This is a company who specializes in selling products whose purpose is to bypass built in protections in order to gain access to others data without permission.
Considering the new administration may or may not wish to agree with your assessment. Where was this brilliant insight back when they started behavior ?
It's lovely you all think it's a violation now, but there may be nothing you can do about it at this point.
I don't pay ungodly prices for brand new tech anymore. Been burned too many times on that one. ( Bought one of the first HDTV's that didn't have HDMI:| ) When the prices of the tech I want comes down to something reasonable, and I actually need it, then I'll buy it.
Until then, I don't care if Angels Sing and lightrays from God himself powers the damn thing, it will sit on the shelf at the store.
I've already opted out of their damn mandatory updates.
The tablet I use ( Wacom Studio Pro ) simply isn't allowed to connect to the internet. I transfer all files I create on the tablet to my main system via USB stick or just upload it to the local NAS. I do not, and will never, allow a Windows 10 system to talk unrestricted outside of my local network.
As such, the tablet performs flawlessly and I don't worry about some untested bullshit Redmond pushes out that will deny me use of my hardware. In the event I ever load software that requires a periodic connection to a server, I'll simply block everything except the server address ( or the address block of the company that owns the software, Eg: Adobe ) let it say hello, then go dark again until the next hello is required.
When MS starts getting fined or slammed with lawsuits for releasing shoddy updates, they may be a bit more stringent in their QA testing before they release it.
"If generalized beyond patent trolling suits it could severely limit the ability of shallow-pocket plaintiffs to obtain legal council on a contingency fee basis to obtain redress for the torts that damaged, and perhaps impoverished, them.
The result would be that the legal system becomes accessible only to the rich."
I'm not entirely sure about that.
What it will do is force the lawfirms to be a lot more picky about what cases they pick up. They'll pretty much limit themselves only to those cases which have a greater chance of success.
Turn off Federal Funding for the entire State until they decide to play ball. If not, they can fund their little Utopia on their own.
They'll defiantly hold out until the next disaster shows up, then they'll be begging for Federal Aid and blame everyone else when no Federal Funds are dumped on them.
To be honest, that fix works for ANY State that decides not to play the game according to the rules. Only those States that have a budget surplus and don't require Federal Funding are immune to it. ( Which are few, if any )
It would be difficult to give any advice on your situation without knowing the full story.
What I am going to say will be wildly unpopular, but realities often are.
If you are a hard worker who is just being harassed by one or more coworkers and you are unable to bring it up to the company, then I would follow the majority advice given here and begin your search to seek employment elsewhere.
However !
There are some employees whose work ethic / abilities are horrific. One who places a burden on the rest of their coworkers due to the inability to get a job done on time, correctly, or even at all. One who, due to certain circumstances*, cannot or will not be let go from the company. In this type of situation, when management is unwilling to step in and do what's necessary, your coworkers most certainly will attempt to coerce you into voluntarily leaving.
*Related to company management, Union Member, part of a diversity quota, or a self-preservation issue at the management level due to headcount concerns.
Consider also the possibility that management has directed their top performers to help keep an eye on folks who may not be performing up to expectations because their own schedule of conference calls,job duties and even technical expertise doesn't allow them to do it themselves.
I can offer this perspective because the group I work with is in a situation such as this.
We have at least one employee who, after being with us for a few years, is still incapable of performing day to day tasks without having to ask for help from everyone else. They are unreliable and, without constant supervision ( micromanagement to many ), would happily sit at their desk and play on their phone all day long. As a result, most of the rest of the group will have nothing to do with them because their inability or unwillingness to do the job just means more work for everyone else.
So from their perspective, the rest of the team is just being mean. When, in reality, we're quite tired of having to do their work on top of our own.
I can no longer justify utilizing my own time helping them if they're unwilling to learn or even try. We've tried, time and time again to no avail. So we've given up. If that's considered unprofessional or mean, so be it.
The last few years of life for folks with cancer is typically anything but pleasant. In and out of hospitals, in terrible health, life savings dwindling away to pay for treatments and they really look like the living dead. One parent died from complications from Breast Cancer ( lungs kept filling with fluid ), another nearly died recently due to what the chemo treatments have done to their immune system. ( Flu showed up and went into a frenzy since the body has nothing to fight it with )
Thus my ( now downmodded to Flamebait ) previous statement.
I think I would rather die quickly and be done with it rather than drag it out knowing what kind of quality of life awaits.
At least my beneficiaries will be able to use my savings instead of it going to pay for treatments that will ultimately fail me anyway.
Assuming we ever get a serious budget to deploy instruments capable of spotting these things. Assuming we even know about it with more than a couple of days notice. Assuming we even have tech capable of moving such a large mass sufficiently to alter its trajectory at all. Assuming we have said tech already deployed and standing by in launch capable or ready to fire status.
Without all of the above, the strategy is this:
Die. Horribly.
Either as vaporized matter that becomes part of the ejecta cloud, or a short lived Class Alpha fire when the fireball shows up. Maybe you'll get lucky and catch the bazillion meter tall tsunami that will get generated.
While their NoX output might be lower, it is relatively common to watch a diesel truck pull away from a stoplight, and flood the entire intersection with so much exhaust and soot that you can't even see through it.:|
Rare to see a car or non-commercial vehicle do the same.
Unless it's a *Red-Neck Truck. ( *Requires: Diesel engine, largest pickup truck, gigantic tires, custom exhaust and a ridiculous lift kit. Flag pole and 100,000 watts of lights installed optional )
Then it has the same specs and problems as their commercial brethren.
Sure there are other vehicles in the same price range as the Tesla, but my guess is they don't sell as many of them either and for the same reason. The majority of folks lack the financial excess to spend $80k+ on a vehicle.
Unlike many, I actually do have the cash on hand to buy one outright. Still won't do it though.
I have YET to actually see a charging station. Insurance on an $80k vehicle would be much higher. Electric powered vehicles are a bad idea in areas prone to flooding. ( hurricane zone ) Oh and. . . it's still $80k+
I don't care how trendy ( read that status symbol ) they are, I'll let the 1% folks spend their money on such things.
My goal is retirement. I don't get there buying overpriced goods that cater to the rich.
They get the costs down to compete with everything else, then Tesla may survive as a car company.
The man hasn't been President for eight years now. . . . . . and folks are still blaming everything on him.
Fact of the matter is this: If Obama had really wanted to clean up the mess, he could have eradicated most of it with a stroke of his pen. The fact that he didn't bother speaks volumes.
It's hilarious how when Team Democrat has the ball and doesn't get anything done, it's all Team Republicans fault. Yet, when Team Republican is in play and fails to deliver, it's still Team Republicans fault.
I wonder if anyone will ever realize that, while slightly different flavors, they're both the same incompetent team.:|
In the end, no matter what or who is at fault for " climate change ", Mother Nature will eventually step in and show everyone who's really in charge.
All it takes is one very large volcano, not unlike Campi Flegrei near Naples, to wake up and do its thing. The ash output from something like that will effectively put the brakes on any Global Warming and likely plunge the entire planet into a rather chilly place to live for a while.
I like to think that the Earth has mechanisms built in to ensure that we, the peons who live upon it, can't do any real lasting damage in the grand scheme of things. It'll just push the reset button, wipe everything out, and start anew. Earth 2.0 or 3.0, or whatever cycle we're on now.
The lawsuit will go nowhere. Then again, a lawsuit may not be the end game here. It's possible he just wants the person unmasked.
The man claims it caused a seizure, but without evidence to back it up, it's just a claim.
Now, handing out private user data based on one mans ( already questionable ) word is probably a very bad idea for Twitter lest they be held accountable for anything that may happen because of it.
Should you send folks seizure inducing imagery ? Probably not, but Twitter had better tread very carefully here. The potential for abuse is high and Twitter will be on the hook for it.
When you are one of the world leaders in hoarding cash, it tends to make you stand out a bit when the Tax Man comes looking. It becomes especially obvious when more than 90% of your entire cash reserves are overseas.
I would expect all of the players that use offshore tax havens will eventually be in the spotlight.
Apple just happens to be one of the first because their arrogance against paying taxes via tax havens will be used as an example for the rest. A win against Apple would significantly decrease the amount of work that will be necessary to go after the others.
Typically if I'm ordering something online, I will try to mandate that it ship via UPS or FedEx so I can obtain the tracking number. ( If necessary, I'll use the more expensive Next and 2nd Day Air options to ensure one of those two carriers are utilized ) Once I know what day the package is going to arrive, I will either telecommute or flat take the day off to ensure I take possession of the package the moment it arrives.
If the package is trivial ( read that not expensive ) then I may not bother with it.
However, much of the gear I purchase online is quite $$$ and will require a signature upon arrival anyway, so someone has to be there regardless. It never fails, if you don't stay home to catch it, they'll show up before you get off work. If you DO stay home to catch it, they don't show up until well after you would have got off work:|
For those situations, there isn't any technology that will help.
It's strange how the human race will go through so much effort to define the " rules " of War, when the effort would be better spent on removing War entirely.
( yeah I know, sometimes you just gotta bomb the shit out of somebody because their ideals conflict with other ideals and they won't take no for an answer. Example: Sharia Law vs The Civilized World )
It's rather strange to wrap my head around the idea of being prosecuted for " War Crimes " ( lol wtf . . it's a War ) for killing someone in an unauthorized manner whilst in the middle of combat with those who are trying to kill you.
Slashdot Mirror
This is a company who specializes in selling products whose purpose is to bypass built in protections in order to gain access to others data without permission.
Am curious how they feel when it happens to them.
coming to this conclusion isn't it ?
Considering the new administration may or may not wish to agree with your assessment.
Where was this brilliant insight back when they started behavior ?
It's lovely you all think it's a violation now, but there may be nothing you can do about it at this point.
Good Job :|
is tomorrows old news.
I don't pay ungodly prices for brand new tech anymore. Been burned too many times on that one. ( Bought one of the first HDTV's that didn't have HDMI :| )
When the prices of the tech I want comes down to something reasonable, and I actually need it, then I'll buy it.
Until then, I don't care if Angels Sing and lightrays from God himself powers the damn thing, it will sit on the shelf at the store.
I've already opted out of their damn mandatory updates.
The tablet I use ( Wacom Studio Pro ) simply isn't allowed to connect to the internet. I transfer all files I create on the tablet to my main system via USB stick or just upload it to the local NAS. I do not, and will never, allow a Windows 10 system to talk unrestricted outside of my local network.
As such, the tablet performs flawlessly and I don't worry about some untested bullshit Redmond pushes out that will deny me use of my hardware. In the event I ever load software that requires a periodic connection to a server, I'll simply block everything except the server address ( or the address block of the company that owns the software, Eg: Adobe ) let it say hello, then go dark again until the next hello is required.
When MS starts getting fined or slammed with lawsuits for releasing shoddy updates, they may be a bit more stringent in their QA testing before they release it.
"If generalized beyond patent trolling suits it could severely limit the ability of shallow-pocket plaintiffs to obtain legal council on a contingency fee basis to obtain redress for the torts that damaged, and perhaps impoverished, them.
The result would be that the legal system becomes accessible only to the rich."
I'm not entirely sure about that.
What it will do is force the lawfirms to be a lot more picky about what cases they pick up. They'll pretty much limit themselves only to those cases which have a greater chance of success.
If I worked in that IT department, I would make sure they knew I would be willing to come back and fix things as a contractor @ $250 / hour. :D
This is also why California is currently $452 Billion in debt vs Oklahoma's $18 Billion :|
( Pssst: Quit spending what you don't have )
The easy fix for California's arrogance is this:
Turn off Federal Funding for the entire State until they decide to play ball.
If not, they can fund their little Utopia on their own.
They'll defiantly hold out until the next disaster shows up, then they'll be
begging for Federal Aid and blame everyone else when no Federal Funds
are dumped on them.
To be honest, that fix works for ANY State that decides not to play the
game according to the rules. Only those States that have a budget surplus
and don't require Federal Funding are immune to it. ( Which are few, if any )
It would be difficult to give any advice on your situation without knowing the full story.
What I am going to say will be wildly unpopular, but realities often are.
If you are a hard worker who is just being harassed by one or more coworkers and you are unable to bring it up to the company, then I would follow the majority advice given here and begin your search to seek employment elsewhere.
However !
There are some employees whose work ethic / abilities are horrific. One who places a burden on the rest of their coworkers due to the inability to get a job done on time, correctly, or even at all. One who, due to certain circumstances*, cannot or will not be let go from the company. In this type of situation, when management is unwilling to step in and do what's necessary, your coworkers most certainly will attempt to coerce you into voluntarily leaving.
*Related to company management, Union Member, part of a diversity quota, or a self-preservation issue at the management level due to headcount concerns.
Consider also the possibility that management has directed their top performers to help keep an eye on folks who may not be performing up to expectations because their own schedule of conference calls,job duties and even technical expertise doesn't allow them to do it themselves.
I can offer this perspective because the group I work with is in a situation such as this.
We have at least one employee who, after being with us for a few years, is still incapable of performing day to day tasks without having to ask for help from everyone else. They are unreliable and, without constant supervision ( micromanagement to many ), would happily sit at their desk and play on their phone all day long. As a result, most of the rest of the group will have nothing to do with them because their inability or unwillingness to do the job just means more work for everyone else.
So from their perspective, the rest of the team is just being mean. When, in reality, we're quite tired of having to do their work on top of our own.
I can no longer justify utilizing my own time helping them if they're unwilling to learn or even try. We've tried, time and time again to no avail. So we've given up.
If that's considered unprofessional or mean, so be it.
I have a job to do.
I don't have time to be nice anymore.
Trump has already made the statement that he will kill the merger if he can.
He understands, all too well, that such a thing would put too much power into the hands of too few.
I'll have to respectfully disagree with you here.
The last few years of life for folks with cancer is typically anything but pleasant. In and out of hospitals, in terrible health, life savings dwindling away to pay for treatments and they really look like the living dead. One parent died from complications from Breast Cancer ( lungs kept filling with fluid ), another nearly died recently due to what the chemo treatments have done to their immune system. ( Flu showed up and went into a frenzy since the body has nothing to fight it with )
Thus my ( now downmodded to Flamebait ) previous statement.
I think I would rather die quickly and be done with it rather than drag it out knowing what kind of quality of life awaits.
At least my beneficiaries will be able to use my savings instead of it going to pay for treatments that will ultimately fail me anyway.
Note he doesn't say this is the amount they're going to sell them for, it's more likely the manufacturing cost.
So it's great for Google, Apple, Samsung, et al., not so much for those who will be buying them at 20x the price to support obscene profits.
Yeah, I get it. They're out to make a profit. But there's profit, then there is absurd profits. Smartphones easily fall into the latter category.
folks usually tend to die do to complications associated with Cancer, versus the disease itself.
For example, you get Cancer and go through the treatments.
The treatments absolutely destroy your immune system.
The $common_ailment shows up and kills you because your body cannot defend against it.
In trying to stave off the inevitable, we make it easier for the common cold to kick our ass.
Assuming we ever get a serious budget to deploy instruments capable of spotting these things.
Assuming we even know about it with more than a couple of days notice.
Assuming we even have tech capable of moving such a large mass sufficiently to alter its trajectory at all.
Assuming we have said tech already deployed and standing by in launch capable or ready to fire status.
Without all of the above, the strategy is this:
Die. Horribly.
Either as vaporized matter that becomes part of the ejecta cloud, or a short lived Class Alpha fire when the
fireball shows up. Maybe you'll get lucky and catch the bazillion meter tall tsunami that will get generated.
Would make for an Epic last selfie
While their NoX output might be lower, it is relatively common to watch a diesel truck pull away from a stoplight, and flood the entire intersection with so much exhaust and soot that you can't even see through it. :|
Rare to see a car or non-commercial vehicle do the same.
Unless it's a *Red-Neck Truck.
( *Requires: Diesel engine, largest pickup truck, gigantic tires, custom exhaust and a ridiculous lift kit. Flag pole and 100,000 watts of lights installed optional )
Then it has the same specs and problems as their commercial brethren.
It's the cost.
Sure there are other vehicles in the same price range as the Tesla, but my guess is they don't sell as many of them either and for the same reason. The majority of folks lack the financial excess to spend $80k+ on a vehicle.
Unlike many, I actually do have the cash on hand to buy one outright. Still won't do it though.
I have YET to actually see a charging station.
Insurance on an $80k vehicle would be much higher.
Electric powered vehicles are a bad idea in areas prone to flooding. ( hurricane zone )
Oh and. . . it's still $80k+
I don't care how trendy ( read that status symbol ) they are, I'll let the 1% folks spend their money on such things.
My goal is retirement. I don't get there buying overpriced goods that cater to the rich.
They get the costs down to compete with everything else, then Tesla may survive as a car company.
The man hasn't been President for eight years now. . . . . . and folks are still blaming everything on him.
Fact of the matter is this: If Obama had really wanted to clean up the mess, he could have eradicated most of it with a stroke of his pen. The fact that he didn't bother speaks volumes.
It's hilarious how when Team Democrat has the ball and doesn't get anything done, it's all Team Republicans fault.
Yet, when Team Republican is in play and fails to deliver, it's still Team Republicans fault.
I wonder if anyone will ever realize that, while slightly different flavors, they're both the same incompetent team. :|
is that, when you really need folks to believe you, it just doesn't happen.
Maybe if the US Government understood this fact, we might actually care what they have to say.
" Suspected of backing terrorism "
is easily translated into
" Disagree with how we are running things so we slap a terrorist label on them and prosecute accordingly "
In the end, no matter what or who is at fault for " climate change ", Mother Nature will eventually step in and show everyone who's really in charge.
All it takes is one very large volcano, not unlike Campi Flegrei near Naples, to wake up and do its thing. The ash output from something like that will effectively put the brakes on any Global Warming and likely plunge the entire planet into a rather chilly place to live for a while.
I like to think that the Earth has mechanisms built in to ensure that we, the peons who live upon it, can't do any real lasting damage in the grand scheme of things.
It'll just push the reset button, wipe everything out, and start anew. Earth 2.0 or 3.0, or whatever cycle we're on now.
we will never be rid of fake news.
It's far too useful to some folks when they need to sway public opinion on something. The truth be damned.
The lawsuit will go nowhere. Then again, a lawsuit may not be the end game here. It's possible he just wants the person unmasked.
The man claims it caused a seizure, but without evidence to back it up, it's just a claim.
Now, handing out private user data based on one mans ( already questionable ) word is probably a very bad idea for Twitter lest they be held accountable for anything that may happen because of it.
Should you send folks seizure inducing imagery ? Probably not, but Twitter had better tread very carefully here. The potential for abuse is high and Twitter will be on the hook for it.
When you are one of the world leaders in hoarding cash, it tends to make you stand out a bit when the Tax Man comes looking.
It becomes especially obvious when more than 90% of your entire cash reserves are overseas.
I would expect all of the players that use offshore tax havens will eventually be in the spotlight.
Apple just happens to be one of the first because their arrogance against paying taxes via tax havens will be used as an example for the rest.
A win against Apple would significantly decrease the amount of work that will be necessary to go after the others.
Typically if I'm ordering something online, I will try to mandate that it ship via UPS or FedEx so I can obtain the tracking number. ( If necessary, I'll use the more expensive Next and 2nd Day Air options to ensure one of those two carriers are utilized ) Once I know what day the package is going to arrive, I will either telecommute or flat take the day off to ensure I take possession of the package the moment it arrives.
If the package is trivial ( read that not expensive ) then I may not bother with it.
However, much of the gear I purchase online is quite $$$ and will require a signature upon arrival anyway, so someone has to be there regardless. It never fails, if you don't stay home to catch it, they'll show up before you get off work. If you DO stay home to catch it, they don't show up until well after you would have got off work :|
For those situations, there isn't any technology that will help.
It's strange how the human race will go through so much effort to define the " rules " of War, when the effort would be better spent on removing War entirely.
( yeah I know, sometimes you just gotta bomb the shit out of somebody because their ideals conflict with other ideals and they won't take no for an answer. Example: Sharia Law vs The Civilized World )
It's rather strange to wrap my head around the idea of being prosecuted for " War Crimes " ( lol wtf . . it's a War ) for killing someone in an unauthorized manner whilst in the middle of combat with those who are trying to kill you.