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You Are Not a Lawyer

Paul Ohm is starting a new "very occasional" feature on the Freedom To Tinker blog called You Are Not a Lawyer — "In this series, I will try to disabuse computer scientists and other technically minded people of some commonly held misconceptions about the law (and the legal system)." In the first installment, Ohm walks through the reasons why many techies' faith in the presence of "reasonable doubt" is so misplaced. "When techies think about criminal law, and in particular crimes committed online, they tend to fixate on [the 'beyond a reasonable doubt'] legal standard, dreaming up ways people can use technology to inject doubt into the evidence to avoid being convicted. I can't count how many conversations I have had with techies about things like the 'open wireless access point defense,' the 'trojaned computer defense,' the 'NAT-ted firewall defense,' and the 'dynamic IP address defense.' ... People who place stock in these theories and tools are neglecting an important drawback. There are another set of legal standards — the legal standards governing search and seizure — you should worry about long before you ever get to 'beyond a reasonable doubt.'"

17 of 693 comments (clear)

  1. Ohm's Law? by loshwomp · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sounds like the piece should be called "Ohm's Law".

    1. Re:Ohm's Law? by lastchance_000 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'll start a feature called "You are not a techie."

      My first entry? Make sure your webserver/webhost is up to snuff before letting /. loose on it.

    2. Re:Ohm's Law? by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 5, Funny

      Years ago I saw a US Air Force training document refer to "Ohm's Three Laws".
      V=IR, I=V/R, and R=V/I. :P

    3. Re:Ohm's Law? by FalseModesty · · Score: 5, Funny

      (2) Academic lawyers generally have a slanted view on the world

      As opposed to ACs?

    4. Re:Ohm's Law? by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 4, Funny

      A couple of considerations...

      Here is one more:
      (4) If you are not in the US, US law does not apply.

  2. Pfft, lawyers by Rogerborg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Difference between them and us?

    • Techie: If you don't know how to do what I do, then learn.
    • Lawyer: If you don't know how to do what I do, pay me $500 an hour or your children will die penniless in the gutter.
    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  3. IPBIC* by paiute · · Score: 5, Funny

    IANAL
    YANAL

    then who the hell is a lawyer?
    TWTHIAL?

    WWJD?
    JWRTFM!

    *I post because I care

    --
    If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
    1. Re:IPBIC* by fan777 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Jesus would ride the fucking motorcycle?

      That doesn't make any sense.

  4. YANAL by shma · · Score: 4, Funny

    Y not?

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    I came here for a good argument
  5. Re:Reasonable Doubt. by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    At least people expect the cops to break down your door in the U.S. Nobody expects the...

    Oh, forget it.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  6. Re:Legal standards of search and seizure by FalseModesty · · Score: 4, Funny

    I never got in trouble as a kid. but then I was aware of my location and had a scanner in my pocket with a earphone in all the time.

    Wow. Just seriously paranoid, or did you commit lots of crimes?

  7. Re:LEARN by metamechanical · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, people do have to use an ounce of cation online.

    I prefer to use an ounce of anion, but I guess I'm just a negative kind of guy.

    --
    If I had a nickel for every time I had a nickel, I'd be richcursive!
  8. Re:Legal standards of search and seizure by Paracelcus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Encrypt everything, hide everything, obfuscate everything, always assume that THEY are out to get you. Keep your bags packed at an alternate (undisclosed) location, keep some cash hidden and have an extra passport ready (always lose the first one they send you) in case they confiscate your first. Always pay cash, wear a broad brimmed hat and large dark glasses in public, grow a beard (you can quickly change you appearance by shaving). Use anonymous pay as you go cellphones or be careful what you say over the phone, keep your phone turned off and the battery removed.

      Remember it ain't paranoia if they really are out to get you!

    --
    I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
  9. Re:Legal standards of search and seizure by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Friends that got nailed a LOT and watched their pain. Also I had a brother that got nailed and was ground up through the system.

    when you see it happen and pay attention, you know what happens and what to do to stay away from it. I also was a big protester in college.. I was never arrested because I would not be stupid and dress like the others protesting. I always looked like a innocent bystander on purpose..

    Once when asked by a cop why I was holding a sign I said, "some cute chick over there gave it to me, I dont want to drop it and litter" He took the sign as a favor to me.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  10. Re:Wow! Who ever would have guessed that!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Never mind your fucking Venn diagrams.

    !?

    *squints his eyes*

    You just made a powerful enemy.

  11. Re:Totally off topic now but what the hell by digitig · · Score: 4, Funny

    Two of the Roman Catholic priests in the town I used to live in were Father John Lennon and Father Michael Jackson. To their credit, they never did put on the seemingly inevetable and ultimately disappointing fundraising concert double-bill.

    --
    Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
  12. XKCD by Rei · · Score: 5, Funny

    As always, XKCD has already covered this. ;)

    --
    And I'd like to be the king of all Londinium and wear a shiny hat.