Google could actually fight back, while the handset vendors are far more likely to buckle if their business is threatened with a block. They also resist tipping their hand to reveal what patents they want licensed, but Google would actually demand to see it - and possibly file a patent counter-suit.

How many people have threatened to kill their boss in a moment of stress? It's not a credible threat.

If it was done in a similar manner to much of the harassment being discussed, you'd be leaving threatening notes in their cube/office or on their voice mail.

You'd be out pretty quick, or arrested.

If my kid threatens your kid with the power of the One Ring, do you take that seriously (that was just last month, remember)?

Of course not, because the One Ring isn't real and he's a kid. Mentally stunted manchildren who think it's funny to send death threats don't get that exception because it's completely different.

Most threats ever made are not credible, they're merely a stress blow-off. Credible threats rarely take the form of anonymous, over-the-top trolling.

Graphic, targeted descriptions of rape and threats of violence and/or death aren't in the same league ash what you described. Stop apologizing or attempting to minimize the acts of sociopaths.

If a reasonable person would find a threat credible, that justifies further investigation, but the speech is still entirely protected.

I don't think that point has been in contest here - my point is that it's stupid to say "you shouldn't take it seriously" when it's impossible to discern between idle threats and credible ones when assholes get creepy detailed.

But, of course, its your first amendment right to make people's lives a living hell and terrorize them with threats. It's your right to be a miserable piece of shit who sees fit to send people messages describing them in detail, and the horrible things they'd like to do. And we shouldn't ever, ever do anything about it.

Unless there's an overt act to turn the words into criminal conspiracy, the speech should be protected.

Indeed, people should just turn a blind eye to vile harassment all day long. No one needs to worry until it's obviously too late.

And maybe you should be less afraid of the world.

Indeed, that guy threatening to rape and murder your kid because he hates you for some reason? Just ignore him. Don't be so afraid of targeted threats of death or rape. Because it's your fault that you're terrorized, not their fault for being sociopathic.

That's the part the speech-banners and fascists keep forgetting.

Because, of course, it's your right to harass and threaten people! Just don't take it seriously and you'll see that my explicit description of violent acts towards you and your family are just jokes, really!

It would be difficult to release a violent work of fiction otherwise (or would you like to ban those too? video games too maybe?).

Surely there's a difference between descriptions of violence within artistic works, and sending graphic descriptions of violence (sometimes accompanied with names and addresses) to specific people?

Free speech is fine as long as you don't say things that aren't acceptable.

Oh, you have the right to say whatever you want without the government arresting you for it. That doesn't mean society can't turn around and point out you're wrong, or being a jackass, or whatever.

I remember that people used to have much thicker skin though about 4 or 5 decades ago.

4 or 5 decades ago puts you into periods where racism and legally enforced discrimination was rampant. Take off the rose tinted glasses and you'll realize the past was rife with shittiness.

Now if you hurt someone's feelings it's the end of the world. I'm pretty sure the world wont end with a bang or a whimper but a whine.

Oh poor you, unable to treat people like shit and get away with it anymore. You're just doomed, aren't you?

The need to "call people out" for saying something you don't agree with or that offends you is a key contributor to social problems you have enumerated.

So we should just let people spout bullshit unquestioned?

When people learn to respect the racist and the crackpot as much as they dislike their remarks then and only then will real progress have been made.

By "respect" you mean "let them have their way" and "stop criticizing their statements," right?

Chromium, not Chrome. There's a distinct difference between the two.

How will Europe stop Isis? Double down on appeasement?

Appeasement? Where have they engaged in "appeasement"?

this is on Obama's watch and he has been totally negligent.

Because we are TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE!

Its because hes a coward and would rather let the menace rage out of control than take it on.

Indeed, instead of containing them we should just go in guns blazing, because that's always the best way to counter problematic ideologies. It always works out so well. It's also easy for the armchair general to send soldiers to die for whatever cause they deem worthy.

There is even a specific firmware update command in the ATA spec, but many vendors use their own just because.

Not "just because," but because the standard Download Microcode command is PIO and happens completely synchronously. This can cause Windows to BSOD if it happens to hit a page fault during the update.

Vendors typically implement an NCQ, DMA-capable process that is asynchronous so you can update from within the OS without issue.

Many hard drives have a secondary TTL level serial port that you can use to load new firmware on a bricked drive.

That depends on how the vendor utilized the serial port and how they do their boot sequence. If it's anything above baseline chip support, you might not be able to do anything useful with it.

Home customers get to see different ads on their screen besides Google's own Adsense garbage. BFD!

Yeah it's a BFD, Lenovo took money to install an application that deliberately reduced end user security for the sake of inserting ads into their browsing activities! Not only is it completely bereft of ethics and respect for their customers, it's actively dangerous.

They shouldn't just be hit via a class action suit (assuming Lenovo isn't sticking a "binding arbitration" clause to defeat the ability for consumers to seek recourse) but Federal prosecution under one of the many computer security laws that would string up anyone else.

Tablets are still a grey area and you can't point to a single person who had action taken against them... if anything were tried at this point they would fall undertake same ruling.

Due to the way the DMCA is written, jailbreaking is presumed illegal unless the LoC gives an exemption. An exemption was explicitly requested for tablets and was denied via tortured logic. Consoles were covered too. Phones were retained, but cellphone unlocking was covered under the tortured legalese as well, and made illegal (thus the Congressional rush to make it legal.)

anyone jailbreaking is probably downloading torrents already, so why does legality matter again?

Because it shouldn't be a federal crime to use your device as you see fit, regardless of whether they'll actually prosecute. This notion that people using their devices freely is somehow inherently associated with criminality is part of a shitty, insulting mindset.

Metaphorically speaking that is always true of a device you have physical control of.

Yes, metaphorically speaking. Practically speaking, they're making a pretty direct statement that you are not in control, they are.

The state in many cases says choices should not be made by those not capable of making them.

Holy shit, when they do this it's due to mental impairment, not lack of education!

Similarly I am fine with device makers adding enough security so someone skilled enough to deal with the repercussions of removing them can do whatever they like, which is the world we live in today.

Except this isn't similar! The device vendor arbitrarily declares themselves the authority and fight against you to enforce it. And no amount of competency or education will convince them to give you control - they have reserved it for themselves.

Car makers in no way support custom ECUs in the same way phone makers do not support jailbreaking or rooting.

Car vendors don't weld the hood shut or put other things into the engine to prevent you from making that modification.

It's pretty equivalent to jailbreaking that you have the literal keys because you have physical control of the device.

Jailbreaking would be akin to having to saw open the hood or find a way to trick the vendor-controlled hood lock to unlatch and let you in. And Ford/GM would be petitioning the Library of Congress to disallow a DMCA exemption.

A better one would be doing something like altering an ECU in a car and then changing parameters without understanding what you are doing, and blowing an engine...

And yet there are 3rd party kits to modify the ECUs (or outright replace) of a lot of vehicles.

Of course, doing that would void your warranty if they could show the modified ECU caused the failure, which I am entirely OK with. Vendors should put the keys in your hand, but if you turn that lock you take your fate in your own hands.

Obviously, that's the only reason people use PCs and not consoles. On PCs everyone just pirates everything, no one ever pirates anything. That's why there's nothing happening at all on PCs and everything happens on consoles.