6 ms·

Not only that, but there are legit reasons to include a keylogger as part of a laptop build out. Every computer has, or should have, this kind of auditing capac

Not only that, but there are legit reasons to include a keylogger as part of a laptop build out. Every computer has, or should have, this kind of auditing capacity. The question is a) whether it's turned on by default and b) whether any information is being transmitted on the sly. In all likelihood, this was either some sort of mistake, or the keylogger is intended for use by the computer's owner -- not by Samsung. EDIT: Sorry for scaring people. Listen, I HATE keyloggers and other invasive software. Here: http://bit.ly/2U3iAH http://bit.ly/2U3iAH My point was that I can see a legit need for low-level auditing by whoever owns the PC. Including such a package that's turned off by default, might be better than forcing a worried parent to sift through 12 keyloggers on Google, half of which are malware, a quarter of which don't work, in order to find out if her 12-year-old is composing YouTube dances and uploading them to 4chan.

unwind 15y ago
Why should my computer have auditing capability, without my explicit knowledge or me making the decision to put it there? Who is it good for?
- sonnekki 15y ago
  > Who is it good for? Someone who desires to keep track of a user's key strokes, for example a corporation. This is coming from someone who consents to monitoring every day. While I agree it is not good for the singular, non-ignorant person, I'm sure there's a massive market for "Corporate Consumers" who'd like to save a buck instead of spending effort configuring a system. About having the capability of auditing, I suppose it saves production costs to have one laptop with a switch, as opposed to two laptops with slight hardware or software differences.
  - kls 15y ago
    Right I could see this being part of some child usage monitoring package. It may be part of some crapware that comes with the computer. I bet Samsung is scrambling right now to find out which crapware vendor included it and will find out it part of a net monitoring suite.
allending 15y ago
Uhm. No.
- codingthewheel 15y ago
  We will backtrace you.
IgorPartola 15y ago
Yeah, and your house should have cameras too. Just in case you are up to no good.
- heyitsnick 15y ago
  The only people who don't want cameras in their house are those with something hide.
  - jedsmith 15y ago
    Or those who fancy sex on the dinner table without spectators? That's a relatively crass example (sorry), but the privacy implication is clear when you put it in those terms. My home is my home, and what I do behind my door is my business. I'm surprised you're getting voted up. As much as I disagree with most of the privacy agenda, a lot of their fights are the only thing stopping us from turning Orwellian. Nothing to hide is pretty arbitrary, too; you mean you have nothing to hide under our current laws. So sure, let them bring the cameras in. Then they'll rewrite the law and you'll suddenly have something to hide.
    - biafra 15y ago
      What most people do not get is: We all (as in every single one of us) have something to hide. I'd say those, who really think they do not, are just crazy. Credit card numbers, medical conditions, who we have sex with, who we want to have sex with, who we do not want to have sex with, even whether we want to have sex at all etc. pp. We usually do not urinate or masturbate in front of others because we all have something to hide. If you consider this it's easy to get his sarcasm.
  - aristidb 15y ago
    ^ Presumably, heyitsnick meant this sarcastically.
    - jedsmith 15y ago
      Maybe, and if that were the case, the number of people the sarcasm is missing means it could have been communicated better. Watch his karma swing around -- I'm not the only one that missed it, apparently. It certainly wasn't a good spot for it, because he's responding to sarcasm.
Xurinos 15y ago
Hey guys, I disagree with codingthewheel's idea, too, but we need to get a little meta here: His comment is not spam. His comment caused discussion. His comment is an opinion, not a false fact. There are no personal attacks of any kind in his comment, and his language is fine. His argument is simply unpopular. None of your responses indicate any of the usual legitimate reasons for downvoting. So why the downvotes? Do you really want HN to be an echo chamber instead of an arena of civil discussion?
- lwhi 15y ago
  I think the downvoting in this case is equivalent to saying 'your point of view is dangerous'.
  - seabee 15y ago
    Then that's what someone should say, and then promptly get upvoted. Some questions need to be asked, alternative points of view made, and then shown to the world why it's a bad idea; we shouldn't hide them from view to be missed so someone else can make the same mistake.
  - oconnore 15y ago
    No, the equivalent would be to click reply, and then type "I think that your point of view is dangerous."
    - lwhi 15y ago
      Meaning can be inferred from the down-voting. I think that was probably the meaning behind most of the negative votes. I actually believe that it's okay to use voting to express whether you agree or disagree with a point. Where's the harm? I think that the experience of reading HN is enhanced when there's contrast between popular and unpopular ideas. If a post is unpopular, it doesn't mean that I don't read it. If anything, I might pay more attention to it. In some cases its lack of popularity might spark more debate; like it has in this case.
      - 15y ago
Panoramix 15y ago
Please don't use URL shorteners.
- codingthewheel 15y ago
  I've never (almost never) posted a link to one of my sites in an HN comment. I'd rather not have naked links in this venue. Apologies.
rhizome 15y ago
Nobody is scared, don't flatter yourself. Your attitude is simply invasive and pointy-haired. Couple that with using a URL-shortened blind link where you are supposedly establishing some kind of safe-computing credibility, and I can only LOL. Worried parents?! Now you're really getting dangerous. I hope you think long and hard before having children if this is the kind of treatment you expect to give them. If you have a 12 year old who is already uploading "dances" (?) to YT/chans, you have much bigger problems than a computer or the internet (hint: mirror).
- codingthewheel 15y ago
  I had a chuckle at this. The use of "pointy-haired" was at least creative. And yeah, I believe parents have the right to spy on their kids, especially when it comes to the net. Largely, I'd add, because of people like you (trolls).
  - rhizome 15y ago
    Keylogging your children is an admission that you've lost the parenting game.

unwind 15y ago

Why should my computer have auditing capability, without my explicit knowledge or me making the decision to put it there? Who is it good for?

sonnekki 15y ago
> Who is it good for? Someone who desires to keep track of a user's key strokes, for example a corporation. This is coming from someone who consents to monitoring every day. While I agree it is not good for the singular, non-ignorant person, I'm sure there's a massive market for "Corporate Consumers" who'd like to save a buck instead of spending effort configuring a system. About having the capability of auditing, I suppose it saves production costs to have one laptop with a switch, as opposed to two laptops with slight hardware or software differences.
- kls 15y ago
  Right I could see this being part of some child usage monitoring package. It may be part of some crapware that comes with the computer. I bet Samsung is scrambling right now to find out which crapware vendor included it and will find out it part of a net monitoring suite.

allending 15y ago

Uhm. No.

codingthewheel 15y ago
We will backtrace you.

IgorPartola 15y ago

Yeah, and your house should have cameras too. Just in case you are up to no good.

heyitsnick 15y ago
The only people who don't want cameras in their house are those with something hide.
- jedsmith 15y ago
  Or those who fancy sex on the dinner table without spectators? That's a relatively crass example (sorry), but the privacy implication is clear when you put it in those terms. My home is my home, and what I do behind my door is my business. I'm surprised you're getting voted up. As much as I disagree with most of the privacy agenda, a lot of their fights are the only thing stopping us from turning Orwellian. Nothing to hide is pretty arbitrary, too; you mean you have nothing to hide under our current laws. So sure, let them bring the cameras in. Then they'll rewrite the law and you'll suddenly have something to hide.
  - biafra 15y ago
    What most people do not get is: We all (as in every single one of us) have something to hide. I'd say those, who really think they do not, are just crazy. Credit card numbers, medical conditions, who we have sex with, who we want to have sex with, who we do not want to have sex with, even whether we want to have sex at all etc. pp. We usually do not urinate or masturbate in front of others because we all have something to hide. If you consider this it's easy to get his sarcasm.
- aristidb 15y ago
  ^ Presumably, heyitsnick meant this sarcastically.
  - jedsmith 15y ago
    Maybe, and if that were the case, the number of people the sarcasm is missing means it could have been communicated better. Watch his karma swing around -- I'm not the only one that missed it, apparently. It certainly wasn't a good spot for it, because he's responding to sarcasm.

Xurinos 15y ago

Hey guys, I disagree with codingthewheel's idea, too, but we need to get a little meta here: His comment is not spam. His comment caused discussion. His comment is an opinion, not a false fact. There are no personal attacks of any kind in his comment, and his language is fine. His argument is simply unpopular. None of your responses indicate any of the usual legitimate reasons for downvoting. So why the downvotes? Do you really want HN to be an echo chamber instead of an arena of civil discussion?

lwhi 15y ago
I think the downvoting in this case is equivalent to saying 'your point of view is dangerous'.
- seabee 15y ago
  Then that's what someone should say, and then promptly get upvoted. Some questions need to be asked, alternative points of view made, and then shown to the world why it's a bad idea; we shouldn't hide them from view to be missed so someone else can make the same mistake.
- oconnore 15y ago
  No, the equivalent would be to click reply, and then type "I think that your point of view is dangerous."
  - lwhi 15y ago
    Meaning can be inferred from the down-voting. I think that was probably the meaning behind most of the negative votes. I actually believe that it's okay to use voting to express whether you agree or disagree with a point. Where's the harm? I think that the experience of reading HN is enhanced when there's contrast between popular and unpopular ideas. If a post is unpopular, it doesn't mean that I don't read it. If anything, I might pay more attention to it. In some cases its lack of popularity might spark more debate; like it has in this case.
    - 15y ago

Panoramix 15y ago

Please don't use URL shorteners.

codingthewheel 15y ago
I've never (almost never) posted a link to one of my sites in an HN comment. I'd rather not have naked links in this venue. Apologies.

rhizome 15y ago

Nobody is scared, don't flatter yourself. Your attitude is simply invasive and pointy-haired. Couple that with using a URL-shortened blind link where you are supposedly establishing some kind of safe-computing credibility, and I can only LOL. Worried parents?! Now you're really getting dangerous. I hope you think long and hard before having children if this is the kind of treatment you expect to give them. If you have a 12 year old who is already uploading "dances" (?) to YT/chans, you have much bigger problems than a computer or the internet (hint: mirror).

codingthewheel 15y ago
I had a chuckle at this. The use of "pointy-haired" was at least creative. And yeah, I believe parents have the right to spy on their kids, especially when it comes to the net. Largely, I'd add, because of people like you (trolls).
- rhizome 15y ago
  Keylogging your children is an admission that you've lost the parenting game.