Random News Stories of Note

Him · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 4175 Location: On edge

I must say it amuses me that "Verbally indicates hatred for the United States and/or the Constitution" is considered as serious as "stores and collects mass weapons or hazardous materials".
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cixelsyD · Joined: 09 Oct 2010 Posts: 1354

WE HAVE THE DOCUMENTS!
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Him · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 4175 Location: On edge

Darqcyde · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 1:50 am Post subject:

Dogen · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 10610 Location: Bellingham, WA

Unmasking Reddit's Violentacrez, the Biggest Troll On the Web

I've been kind of peripherally interested in the idea of online anonymity and how people are so rabidly defensive of it (especially when they - people in general - are considerably less defensive of the same right offline [see PATRIOT Act]). I got into a long argument on HuffPo with a guy because he saw outing people's identities online as far worse than posting creepy pictures of women on r/CreepShots. I saw moves to protect redditors who expose women as a hobby to be ironic (though, in both cases, I feel they're morally wrong while technically legal).
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"Worse comes to worst, my people come first, but my tribe lives on every country on earth. I’ll do anything to protect them from hurt, the human race is what I serve." - Baba Brinkman

ShadowCell · Joined: 03 Aug 2008 Posts: 6026 Location: California

well, that article explains why. of course that guy thought taking away anonymity on the internet was vastly worse than posting creepy pictures of women. anonymity is what lets you get away with doing that.

so i'm just going to sit here and delight in the poetic justice of it all.

fritterdonut · Joined: 24 Jul 2012 Posts: 1153 Location: Hedonism

Anonymity on the internet is kind of a funny thing. By going on forums and using a username, you aren't really "anonymous". You're more "Pseudonymous".

My life is compartmentalized; I keep my life on the internet separate from my actual life. I would be highly opposed to anyone attempting to draw links between me and my internet "persona". Not because I do creepy things (I generally just play a lot of games and do web development work), but because I would find it creepy that other people could find my address, my phone number, and other personal information.

Case in point, why keeping your online and your real-life seperate:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20114090-501465.html

Also: Did you know that when you register a domain name, they ask for your name, address, phone numbers, emails, etc? I ended up paying $15 just yesterday for a privacy company to register the domain in their name so people can't do a whois lookup and find out my personal information (The site hosts a Java Applet that generates random numbers btw... nothing creepy, unless Middle-Square pseudorandom number generators creep you out).

Not to mention some of the people I play video games with, while perfectly fine people to have a round of TF2 with or play some LoL, are not people I would want to have my phone number. Otherwise I'd be getting prank calls at 2AM all the time.

That being said, I don't feel a hell of a lot of sympathy for the person that Dogen was mentioning because posting random pictures of women is creepy as hell... and while it might not be illegal (although I haven't seen the pictures so I don't know the content... I don't Reddit), according to http://ambientlight.ca/laws/overview/what-can-i-publish/ , you could be sued if the person who was photographed could make a case that it harmed them in some way, be it emotional, monetary or physically.
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So I came upon a shanty town
Full of bitter men
Where carved into a crude wood sign
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Adyon · Joined: 27 May 2012 Posts: 1160 Location: Behind my Cintiq

That's crazy to see someone doing that. Obviously they knew each other beforehand, so how off the hinge was that guy to just go over and choke him? WTF Ha ha...

To your second point, I have a website for a webcomic I did when I first started college still registered. I know my info is attached to it, albeit the wrong address, etc now, but I have never changed it. But then again, I HAVE given out things like my cell number to people I play with online. Especially for playing WoW. I top-end raided with others, and in particular my fellow healer and our raid leader had my number so we could figure out if someone wasn't going to show. But I guess that's unique from games like LoL and TF2.

It makes me realize I never valued my own privacy all that much. Heck, at one point I didn't expect any at all. My wife was originally wanting to be an actress, and not in the ditzy "hee hee I want to be a star" way either. She just loved to act, and was...just amazing at it! She can still jump back in forth between personas so fast and believable it's insane. Not to mention she's so quick witted, she comes up with things on the fly and is a very memorable person. I really had no doubt she could actually make it, because everyone who's met her, even random strangers, seems to remember her. And yet, she decided she wanted nothing to do with Hollywood, and that acting in general wasn't as smart of a career. So...now she's a doctor. =P People from out home that find out she didn't go into acting are always surprised at the change. Wow, this anecdote went on too long...all to say, at one point I expected no privacy. >.> Sorry.
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Dogen · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 10610 Location: Bellingham, WA

I treat the internet like a loaded gun. Respect it, don't try to do anything with it I might regret later. I know I'm just one pissed off Sinfest-loving anti-feminist mouthbreathing hacker away from having this name and my real name and address connected (although I move so often they might end up harassing random people). I don't do anything online that would ruin my life if it got out. I like to think that if I felt totally anonymous that I would still act the way I do, but I don't know. I've never felt truly anonymous.
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"Worse comes to worst, my people come first, but my tribe lives on every country on earth. I’ll do anything to protect them from hurt, the human race is what I serve." - Baba Brinkman

Darqcyde · Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:16 am Post subject:

Adyon · Joined: 27 May 2012 Posts: 1160 Location: Behind my Cintiq

Wow...straight up direct fear-mongering huh? You know that Romney's chances are slim when certain people resort to that.

Trying to decide if this is more or less annoying than the guy that directly threatened to fire his people (which was even mentioned in the article there). This group only went with propaganda comparatively, but on a MUCH greater scale.
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Guest · Joined: 15 Aug 2006 Posts: 2178

I've been reading up on the latest legal gaffe from the UK, a guy was sentenced to three months in prison for making a sick joke about April Jones (the little girl who went missing). So I decided to research a little more and it turns out that this shit has been going on for quite a while. For example a dude was sentenced to 56 days for an allegedly racist tweet about a footballer who had a cardiac arrest on the pitch and this case dubbed the 'Twitter joke trial' where someone was told to pay a fine of £1000 for in jest tweeting 'blowing up' an airport after it'd been snowed in.

Maybe there's more, these were the ones I could find at the top of the page. What the hell is going on in the UK?
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Sam · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 9459

Dogen · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 10610 Location: Bellingham, WA

I don't know (or don't remember) who that is, but I can see that happening... all it takes is for one coworker or boss or your dad or your boyfriend to see those pictures and your life could change for the worse.
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"Worse comes to worst, my people come first, but my tribe lives on every country on earth. I’ll do anything to protect them from hurt, the human race is what I serve." - Baba Brinkman