Why you don't steal from a hacker. • Hacker News Board

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#61

Post by icebraining » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:47 PM UTC

dasil003 wrote: post #50

gregcmartin wrote: post #28

Sorry I wasn't implying that the software I used made me a hacker, that is simply just my profession... I use the term very widely to be someone who codes, pentests, reverses malware or jailbreaks iphones...

Yes, I'm saddened by all the responses here making the basic logical fallacy of affirming the consequent. It seemed perfectly clear to me that you meant that a hacker is going to have some means of finding his stolen laptop rather than that using Prey makes you some kind of hacker. And to the criticism that you are running a product, that's ridiculous as well. Do we all solder our own motherboards? Devout Not-Invente…

>And to the criticism that you are running a product, that's ridiculous as well.

Personally, it's not so much using a product, but 1) giving access to a third-party (the Prey server admins) to his laptop and 2) being limited instead of having complete control.

Prey just seems a poor solution if you know what you're doing. For non-computer geeks is excellent, though.

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#62

Post by Pooter » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:48 PM UTC

saturn7 wrote: post #20

How the world has changed, Hackers use macs?

Yes. We do.

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#63

Post by mrspeaker » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:49 PM UTC

tyler_ball wrote: post #8

Here is a much funnier and more technical account of someone retrieving their stolen computer. In video form! Skip to 3:15 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAI8S2houW4

I've been thinking about that video... the guy says it started connecting to the network over 2 years after it was stolen. It seems unlikely (or at least plausible) that the guy who had it was the guy who stole it... or did I miss a key bit of info that justified it all?

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#64

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:50 PM UTC

dsmithn wrote: post #48

wheels wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reading comprehension fail. Just because the title asserts that the poster is a hacker doesn't mean that the post justifies why he is one. If I write something about "Why you don't steal from a Texan" I'm going to talk about you digging lead out of your derriere, not about where I was born.

In fact, he's updated his post to reflect this kind of comment: " Updated: to quell the comments, I did not choose the title to imply downloading tracking software is hacking, I am a hacker by profession and have been all my life."

[deleted]

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#65

Post by budu3 » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:50 PM UTC

Did Sam Odio's blog get hacked? Because I refuse to believe that the Sam whose comments I've been reading on HN would steal from someone. Sam how is what you're doing different from what Anonymous et al are doing? However irritating Jonathan's experiment is, it doesn't give you the right to impose you idea of morality on them.

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#66

Post by MatToufoutu » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:50 PM UTC

Maybe this guy IS a hacker, or maybe he's NOT, I don't care, but the word hacker is worthless using in this story, didn't see any hack involved...

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#67

Post by jcfrei » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:56 PM UTC

Am I the only one who feels that it's wrong to put someone's personal information and picture on the internet just because he stole a laptop? Of course you get your personal information stolen as well, but in my opinion that doesn't justify spreading his image and name all over the internet. that kind of intrusion into privacy (of the thief) is a much bigger crime in my eyes than the loss of some laptop.

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#68

Post by eli » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:56 PM UTC

nikcub wrote: post #4

the word 'hacker' has been diluted to a new low first to 'somebody who can write a web app', to now 'somebody who can install software'

Semantics is one of the least interesting things to argue about on the Internet.

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#69

Post by danso » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:57 PM UTC

Apocryphon wrote: post #47

giberson wrote: post #39

Glad the person got their Mac back, but why does this story and ones like it always end at the recovery of the property? Could we get an update on the punishment of the criminal? I'd like to know what kind of repercussions the criminals suffer--do they get prosecuted? I'm just curious if these software tracking systems have been used in court as evidence to convict any of these criminals.

I'm not sure if it's that easy for the victim to find that information. My family was robbed several years ago and while the police eventually reported that they caught the perps, that was all of the detail they left. Similarly, my girlfriend had credit cards stolen once and neither the police nor the credit card company gave any information except that they had found the people who stole the card. Perhaps this discr…

I'm almost certain that (in the States at least) that information would be public record. After all, the person has to be arraigned and go to trial. Police reports are almost always public information, even reports that don't involve you personally. You just have to go to the station sometimes.

Re: Why you don't steal from a hacker.

#70

Post by Kirchart123 » Fri, Aug 12, 2011, 6:57 PM UTC

jcfrei wrote: post #67

Am I the only one who feels that it's wrong to put someone's personal information and picture on the internet just because he stole a laptop? Of course you get your personal information stolen as well, but in my opinion that doesn't justify spreading his image and name all over the internet. that kind of intrusion into privacy (of the thief) is a much bigger crime in my eyes than the loss of some laptop.

Karma is a bitch when u r a bitch ... Just dont stol laptos nd ur image will not be on the internetz