Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just guessing: because it's not available in French.
France isn't banned?
Might be required to provide instructions and support in French to be allowed to run a copetition in Quebec, but no such rule in France.
Google CTF 2019
21–30 of 140 posts
Re: Google CTF 2019
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
This aspect could be the real hurdle: "Pay a fee of up to 10% of the sweepstakes' value, depending on who is allowed to enter." So they would need to pay Quebec $3K just to have the competition available there, even if it is a global competition. It sounds to me that Quebec have got to have some reason for these Quebec special laws. It has nothing to do with France, there has to be another reason. Does anyone have an…
the laws were probably written with lotteries and gambling originally in mind, and made overly broad to prevent people from finding loopholes. (like, say, a poker tournament where the chips aren't worth real money, but there is a cash prize at the end.)
It is also because the government is the one managing casinos and gambling all together. Even a bar is prohibited to have game consoles if they don't pay some kind of fee to Loto-Quebec.
Re: Google CTF 2019
#23> Q: I got an error: PERMISSION_DENIED: Permission denied. > A: Try picking a different team name, the team name you inserted is already taken. A: How to tell your software was built by security people.
I would think it's more secure if it didn't leak which were taken. For example, "Name invalid or already taken, please try another"
As if it's that hard to sight-validate a team name.
The error message doesn't leak which names are taken. The faq interprets the error message for the user.
Re: Google CTF 2019
#24> Q: I got an error: PERMISSION_DENIED: Permission denied. > A: Try picking a different team name, the team name you inserted is already taken. A: How to tell your software was built by security people.
I would think it's more secure if it didn't leak which were taken. For example, "Name invalid or already taken, please try another"
There’s literally a scoreboard with a list of teams…
Re: Google CTF 2019
#25I notice they're continuing the proud silicon valley start-up tradition of building a website that doesn't actually tell you what Google CTF is :P
Even when I click on the beginner's quest, I've got paths, flags, endings, challenges...
...but nothing to tell me what the hell the thing actually IS!
Re: Google CTF 2019
#26> Eligibility: The Contest is open to individuals who are (1) over the age of eighteen (18) at the time of entry; (2) not a resident of Quebec, Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan, or Crimea; [1] Why Quebec is banned? https://buildyourfuture.withgoogle.com/events/ctf/#!?detail-...
Stringent local laws with respect to competitions. https://www.thebalanceeveryday.com/why-are-so-many-competiti...
> Quebec's sweepstakes laws are designed to protect its residents from scammers and to ensure that prizes are awarded as promised.
The solution they came up with is to make the rules so complicated that there are no sweepstakes available in Quebec! Cool.
Re: Google CTF 2019
#27I notice they're continuing the proud silicon valley start-up tradition of building a website that doesn't actually tell you what Google CTF is :P Even when I click on the beginner's quest, I've got paths, flags, endings, challenges... ...but nothing to tell me what the hell the thing actually IS!
It’s in the link at the bottom of the “What is the Google CTF?” section.
Re: Google CTF 2019
#28I'm lost on the beginners task. These things always make me feel stupid.
Re: Google CTF 2019
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
This aspect could be the real hurdle: "Pay a fee of up to 10% of the sweepstakes' value, depending on who is allowed to enter." So they would need to pay Quebec $3K just to have the competition available there, even if it is a global competition. It sounds to me that Quebec have got to have some reason for these Quebec special laws. It has nothing to do with France, there has to be another reason. Does anyone have an…
From a 2011 Globe and Mail article: > Ever notice that Canadian contests keep barring the poor residents of Quebec from entering? It's not that contests are illegal in Quebec – it's just that the government makes it especially difficult to run one. > For one thing, contest runners have to pay tax on the value of the prize. For another thing, contests with prizes over $2,000 have to register their rules with a governm…
Yeah that's a good way to make everyone just skip your whole province. Just like how all the big headquarter offices moved to Toronto from Montreal in the 1970s, Quebec keeps shooting themselves in the foot. This chart shows everything you need to know:
http://www.newgeography.com/files/cox-toronto-evolve-1.png
By all means they should be the dominant city in Canada instead of Toronto, or at least equal. But they are so obsessed with mirroring France's obsession with rules.
Canada almost always ranks near the top of the Economic Freedom Indexes (higher than the US), while France is in the middle ranking below most post-soviet eastern European nation states.
Re: Google CTF 2019
#30> Q: I got an error: PERMISSION_DENIED: Permission denied. > A: Try picking a different team name, the team name you inserted is already taken. A: How to tell your software was built by security people.
Would not be surprised if this strange FAQ is part of the puzzle