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Comment Re:Facebook ignorance. (Score 1) 290

Well it's only like a town square IN THAT people are personally accountable for their posts. If people can use pseudonyms without any restrictions at all, this will be lost and there will be a flood of venomous noise.

How is that different from the current flood of venomous noise on Facebook? That they keep having to update their policies shows they recognize the problem, and want to stop catching hell over it (as opposed to stopping it, which is impossible and can only suppress legitimate speech in the attempt).

Comment Re:Do not... (Score 4, Insightful) 290

It is not a binary equation. There are other categories in between. And there are a lot of examples of restrictions within that spectrum. And Facebook is probably violating some of them, if the allegations are true. It has, for instance, been illegal for 50+ years to discriminate on the basis of religion, race, etc. If your name doesn't sound "authentic" because you are from, say, an African tribe (I mean, really, if Johnathon Goodluck weren't the president of a country, how many Americans would believe that was a real name? Thus, making him, but not people with names like John Smith or Joe Jones, provide documents that can easily be used for identity theft, because he is from Africa and doesn't have a white sounding name, has been illegal for half a century.

There's also the matter of whether or not Facebook (realizes) they are responsible for any misuse those identity documents are put to. It's only a matter of time before some disgruntled insider sells the whole database to some Russian mafia type.

Comment Re:Why? (Score 4, Insightful) 301

As long as your streaming service is working. And your internet service. And any number of other steps in between. And the streaming service doesn't get in to a dispute with a studio, and drop (or be forced to drop) their entire product line. And as long as they don't change the price from ten bucks a month to 20, or 50, or 500. Or you lose your job and can't even afford ten.

I'll stop listening to music before I pay for something as insubstantial as radio (and that's what streaming is. And don't think for a second you won't have ads within a few years, even on premium accounts.)

Comment Re:Poor guy never answered the complaint (Score 1) 389

I've never understood that whole "you lose if you don't show". This isn't about who ate the last cupcake, it's a point of law.
If there's an established law, then shouldn't the accusation be moot?

How else could it possibly be? If the judge (or jury) hears only one side, how can they possibly consider the other side? Your position is literally irrational and disconnected from reality.

Comment Re:Insurance companies suffer? (Score 2) 389

You've changed your story from "I want my car paid for in an accident" to "I want to force other people to act in a particular way." One is about taking care of yourself. The other is about exerting power over other people. They are completely different desires.

You should give some serious thought to what, exactly, you want, because the first thing you said is already available to you, unless you're too cheap to buy it, and the second is already required by law everywhere in the civilized world.

Comment Re:Insurance companies suffer? (Score 2) 389

You don't have to in California, either. The insurance company informs them when you have a policy, electronically, automatically. You are supposed to be completely unaware of the process . . . unless you're a vile, disgusting lawbreaker who doesn't have insurance (which is a misdemeanor in California - a jailable offense). I believe they also automatically inform DMV if you - or the insurance company - cancel your policy, too, so that you can't get a year long policy, then pay only one month.

I'd be surprised if there isn't a similar system in your state.

Comment Re:Insurance companies suffer? (Score 1) 389

That's called "car rentals," and it's hardly new. In fact, there's an entire industry built around it. And right now, even if you (as you are required to) have insurance on yourself as a driver, the rental company will still pressure you to buy supplementary coverage from them, so you can just "walk away" and not pay the deductible.

The odds that the person in the card, whose name is on the lease, has zero responsibility are basically none any time within our lifetimes.

And even if we manage that, the rental companies will still have to have insurance, and the amount of miles being traveled won't go down. In fact, it will likely go up if rentals really are more convenient, and that means that insurance premiums, overall, will go up as well.

Again, insurance companies will benefit from the lower accident rates (if they happen), not suffer from the increased premiums.

Comment Re:Insurance companies suffer? (Score 1) 389

More than that ... if we have self driving cars, why would I pay for insurance at all?

Because if you won't, your car registration will be denied (same as now), and your self driving car will automatically refuse to run until it's renewed (better than now, since it will remove uninsured drivers from the road entirely, as opposed to the 25% in some state who have no insurance.)

Comment Insurance companies suffer? (Score 5, Insightful) 389

Really? As long as liability insurance is mandatory, and comprehensive required for as long as you have load on the car, and as long as it takes action on the part of a state legislature followed by years of court battles to force insurance companies to lower rates, no, insurance companies will not suffer from lower accident rates.

In fact, in most states, they will probably use the changing market as an excuse to raise rates, knowing they will continue to sell the same number of policies while paying fewer claims.

Anybody who believes that the legal requirements for insurance will change for self driving cars is smoking dope.

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