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Comment Re:Common Sense (Score 1) 279

Stick with the Android Market, which is fortunately the path of least resistance.

Not that this is how the world should be. Carriers should be held accountable for extending unlimited credit to consumers. There should not be a choice between freedom from carrier shovelware and OS version restrictions (iOS) and freedom from app censorship (Android). There should not be a significant risk with installing apps outside the Google marketplace.

But given this is how the world is, a NORMAL phone user sticks with the Android Market, and is pretty safe. AFAIK, anyway. I chose freedom from carrier bullshit over freedom from App Store bullshit, and remain an iOS user.

Comment Re:Common Sense (Score 1) 279

I think we're talking about very different circumstances. TFA doesn't disclose amounts, but I would expect at least a thousand times larger as a starting point for a bill racked up in that way, and being careless with my phone and leaving it unlocked and in reach of a child is a different level of personal responsibility to having malware take over my phone.

If it were my child, and $10, sure, I'd pay it.

Comment Re:Common Sense (Score 1) 279

Off the top of my head...

  • The bill may be defaulted, in which case the provider is lucky to get much at all, possibly selling the debt to a collection agency, and losing a customer.
  • The bill may be reduced to a payable amount, in which case the provider is lucky to get much at all, and possibly loses a customer.
  • Bad PR, though let's face it, this doesn't mean much to multi-million customer organisations (at least, until it starts happening to tens of thousands of them).
  • Any consumer protection agencies (do those exist in the US?) may side with the customer on this type of problem.
  • The customer is likely to complain long and loud given their phone has no record of the messages and no record of incoming warnings, racking up a large support call cost.

If I were a wireless provider, I'd be all over telling my competitor's customers that we're the SAFE provider, and they should switch now.

Comment Re:How about (Score 1) 389

Is it detrimental to the weak or less powerful to keep a functioning government during an emergency?

Wikipedia has a nice article on ex post facto law. It's unconstitutional in the U.S., but happens anyway. it's constitutionally OK in Westminster systems like the UK and Australia, but viewed unfavourably - and happens anyway.

(Also, GP, retrospective is probably not the word you intended to use; try retroactive).

Comment Nasty, but not a "new" problem (Score 2, Insightful) 68

Web security should never depend on a user recognising a specific pattern of pixels, either by determining whether that vertical bar with some marks at the top and bottom is a "1" or an "l" or by figuring out if the displayed UI element is part of the web page or not.

And, if your bank's website doesn't use two-factor authentication, disable it now.

Comment Re:we have the same policy at work (Score 1) 446

Yes, it goes both ways.

It's irresponsible for an IT department to avoid saying they require the capability to remote wipe in order to connect a device. The article really isn't very clear on whether the iPhone owner was informed or not - she didn't seem to know, but wilful ignorance is in vogue these days, so there's every chance she could have and should have known.

It's also irresponsible for an organisation to require individuals to use personal equipment to process confidential or sensitive data. If you're in such an important position that it would cost the company money for you to not be able to check your mail in the bathroom, spending a few hundred on a company smartphone shouldn't be a big deal.

If your company does either or both of those, buy a smart phone, claim it against your tax, and leave it in a desk at work.

Comment Re:My First Cavity Search (Score 3, Insightful) 1135

Being asked to do something illegal in your job, like molest a child, doesn't grant you immunity from prosecution. Being asked to do something thoroughly immoral in your job, like intimidate people until they're more terrified of the security line than the flight, doesn't grant you immunity from social persecution. Needing to feed your family doesn't mean society will forgive you any action - consider whores, muggers, fraudsters, extortionists, and drug dealers.

The people we all should be and remain angry at are every single person involved in the entire farce, including the lowlife scum who didn't hand in their notice the second they were trained in the "right" way to molest a child.

Or better yet, refuse to do it, and see how a jury feels about wrongful dismissal for refusing to rub a child's genitals.

Comment Re:What World Does He Live On? (Score 1) 1153

He should of said so. Their is no reason to no the rite spelling of words, sense I can just look them all up.

And grammatical structure isn't important either, as taught to me by my good friends, Godwin and Hitler.

... or my good friends, Godwin, and Hitler.

Either way.

What's in a comma.

Comment Re:Giving Apple an excuse to kill jailbreaking (Score 2, Insightful) 120

I will applaud Apple for closing any hole used to jailbreak without a USB cable involved, whether it gets to malware stage or not.

Apple seem to respond faster to these sorts of vulnerabilities than they do to ones that are only usable if you have physical control over the device, so I don't think there's any cause for concern that Apple will step up their counter-jailbreak programme if theoretical attacks become reality.

Comment Re:Not necessiarly (Score 1) 270

Because the registries are driven by bottom-up policy processes in which all the stakeholders who care to get involved have a hand in determining the right way to distribute addresses. Current thinking is that addresses are a global public good, and should be distributed based on responsible and efficient need, not based on depth of pocket.

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