Literally. It doesn't mention it in the article but on the BBC teatime news it said Yahoo had paid "dozens of millions of pounds" for the app, as well as hiring the kid. So somewhere over 24 million pounds, or 36.5 million dollars.

I'll just spell that out: THIRTY SIX AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.

Words fail me.

With your name, have you considered becoming a crime-fighter, or super-hero?

You know by acting that way you're creating a situation you obviously hate - sitting in a dark, silent room hoping nobody rings your doorbell. Fuck that. Buy a bowl of sweets & a gorilla mask & have some fun when the Trick or Treaters come - RAAAAaaaar! - you'll end up looking forward to the doorbell ringing instead of dreading it. And after it's over - hey, you still have a gorilla mask! Everybody wins. Were you never a kid?

The Police, that's who.

Some busybody laid an official complaint and the police had to follow through

No, they didn't. Any rational human being would have laughed them out of the station. People say tasteless things. Move on.

It's not counterproductive as they see it. They want you, the public, to know that if they want to get you they will get you. They are being bullies, not custodians of the law. They already got their intended chilling effect by making an example of this guy, and now everyone will be a little more nervous about what they post online - they don't need to prosecute you as well. But they might, and if a law is being applied selectively it should not be applied at all.

Keeping it because it might be useful is trumped by deleting it because it might be used maliciously. Every extra copy of the data makes it more insecure. Is his copy encrypted? Who else has access to his computer? Can he be trusted with it?

If you see someone's diary lying open you do not take photographs of it. If you find someone's data exposed you do not copy the data. It is not yours to keep.

Now that you've analysed your copy of the data, please delete it.

Or maybe it's Opposite Day and nobody told me. Again.

But on the last Opposite Day you said you absolutely definitely wanted to be told about the next one, so I thought that meant...

Never mind.

I just have the hardest time getting used to seeing people spell math with a "s" on the end of it

It's so it balances out the word "Lego", honestly.

In the UK we have Maths and Lego. You swap the "s" over and have Math and Legos. From either side the other side looks strange and frightening and it makes you wonder how the people on the other side can get through a day while being so WRONG, but seeing as Math(s) and Lego(s) are two of the most wonderful things on Earth I say just accept it and move on.

why are we worried about this if the only ones who will really benefit are drug users?

What a cunt. They're human beings.

You think people who take drugs don't deserve to live? Fine. Go and live in a world without all the music, books and films created by drug users. No more Rolling Stones for you. No more Burroughs. No more Blake or Shelley. No Hunter S Thompson. No Carl Sagan. None of the beauty and insights and technical leaps forward that people who take drugs have given the world.

In fact, no more computers for you. Piss off.

I will write up a summary and send it via email asking them if I missed / misunderstood anything.

Well... "persay" and "alterior", for a start.

because our politicians can then turn around and tell us here in the states that we need to "harmonise" with our trade partners,

Funny how it always harmonises towards oppressive control.