Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

People Staring at Computers (2021)

kylemcdonald.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 130 posts

Re: People Staring at Computers (2021)

#21

Post by mkl95 »

bitwize wrote: post #19
jjulius wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth highlighting that it doesn't seem as though this caused any issue whatsoever for the author.

Had the government wanted to give him a harder time than they did, it could've been a significant issue. FBI agents are trained in interrogation techniques designed to manipulate you into saying contradictory things, for the sole purpose of being able to slap you with a false-statements charge in case they can't get enough on you to convict you of the crime they were actually investigating.

Any idea why they do this? Is it a PR thing? Some angle like 95% of our suspects are convicted within 5 years.

Re: People Staring at Computers (2021)

#22

Post by rrwo »

And for anyone who insists that Apple is one of the good guys:

> In response, Apple contacted the Secret Service and they raided my apartment. After censoring the work online, Apple did not pursue a civil case against me.

Re: People Staring at Computers (2021)

#23

Post by j33zusjuice »

santoshalper wrote: post #14
JKCalhoun wrote: post #12

> Especially the parts where I chastise, "look, we've gotten so wrapped up in all these computers we have forgotten about the real people around us". Like one of those cafe signs that says "we don't have wifi, talk to each other, pretend it's 1995". I think this cynical, dismissive attitude towards networked technology was popular in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Now I can see I was just parroting it. You aren't "p…

Also, I don't think that this sentiment has gone out of fashion at all.

It absolutely hasn’t. If anything, the feeling has strengthened in people who once lived without these devices.

Re: People Staring at Computers (2021)

#25

Post by indymike »

jacknews wrote: post #11

The police forces were created to protect property and 'the system', not people, and that's what they continue to do. https://worxintheory.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/origins-of-the...

> The police forces were created to protect property and 'the system'

If that is the case, why is civil asset forfeiture a thing? It seems to undermine property rights and is a glaring failure in the system.

Re: People Staring at Computers (2021)

#27

Post by hklgny »

This article was a bit of a whirlwind for me, I had many of the reactions he later mentioned hearing in comments. I think where I settled is that this was an annoying invasion of privacy and ruined a good thing. I loved hearing about people recording music videos and doing real things in the stores, sucks to see that abused and put at risk.

Stand out for me, however, was this line from the EFF: “if you're ever thinking of doing something like this in the future, give us a call first.”

I think taking that action would have altered my opinion on it. Does anyone know if such a reach out would actually get a useful response?

Re: People Staring at Computers (2021)

#28

Post by yetihehe »

indymike wrote: post #25
jacknews wrote: post #11

The police forces were created to protect property and 'the system', not people, and that's what they continue to do. https://worxintheory.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/origins-of-the...

> The police forces were created to protect property and 'the system' If that is the case, why is civil asset forfeiture a thing? It seems to undermine property rights and is a glaring failure in the system.

No policing system is perfect, in any complicated enough system there will always be rules that undermine that system slightly. It's like asking "why is cancer a thing, it undermines living organisms".

Re: People Staring at Computers (2021)

#29

Post by michaelt »

mkl95 wrote: post #21
bitwize wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Had the government wanted to give him a harder time than they did, it could've been a significant issue. FBI agents are trained in interrogation techniques designed to manipulate you into saying contradictory things, for the sole purpose of being able to slap you with a false-statements charge in case they can't get enough on you to convict you of the crime they were actually investigating.

Any idea why they do this? Is it a PR thing? Some angle like 95% of our suspects are convicted within 5 years .

Some people hear "Al Capone was only ever jailed for tax evasion" and think to themselves "that murderer deserved to be in jail, getting him jailed was just even if it wasn't for his biggest crimes"

Re: People Staring at Computers (2021)

#30

Post by prego_xo »

This story isn't a very new one, and overall repeats the same dated philosophical standpoints about both art and privacy, but man is the author's storytelling gripping. It was interesting to read about the secret service and how they didn't quite know what to do throughout the entire investigation. Or Apple, who opted to strong-arm blogs from allowing the photos rather than talk with EFF lawyers privately. It's funny to think how such an unsolvable question of "What Is Art?" was the deciding factor in how each party handled a case that could have easily been fought for and against the project fundamentally.
Post reply on HN