It was staring them in the face!

Your mistake is assuming this information is being harvested from the client side rather than server side. It doesn't matter what ROM you run (or OS for that matter) if the service provider (Google, Facebook, etc..) is allowing backend access to the servers.

I respect and understand how you feel, but the anger should be directed at Washington. When the White House hands down mandates what do you expect these companies to do?

If such measures were enacted I'm sure they would apply to our elected officials as they move about in their cars and limos as well. Politicians would conform to not having use of their phones and portable data as they transit between locations.

I'm sure.

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If one of the devices on the network has a backdoor, which it's starting to appear most of them do.

"I'm saying that when the President does it, it's not illegal!" - Richard Nixon, 1977

They probably could but if the property owner is not a party on the lawsuit there's nothing to compel a third party to share any restitution from the court.

"I've written new software that can use the wifi signals bouncing around in your home to help you change channels on your TV, or possibly give surreptitious surveillance to any law enorcement agency that can get a bullshit warrant from a rubber stamp judge. We promise it will only be used to help you change the TV channel."

Do programmers even filter this stuff through their conscience any more?

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To Kill a Mockingbird 2

"If Atticus Finch can't get justice in the court room...

(Queue sound effects: "Screeech.....KABOOM...."ATTICUS!!!!") ...he'll get it on the street!"

http://rt.com/usa/monsanto-bill-blunt-agriculture-006/

The Senate is considering repealing, I'm sure this will add fuel to the fire. But as it stands Monsanto is imune from liability.

>> "Despite the endless drivel about science, knowledge, children, and society, the entire purpose of public funding in the US is to support future commerce."

The early space program had the side bennefit of showing the Russians we were good at launching missles. There was a saber rattling component.

There are many reasons for public science. It will not go away just because companies can't take public reasearch and try to wrap patents around it.

I'm suggeting public research should be like the GPL. If you use GPL code there are rules. If you use public research money the same should be true.

Do you drive? If so, I imagine your car, like most, has a steering wheel. The skills you aquire driving one car easily transfer to the next car because it too has a steering wheel. And a gas peddle. And a break peddle.

What if Henry Ford or someone else in the early car industry had patented these devices? What if every car you ever drive has it's own proprietary system of controls?

I didn't say there should be no patents in the world. I just said if you leverage research from a publicly funded study than you shouldn't be able to close those results.

If you want to build a better steering wheel and patent it, go ahead. But don't do it using public money.

I would like to see the next step be that products, medicines, and continued research utilizing public research as a starting point should all be prohibited from utilizing patents.