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I reverse engineered McDonalds’ internal API

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Re: I reverse engineered McDonalds’ internal API

#61
post #51
post #33

AFAIK, reverse engineering APIs isn’t illegal. [1] There are some (VC backed) start ups that are open about doing it. Teller API is an example. [2] [1] “Reverse engineering generally doesn't violate trade secret law because it is a fair and independent means of learning information, not a misappropriation. Once the information is discovered in a fair and honest way, it also can be reported without violating trade sec…

Placing bogus orders using a reverse-engineered API, however, is likely illegal. Especially at the speed and scale at which he is purportedly doing it.

[deleted]

Re: I reverse engineered McDonalds’ internal API

#62
post #33

AFAIK, reverse engineering APIs isn’t illegal. [1] There are some (VC backed) start ups that are open about doing it. Teller API is an example. [2] [1] “Reverse engineering generally doesn't violate trade secret law because it is a fair and independent means of learning information, not a misappropriation. Once the information is discovered in a fair and honest way, it also can be reported without violating trade sec…

> AFAIK, reverse engineering APIs isn’t illegal. [1]

No, but unauthorized access to a remote server can be. Just because something is unsecured doesn't give one the right to access it. Anyway I would not take that gamble personally and risking indicted federally for computer fraud.

https://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/hacking-laws-a...

I'm not a lawyer and neither are you.

Re: I reverse engineered McDonalds’ internal API

#63
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well they did throw in "RIP". Which can be used in a non-literal way, but considering the context here...

Context being that he was driven to suicide by overzealous prosecution.

Right there! That's what I was suggesting. Overzealous prosecution that was so aggressive to someone that was scraping.

Re: I reverse engineered McDonalds’ internal API

#64

LOL! It's so ridiculous that this is a problem so often. I was in McDs once when the service guy was there. I overheard him say it would be $9,000 to fix just the shake side of the machine. I thought to myself, "That's a lot of milkshakes! There's a grocery store in the same parking lot... gallon of ice cream, some milk, and a blender. Problem solved."

It’s the usual problem of scales. A blender works for occasional use but not hundreds of orders a day.

Re: I reverse engineered McDonalds’ internal API

#67
post #44
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well they did throw in "RIP". Which can be used in a non-literal way, but considering the context here...

The RIP part might point at Aaron.

It is. It was also to point out that it wasn't to mean disrespect towards Aaron.

Re: I reverse engineered McDonalds’ internal API

#68
post #49

Just a note, the machines are not broken, they have shut themselves down for sanitary reasons. Ice cream, as a food that is very close to neutral in pH and without much in the way of preservatives, is a common source of listeria bacteria. To prevent serious health issues, the machine must be sanitized regularly. As I understand it, the process is involved, and any given McDonalds may not have a person with the time a…

I suppose ice cream isn't high on the list of services they feel they need up and running all the time, but if the machine is determining this I would think there would be some level of predictability that would allow them to schedule sanitizing and etc.

It's funny that the machine tells them there's no ice cream. I visited my local library for a tour. They have an automated system that collects returned books, sorts them, scans and processes them, then puts them in boxes to be shipped to other libraries if they need to go there. Or puts them in carts and labels them with instructions about the efficient path to travel to return books...

The humans just take orders from the machine when there is a cart ready with books to be put on the shelf or boxes to be sent to other libraries.

Interesting times.

Re: I reverse engineered McDonalds’ internal API

#69
post #55

LOL! It's so ridiculous that this is a problem so often. I was in McDs once when the service guy was there. I overheard him say it would be $9,000 to fix just the shake side of the machine. I thought to myself, "That's a lot of milkshakes! There's a grocery store in the same parking lot... gallon of ice cream, some milk, and a blender. Problem solved."

Yep, and two folks in a garage can build FB in a week, its just a DB right?

I mean, the OP is literally right - ice cream + milk in a blender results in a better milkshake. Try it sometime. That's how milkshakes are made at a lot of the other restaurants.
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