickey Mouse May Have Picked An Intellectual Property Fight With The Wrong Mau5
Re: Re: Re: Re:
[common sense needed]
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