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Comment Re:Everyone is a potential criminal in L.A. (Score 1) 405

It isn't a "dumb name", it's what the word "mall" means. It's only recently that "mall" is assumed to mean "shopping mall".

I think more people assume it's a streetlike thing than a lawn. In any case, we often give things multiple names, we could just call it some president's name park or whatever.

I propose "Metadata park."

Comment Re:x.509 WTF? (Score 1) 110

Regarding binary and source code distribution, there's nothing to fix really - both source and binaries are already protected by X.509 certificates by virtue of being hosted on SSL-using websites: https://www.mail-archive.com/b...

This in no way prevents the server from being compromised and serving a malicious installer package. It prevents a MitM attack from compromising the package in transit, but that's it.
Code signing and SSL are protections against completely different attacks, and are not interchangeable.

Comment Re:Taking bets here.. (Score 1) 103

NSA Agent Smith: "Mr. Trail at Google refused our NSL. You can find a dozen kilos of cocaine in his car trunk, right?"
Local Sheriff: "Sure thing."
DEA Agent: "You got it."

How many people are going to believe that a drug dealer was targeted because of a refusal to honour a government data request, even if the target publicizes as much? For that matter, how many of those arrested and accused of dealing drugs are even granted a media interview?

Comment Re:As a Canadian (Score 1) 115

You would be incorrect.
The Canadian firm is responsible for ensuring that a breach doesn't happen when the data is in possession of the foreign firm, but it's not illegal to send it there at all.
Considering the Canadian firm's responsibilities, it can certainly be argued that it's rarely, if ever, a good idea, but it's certainly not illegal.

Comment Re: physcial damage (Score 1) 526

They're advertised as "Windows Notebooks". They should be able to boot Windows of the particular version mentioned on the activation code sticker. Anything else - not their problem. Sad but true.

They should also be able to run programs using standard Windows APIs to perform functions required by the user, without damaging anything.
VLC uses standard Windows APIs to play sound. If this damages the hardware, then it's Dell's problem.

Comment Re: The trick (Score 1) 227

His job was to find juicy tidbits in data scraped from external sources. His job was definitely NOT to find juicy tidbits in internal NSA documentation. The fact that he could easily and massively access this documentation without anyone seriously questioning his activities is a huge problem.
The assumption could be made that internal documentation and externally sourced data are stored on the same servers, and accessed using the exact same methods.

There is no possible explanation for this which doesn't involve the NSA having absolutely piss poor internal security.

Comment Re: ...and that makes it better? (Score 1) 227

Hey you forgot the part where to be able to preserve the way of life "some" murky actions are necessary ,and of course "they" think we can't handle the truth.

You mean the "way of life" where we're free people, not spied on by a fascist government, and executed whenever we piss off the king/emperor? Yeah....that's been preserved REAAAALLY well...

Comment Re:at this point (Score 1) 822

First you said he "shared secret information with our enemies." Then, when it turns out you're demonstrably wrong, you change that to "sharing with anyone that is not cleared is a violation of the contract he signed."
Keep moving those goalposts. Maybe you'll eventually find something that works for you.

Comment Re:Complete bull without the person in question. (Score 1) 159

Hey, it's another "the government can do no wrong! Please, I want bureaucrats to penetrate my ass with probes on a daily basis! After all, I've done nothing wrong, so I have no reason to prevent the government from raping my ass!" shill!

Please explain why the NSA is "necessary." In fact, please explain what the NSA has to do with this story, as it's detailing Canada's illegal surveillance activities, not the USA's.

The NSA hasn't stopped a single terrorist attack. They've said so themselves. So hindering them doesn't do any harm to finding terrorists, either, but it does a LOT of good to our democratic and personal freedoms, which is what our two countries used to stand for and respect.

You, on the other hand, sound like you should be spouting propaganda about the Nazis, Stasi, KGB, or whoever, during their heyday, and how they're protecting the motherland from those "evil" capitalists.

Same methods, different enemy. And you're either falling for it hook, line, and sinker, or you're being paid to promote it. Either way, shut your festering gob, you twit.

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