The only things you can do about it are the things you've already stated you won't do about it. Don't visit Japan. Get your friends/family to agree that the measure is extreme and either work as citizens of Japan to change the law, or immigrate to a nation that isn't doing these things. Granted, that second option is likely to get progressively more difficult over the next few years.
I don't plan on committing any crimes while I'm there, so it's not like it's going to affect me all that much. What is so corrupt about a government trying to protect it's citizens from non citizens?
Nothing. The problem is in how it's done, and the potentials for abuse. I don't plan on committing any crimes in Japan, either, but I'm not going to enter a country that is so obviously paranoid about foreigners and has the ability to track every move I make while I'm there. The problem is that this kind of law steadily erodes your ability to prove you didn't do something if you're falsely accused. As a previous poster mentioned, it's already pretty freaking hard to do that in Japan even if you're a citizen. 99% conviction rate for arrests in Japan? Surely we can't think that the Japanese have nearly infallible law enforcement! And now you want to submit to mandatory fingerprinting? No thanks.
Sometimes you have to make sacrifices when you enjoy something or someplace.:-(.
Thank you for exemplifying the attitude that lets governments get away with this shit. Do you really think Japan (or the US, for that matter) would continue this blatant abuse of their visiters' privacy if a majority of tourists decided they'd rather spend their money in a country that doesn't treat them like criminals?
The "there's nothing I can do about it, so I'll just live with it" attitude is at least as much to blame for these problems as corrupt governments.
Congress passes a law to protect US citizens from unscrupulous gambling operations that are not subject to the same kind of regulations that Casinos in the U.S. must meet
You really think that's the reason those laws were passed? Wow. Makes me wonder what other laws look like through those rose-colored glasses of yours...
You can turn UAC off, y'know. I don't mind Vista for the most part, but it is getting progressively slower:-(
Yeah, I could, but I actually agree with it in general. It's the constant nagging about programs I've already allowed that bothers me. I'm actually fine with it popping up and saying, "Hey, administrator access for component X is being requested. Did you know about that and initiate it?". It's when I've got one specific program that I use once every 30 minutes, and it asks me if I'm sure I want to run it every single time that makes me want to whack MS security folks over the head with a clue-by-four.
As for it getting slower, my main complaint in that department is its seemingly random disc thrash-o-thons. I've got all the automatic backup and drive-shadowing features that I can find turned off, and it still decides to do constant access to the hard drive every now and then for no obvious reason. If I could solve that one last issue, I'd be fairly happy with it.
Of course, I'd be even happier if I could run all the games I want to play under my Linux install. =)
Don't want your kids filling up your hard drive with crap and slowing down the machine? Don't make them administrators. Don't blame the OS for your inability to manage it.
It's amazing how often people forget that cardinal rule of security, isn't it? Of course, leave it to MS to have their new OS beat people over the head with it. I am SO sick of the UAC popping up when I run programs I've proven to myself are safe. Why isn't there a way to say, "Yes, I'm sure I want to run this program, and don't freaking ask me again!"?
People who take cases to court knowing that they're in the wrong (as opposed to a good faith belief that they really didn't actually do it) do need to pay. Court cases cost entirely too much.
Very true. But what portion of that $222,000 fine do you think will actually go to compensating the public for the waste of time? Not a red cent. If you want to punish people for wasting the court's time, put them on community service duty or something else that both deprives them of personal time AND gives some form of recompense to the community. Don't completely destroy their livelihood by leveling a fine that they wouldn't be able to pay off with ten years gross salary.
And if there were less court cases, less people would be forced into that utter bullshit system we call "Jury Service".
They certainly use charged words, but they're not really slamming Nintendo or Rockstar. However, for a company that's constantly in battles about whether or not their games are "murder simulators" or the like, this quote wasn't such a great idea:
"It's a different level of engagement in video games," says Rockstar's Rodney Walker. "You can literally experience the emotional responses of the character."
Yeah...maybe they want to give Mr. Walker a personal editor before his next interview?:)
I would love to pay a (reasonable) flat rate, in advance, for seasons of TV shows I want to watch, and have them automatically downloaded every week, but this seems not to be something the studios want to sell me. Until then, I'll stick to renting DVDs, typically some years after the shows have been created.
Amen to that. Personally, I'm still trying to figure out why the broadcast companies think they'll make more money by continuing to sell commercial time than by simply selling the shows directly to the viewers. Let's see, I can either spend time downloading their videos for free (I assume free anyway, TFA didn't make it clear or I missed it) but swamped in commercials from their site, thus costing them bandwidth charges to boot, or I can go to Borders and buy the full season of Heroes on DVD for a price that works out to $2.09 per episode. Hmmm....lemme think about that. Is a commercial-free show worth $2? =P
Not so fast. When was the last time you locked the bathroom door?
Are you kidding? Just look over/under the stall, or kick the door in. Bathrooms have more security holes than swiss cheese! That's why I only use open-source bathrooms so I can install my own stalls and locking mechanisms...
Well, I have to admit that my knowledge of the mobile edition is severely lacking; I'm used to developing for full-fledged servers. After re-reading the AusCERT document, though, it does appear that this flaw is limited to the full JSE. So much for the danger.:)
First of all, thanks to the OP for the link to AusCERT. Very, very helpful!
Oh good grief, is that all it is? A buffer overflow in images that only affects desktops and servers supporting image uploads that are not running the latest version of a given JVM?
Looks to me like the major problem is for embedded devices, where the update isn't easy. All you'd have to do is create a web page with an applet that displays images, then custom-craft a JPG file to exploit the weakness. Remember, applets run on the client's VM, so the mobile/embedded device would be the one executing the attacking code, not the web server. Viola, anyone you can entice into viewing your web page has just been breached.
Granted, not/quite/ the gloom and doom of the article, but still a major, valid security hole.
Man, that's so much easier than the rectal implant my last employer used. Mind you, it wasn't the implant that was a pain, so much as the reader wand...
Could you give some links to the information you're using? I'd love to see it. (Of course, it won't be good for my blood pressure, but I'm sure it'll be informative.)
Slashdot Mirror
Because they're sure as snot not around my home city. I'm tired of getting carded to buy a game when I'm nearly two decades past the "sell-to" age. :P
The only things you can do about it are the things you've already stated you won't do about it. Don't visit Japan. Get your friends/family to agree that the measure is extreme and either work as citizens of Japan to change the law, or immigrate to a nation that isn't doing these things. Granted, that second option is likely to get progressively more difficult over the next few years.
Nothing. The problem is in how it's done, and the potentials for abuse. I don't plan on committing any crimes in Japan, either, but I'm not going to enter a country that is so obviously paranoid about foreigners and has the ability to track every move I make while I'm there. The problem is that this kind of law steadily erodes your ability to prove you didn't do something if you're falsely accused. As a previous poster mentioned, it's already pretty freaking hard to do that in Japan even if you're a citizen. 99% conviction rate for arrests in Japan? Surely we can't think that the Japanese have nearly infallible law enforcement! And now you want to submit to mandatory fingerprinting? No thanks.
Thank you for exemplifying the attitude that lets governments get away with this shit. Do you really think Japan (or the US, for that matter) would continue this blatant abuse of their visiters' privacy if a majority of tourists decided they'd rather spend their money in a country that doesn't treat them like criminals?
The "there's nothing I can do about it, so I'll just live with it" attitude is at least as much to blame for these problems as corrupt governments.
*hits his Jeopardy buzzer* What is Irony?
You really think that's the reason those laws were passed? Wow. Makes me wonder what other laws look like through those rose-colored glasses of yours...
Now THAT is a great idea! I just wish my last mod point hadn't expired in the night. :)
Yeah, I could, but I actually agree with it in general. It's the constant nagging about programs I've already allowed that bothers me. I'm actually fine with it popping up and saying, "Hey, administrator access for component X is being requested. Did you know about that and initiate it?". It's when I've got one specific program that I use once every 30 minutes, and it asks me if I'm sure I want to run it every single time that makes me want to whack MS security folks over the head with a clue-by-four.
As for it getting slower, my main complaint in that department is its seemingly random disc thrash-o-thons. I've got all the automatic backup and drive-shadowing features that I can find turned off, and it still decides to do constant access to the hard drive every now and then for no obvious reason. If I could solve that one last issue, I'd be fairly happy with it.
Of course, I'd be even happier if I could run all the games I want to play under my Linux install. =)
It's amazing how often people forget that cardinal rule of security, isn't it? Of course, leave it to MS to have their new OS beat people over the head with it. I am SO sick of the UAC popping up when I run programs I've proven to myself are safe. Why isn't there a way to say, "Yes, I'm sure I want to run this program, and don't freaking ask me again!"?
Amen! Mod (grand)parent up!
Very true. But what portion of that $222,000 fine do you think will actually go to compensating the public for the waste of time? Not a red cent. If you want to punish people for wasting the court's time, put them on community service duty or something else that both deprives them of personal time AND gives some form of recompense to the community. Don't completely destroy their livelihood by leveling a fine that they wouldn't be able to pay off with ten years gross salary.
Here, take this bath robe. Your bias is showing.
They certainly use charged words, but they're not really slamming Nintendo or Rockstar. However, for a company that's constantly in battles about whether or not their games are "murder simulators" or the like, this quote wasn't such a great idea:
"It's a different level of engagement in video games," says Rockstar's Rodney Walker. "You can literally experience the emotional responses of the character."Yeah...maybe they want to give Mr. Walker a personal editor before his next interview? :)
Amen to that. Personally, I'm still trying to figure out why the broadcast companies think they'll make more money by continuing to sell commercial time than by simply selling the shows directly to the viewers. Let's see, I can either spend time downloading their videos for free (I assume free anyway, TFA didn't make it clear or I missed it) but swamped in commercials from their site, thus costing them bandwidth charges to boot, or I can go to Borders and buy the full season of Heroes on DVD for a price that works out to $2.09 per episode. Hmmm....lemme think about that. Is a commercial-free show worth $2? =P
Really? And here I thought they'd use option four, "Pull some source code out of thin air". o.O
Sorry, just had to make fun of that particular piece of non-information. :)
Are you kidding? Just look over/under the stall, or kick the door in. Bathrooms have more security holes than swiss cheese! That's why I only use open-source bathrooms so I can install my own stalls and locking mechanisms...
And there was much rejoicing. :)
Well, I have to admit that my knowledge of the mobile edition is severely lacking; I'm used to developing for full-fledged servers. After re-reading the AusCERT document, though, it does appear that this flaw is limited to the full JSE. So much for the danger. :)
First of all, thanks to the OP for the link to AusCERT. Very, very helpful!
Oh good grief, is that all it is? A buffer overflow in images that only affects desktops and servers supporting image uploads that are not running the latest version of a given JVM?Looks to me like the major problem is for embedded devices, where the update isn't easy. All you'd have to do is create a web page with an applet that displays images, then custom-craft a JPG file to exploit the weakness. Remember, applets run on the client's VM, so the mobile/embedded device would be the one executing the attacking code, not the web server. Viola, anyone you can entice into viewing your web page has just been breached.
Granted, not /quite/ the gloom and doom of the article, but still a major, valid security hole.
Okay, so which versions are vulnerable?
I wish I had mod points right now. Someone mod parent Insightful, please?
Oh, hi! You must be new.
They're just letting you know in advance about the validity of their claims. ;)
Man, that's so much easier than the rectal implant my last employer used. Mind you, it wasn't the implant that was a pain, so much as the reader wand...
Exactly! There's no shortage of jobs at McDonald's around here. :)
..but good luck with that. :/
Could you give some links to the information you're using? I'd love to see it. (Of course, it won't be good for my blood pressure, but I'm sure it'll be informative.)