Regardless of how far you may think the abuse has gone, the potential for illegal use of the information gathered is incredibly huge... And this article demonstrates that govenrment agencies are vulnerable to cracking just like everyone else. So even if you don't believe the govenrment would abuse the info, someone else may get access to the info that would.
Biometrics are worse than passwords if you think about it. Once the "biometric" info is converted to digital data, it is no harder to crack and/or copy than a paswword. And once it is cracked, what are you going to do, change your fingerprints or retinas?? If someone cracks your biometrics, you are screwed. Now biometrics with the addition of a strong password may be a better solution...
I'd be willing to bet the farm that the phone records (and bank records) collected by the NSA have been used primarily to build DEA cases... The article I read http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12753284/ said they were "talking" about giving access to the records to the FBI, DEA, and CIA - translation : those agencies already have access.
When all the information was obtained illegal anyways, it simplifies what can be "leaked" - none of it. Oops.
"It probably won't take very long to figure out who's working in syndicate on this SPAM scheme. They're going to get hurt pretty hard. I mean.. after a while they will be able to figure out who is buying just before these SPAMs go out and start putting together the syndication."
Well, the NSA has their - emails, phone records, and bank records - it shouldn't take them too long.
"I don't believe in insider trading laws because anyone who runs a business, works for a business, or is involved with any internal operations of a business definitely has insider information and will act on it. It is ridiculous to think that you can legislate what a corporation has to offer its investors -- if the investors want information, they should make sure it is contractually required for the corporation to offer that information."
I agree for the most part what you are saying about this. But in the Stewart case, her stockbroker was also the company owner's stockbroker. When the owner decides to "dump" a bunch of shares the day before an FDA ruling comes out, and the stockbroker decides to call Martha to let her know what is up, that is the very definition of insider trading. Martha would have had no knowledge of this outside her stockbroker tipping her off. Now if the stockbroker had called everybody that had stock in Imclone, that would be different...
As far as the 4000 employees, a lot of them had stock options and did not choose to invest their personal money in Enron. And if those employees had known the true financial state of Enron, I think they could have made better decisions about their stocks...(not all 4000 were probably as smug as the two "friends" you knew)
I don't invest in any publicly traded stocks either, for all the reasons that you pointed out are wrong with the entire system.
"Yup, it's possible to be social liberal and still wish people would exercise some personal responsbility. Pretty radical, huh?"
Yes, completely radical. If the US wasn't so completely a two part system, I would suggest that you run for office (although your base of personally responsible social liberals probably wouldn't be overwhelming...)
Ok, I'll break it down for you. Some of the same people defending Ken Lay, saying "all he did was lie" and it wasn't a big deal are the same people who wanted Clinton impeached for the exact same offense. Would have thought that it was pretty obvious.... If you think the Ken Lay discussion isn't a political one, who is being naive now??
Is this the real reason behind his "untimely" passing? "Held in probate until matters are settled" sounds like his family could stretch out the time to have to make any payments a few more years...
Well, he was found guilty of 21 counts total in three sepearte jury trials...As far as the "no actual victims" statement, well, tell that to the 4,000 employees that are out of jobs and their savings... He may not have "directly" physically harmed them, but I hear not eating and not having a shelter over your head can be tough, from a physical standpoint.
He may not have caused Enron's collapse, but he knew about it, and lied to cover it up for financial gain.
Martha Stewart didn't do anything wrong?? Apparently you have never heard the phrase "insider trading" which she definitely did do, and is definitely illegal...
"but Lay was no different than any number of politicians"
Yep, you are right. That doesn't mean Lay should get off scott free, but that many, many others should be investigated also.
"The first, and only, time I've heard something as stupid as that obviously had to be on an American web forum."
Sounds like stupid EuroTrash drivel... (see how dumb ethnic stereotypes sound??)
If this is the first time you have heard something stupid on Slashdot, let me be the first to say - "Welcome to Slashdot. You must be new here!"
Yep, Jim Morrison, Elvis, and Ken Lay are all drinking Pina Coladas on a tropical island right now...
But in all seriousness, Lay is the one who could have really pulled it off... I don't buy it until -
A) The body is on public display
B) DNA and dental records are verified by multiple third party sources
C) The doctor who signed the death certificate has his background gone over with a fine toothed comb
"Care to tell us all exactly what he did to deserve punishment?"
What f*cking planet are you from exactly?? If you don't know what was wrong with Mr. Lay's actions, I suggest you never venture into any field involving "business ethics"...
"I think anyone even discussing this on the OS level is missing the point. Viruses are written for the masses, so if a switch to any other OS by "the masses" ever happens the viruses, malware, etc. will simply follow suit. The 'which OS is better' argument is so old, please, it's like trying to compare a ford taurus, a BMW and a UniMog... they're all different and have different audiences."
Amen brother. But this is Slashdot where you are preaching to a crowd that can't hear - because everyone else is screaming "I run {fill in 1337 OS here} and it is so much better than your crappy {fill in non 1337 OS here} at the top of their lungs.
In 10 years, after everyone makes the switch to OS X or *nix,(haha) then Slashdotters will be talking about how secure the new Windows product is, and how any Mac or *nix box can be "pwned" in 5 seconds by anyone on the internet... (but they will most likely still be talking about Natalie Portman and hot grits)
"Except that in those instances, they were not given a choice. Those users, when they went to buy a new computer, no longer had the option of buying an Intel PC without Windows,"
Bull - it has always been an option to buy a PC without an OS. Maybe buying a coprorate (I.E. Dell, Gateway) without an OEM OS is more difficult, but it is still possible. Hell, I bought a Dell last year with no OS on it and saved $50 or so. As a matter or fact, my last 3 home PCs were all purchased without an OS - so don't say it isn't possible, just not as probable. I just it funny that not a single/. users thinks it is even possible for a user to want to use Windows - not just that they are forced to use Windows...
So you are in a group with a bunch of other idiots. Congratulations. Care to answer my question about how the articles amount to trying to overthrow the government, or are you just conceding?
I am on the side of what I think is right, and a true patriot who actually wants his country to do right. Not just some Fox news watching, slogan spouting moron. Got any more interesting Republican talking points you haven't thought about you want to post here??
Slashdot Mirror
Regardless of how far you may think the abuse has gone, the potential for illegal use of the information gathered is incredibly huge... And this article demonstrates that govenrment agencies are vulnerable to cracking just like everyone else. So even if you don't believe the govenrment would abuse the info, someone else may get access to the info that would.
Biometrics are worse than passwords if you think about it. Once the "biometric" info is converted to digital data, it is no harder to crack and/or copy than a paswword. And once it is cracked, what are you going to do, change your fingerprints or retinas?? If someone cracks your biometrics, you are screwed. Now biometrics with the addition of a strong password may be a better solution...
I'd be willing to bet the farm that the phone records (and bank records) collected by the NSA have been used primarily to build DEA cases... The article I read http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12753284/ said they were "talking" about giving access to the records to the FBI, DEA, and CIA - translation : those agencies already have access.
When all the information was obtained illegal anyways, it simplifies what can be "leaked" - none of it. Oops.
"It probably won't take very long to figure out who's working in syndicate on this SPAM scheme. They're going to get hurt pretty hard. I mean.. after a while they will be able to figure out who is buying just before these SPAMs go out and start putting together the syndication."
Well, the NSA has their - emails, phone records, and bank records - it shouldn't take them too long.
All you're trying to do is start a flame war.
Which apparently, you are feeding.
score one for the downtrodden then...
"I don't believe in insider trading laws because anyone who runs a business, works for a business, or is involved with any internal operations of a business definitely has insider information and will act on it. It is ridiculous to think that you can legislate what a corporation has to offer its investors -- if the investors want information, they should make sure it is contractually required for the corporation to offer that information."
I agree for the most part what you are saying about this. But in the Stewart case, her stockbroker was also the company owner's stockbroker. When the owner decides to "dump" a bunch of shares the day before an FDA ruling comes out, and the stockbroker decides to call Martha to let her know what is up, that is the very definition of insider trading. Martha would have had no knowledge of this outside her stockbroker tipping her off. Now if the stockbroker had called everybody that had stock in Imclone, that would be different...
As far as the 4000 employees, a lot of them had stock options and did not choose to invest their personal money in Enron. And if those employees had known the true financial state of Enron, I think they could have made better decisions about their stocks...(not all 4000 were probably as smug as the two "friends" you knew)
I don't invest in any publicly traded stocks either, for all the reasons that you pointed out are wrong with the entire system.
"Yup, it's possible to be social liberal and still wish people would exercise some personal responsbility. Pretty radical, huh?"
Yes, completely radical. If the US wasn't so completely a two part system, I would suggest that you run for office (although your base of personally responsible social liberals probably wouldn't be overwhelming...)
Ok, I'll break it down for you. Some of the same people defending Ken Lay, saying "all he did was lie" and it wasn't a big deal are the same people who wanted Clinton impeached for the exact same offense. Would have thought that it was pretty obvious.... If you think the Ken Lay discussion isn't a political one, who is being naive now??
Is this the real reason behind his "untimely" passing? "Held in probate until matters are settled" sounds like his family could stretch out the time to have to make any payments a few more years...
Sorry, but just dying won't earn you anything in my book, eveyone does it... Respect is earned, not given...
"Who cares! It was a lie. It doesn't compare to butchering or bludgeoning someone."
Unless you are President Clinton, then you get impeached.. And which side of the line did you stand on that issue, I wonder...
"What laws were broken by Lay?"
Well, he was found guilty of 21 counts total in three sepearte jury trials...As far as the "no actual victims" statement, well, tell that to the 4,000 employees that are out of jobs and their savings... He may not have "directly" physically harmed them, but I hear not eating and not having a shelter over your head can be tough, from a physical standpoint.
He may not have caused Enron's collapse, but he knew about it, and lied to cover it up for financial gain.
Martha Stewart didn't do anything wrong?? Apparently you have never heard the phrase "insider trading" which she definitely did do, and is definitely illegal...
"but Lay was no different than any number of politicians"
Yep, you are right. That doesn't mean Lay should get off scott free, but that many, many others should be investigated also.
"would he have done it the same way again given a chance"
Nope, he would have lied, cheated, and defrauded even more... (and probably spent a little more time and effort on the cover up)
Not as much as I admire your sarcasm... ;)
"At least he saved us the tax dollars it would have cost to shelter and feed him."
They should engrave that on his headstone - "His last act was to actually save the country some money."
"The first, and only, time I've heard something as stupid as that obviously had to be on an American web forum."
Sounds like stupid EuroTrash drivel... (see how dumb ethnic stereotypes sound??)
If this is the first time you have heard something stupid on Slashdot, let me be the first to say - "Welcome to Slashdot. You must be new here!"
Nah, no implication - that is a given.
Yep, Jim Morrison, Elvis, and Ken Lay are all drinking Pina Coladas on a tropical island right now...
But in all seriousness, Lay is the one who could have really pulled it off... I don't buy it until -
A) The body is on public display
B) DNA and dental records are verified by multiple third party sources
C) The doctor who signed the death certificate has his background gone over with a fine toothed comb
"Care to tell us all exactly what he did to deserve punishment?"
What f*cking planet are you from exactly?? If you don't know what was wrong with Mr. Lay's actions, I suggest you never venture into any field involving "business ethics"...
As a human being, I'd like to say the same...
Hey Karl Rove, thanks for the heart warming bio of the greedbag that was Kenneth Lay.
"I think anyone even discussing this on the OS level is missing the point. Viruses are written for the masses, so if a switch to any other OS by "the masses" ever happens the viruses, malware, etc. will simply follow suit. The 'which OS is better' argument is so old, please, it's like trying to compare a ford taurus, a BMW and a UniMog... they're all different and have different audiences."
Amen brother. But this is Slashdot where you are preaching to a crowd that can't hear - because everyone else is screaming "I run {fill in 1337 OS here} and it is so much better than your crappy {fill in non 1337 OS here} at the top of their lungs.
In 10 years, after everyone makes the switch to OS X or *nix,(haha) then Slashdotters will be talking about how secure the new Windows product is, and how any Mac or *nix box can be "pwned" in 5 seconds by anyone on the internet... (but they will most likely still be talking about Natalie Portman and hot grits)
"Except that in those instances, they were not given a choice. Those users, when they went to buy a new computer, no longer had the option of buying an Intel PC without Windows,"
/. users thinks it is even possible for a user to want to use Windows - not just that they are forced to use Windows...
Bull - it has always been an option to buy a PC without an OS. Maybe buying a coprorate (I.E. Dell, Gateway) without an OEM OS is more difficult, but it is still possible. Hell, I bought a Dell last year with no OS on it and saved $50 or so. As a matter or fact, my last 3 home PCs were all purchased without an OS - so don't say it isn't possible, just not as probable. I just it funny that not a single
So you are in a group with a bunch of other idiots. Congratulations. Care to answer my question about how the articles amount to trying to overthrow the government, or are you just conceding?
I am on the side of what I think is right, and a true patriot who actually wants his country to do right. Not just some Fox news watching, slogan spouting moron. Got any more interesting Republican talking points you haven't thought about you want to post here??