6 ms·

I got out of academic fingerprinting research when I realized I was on the wrong side of the discussion. I’ve just never seen or heard of privacy violations tha

I got out of academic fingerprinting research when I realized I was on the wrong side of the discussion. I’ve just never seen or heard of privacy violations that particularly bothered me.

maxbond 3y ago
I too have never experienced a violation of privacy which had a significant observable impact on my life. You and I have been fortunate in this respect. Some people are literally targeted for harassment and murder because of some aspect of their identity, journalism, or activism. This isn't a hypothetical. Here's one example from the top of my head: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/khashoggi-murder-citizen-lab-surveillance-internet-watchdog-experts-spies-toronto-a8747886.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/khashog... Tl;Dr the dissident Khashoggi was infected with NSO malware before he was murdered by the Saudi government. That's a pretty clear violation of privacy in service of something I would guess you disagree with. This story isn't an anomaly, I think if you looked into this further you would find innumerable privacy violations which bother you.
- sebzim4500 3y ago
  To be fair, it is entirely possible that GP doesn't care about anyone but himself.
  - comfypotato 3y ago
    [flagged]
    - maxbond 3y ago
      No one is obliged to change your mind (indeed, you are the only person who can possibly do that [the comment was later edited from 'change' to 'open', which I think is more reasonable]), and seeing as you more or less did argue for this position, I don't think you should complain.
    - sebzim4500 3y ago
      I do not consider my comment snarky. I thought that maxbond disregarded a perfectly plausible explanation for the claim you made. EDIT: Just saw your other reply. I think its fair to say I called it.
  - maxbond 3y ago
    Sure, I considered similar notions, but I edited them out because they didn't seem compatible with assuming good faith (and made it a lot easier to not include swipes).
  - dang 3y ago
    Please don't cross into personal attack, no matter how wrong someone is or you feel they are. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- comfypotato 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - maxbond 3y ago
    > Fuck around and find out. That's your view of human rights...? Well okay, I guess you and I will never see eye to eye. > You suggest I “look into it further” as if I didn’t just say I was a privacy researcher. I was responding to your statement, not your credentials. I don't say this to insult you, only to explain because you seem to want an explanation, but your statement was ignorant and lacking nuance. (Your statement, not you personally.)
    - comfypotato 3y ago
      Would be nice if I could respond to all of you in one place, because y’all are more or less saying the same thing. In don’t appreciate the personal attacks on my character. It’s really a testament to my point, though. The internet is private enough that you feel comfortable commenting fighting words from behind a keyboard. Hypocrites the lot of you. It’s perfectly reasonable to say that I have no moral commitment to improving the online privacy situation in light of your given example. State actors in Saudi Arabia are so far removed from a typical citizen that they’re completely irrelevant to the discussion.
      - maxbond 3y ago
        I'm sorry you feel I've attacked your character. That wasn't my intention. If I've misread or misjudged you, please do correct me, and I'll add a correction to each of the comments I've made in this thread. This offer does not expire, if you correct me tomorrow or next week or something I'll still get the comments fixed (at least, as long as I see it). I'm genuinely sorry that you feel frustrated and insulted. Hope you have a good rest of your day.
      - dang 3y ago
        Can you please not post in the flamewar style to HN? It sounds like you have a lot of experience in this area and have substantive points to make, but you've been making them in an inflammatory way that is guaranteed to worsen the discussion. We're trying to go in the opposite direction here. If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.
- DANmode 3y ago
  Would you all stop talking about this journalist without mentioning his (US) government connections? Leaves the context of the story incomplete, otherwise.
  - maxbond 3y ago
    If you would like to elaborate, or if there's an article you think I should read (or podcast, video, etc), then I'm listening. I'm open to feedback but this is too vague for me to do much with.
    - DANmode 3y ago
      The dude was intelligence.
      - maxbond 3y ago
        Alright. I'm not gunnuh buy that without a citation. You have no obligation to provide me with one, but finding one on my own is going to be at the bottom of my priorities.
        DANmode 3y ago
        Tough nut to crack. "Not long after the Saudi journalist was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the CIA assessed with high confidence that MBS had personally ordered the killing, but intelligence officials never spoke publicly or presented evidence." How many journalists get their deaths investigated at all, let alone laid at the door of a...whatever you want to call their government, and what it is to the US'.

I got out of academic fingerprinting research when I realized I was on the wrong side of the discussion. I’ve just never seen or heard of privacy violations that particularly bothered me.

maxbond 3y ago

I too have never experienced a violation of privacy which had a significant observable impact on my life. You and I have been fortunate in this respect. Some people are literally targeted for harassment and murder because of some aspect of their identity, journalism, or activism. This isn't a hypothetical. Here's one example from the top of my head: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/khashoggi-murder-citizen-lab-surveillance-internet-watchdog-experts-spies-toronto-a8747886.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/khashog... Tl;Dr the dissident Khashoggi was infected with NSO malware before he was murdered by the Saudi government. That's a pretty clear violation of privacy in service of something I would guess you disagree with. This story isn't an anomaly, I think if you looked into this further you would find innumerable privacy violations which bother you.

sebzim4500 3y ago
To be fair, it is entirely possible that GP doesn't care about anyone but himself.
- comfypotato 3y ago
  [flagged]
  - maxbond 3y ago
    No one is obliged to change your mind (indeed, you are the only person who can possibly do that [the comment was later edited from 'change' to 'open', which I think is more reasonable]), and seeing as you more or less did argue for this position, I don't think you should complain.
  - sebzim4500 3y ago
    I do not consider my comment snarky. I thought that maxbond disregarded a perfectly plausible explanation for the claim you made. EDIT: Just saw your other reply. I think its fair to say I called it.
- maxbond 3y ago
  Sure, I considered similar notions, but I edited them out because they didn't seem compatible with assuming good faith (and made it a lot easier to not include swipes).
- dang 3y ago
  Please don't cross into personal attack, no matter how wrong someone is or you feel they are. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
comfypotato 3y ago
[flagged]
- maxbond 3y ago
  > Fuck around and find out. That's your view of human rights...? Well okay, I guess you and I will never see eye to eye. > You suggest I “look into it further” as if I didn’t just say I was a privacy researcher. I was responding to your statement, not your credentials. I don't say this to insult you, only to explain because you seem to want an explanation, but your statement was ignorant and lacking nuance. (Your statement, not you personally.)
  - comfypotato 3y ago
    Would be nice if I could respond to all of you in one place, because y’all are more or less saying the same thing. In don’t appreciate the personal attacks on my character. It’s really a testament to my point, though. The internet is private enough that you feel comfortable commenting fighting words from behind a keyboard. Hypocrites the lot of you. It’s perfectly reasonable to say that I have no moral commitment to improving the online privacy situation in light of your given example. State actors in Saudi Arabia are so far removed from a typical citizen that they’re completely irrelevant to the discussion.
    - maxbond 3y ago
      I'm sorry you feel I've attacked your character. That wasn't my intention. If I've misread or misjudged you, please do correct me, and I'll add a correction to each of the comments I've made in this thread. This offer does not expire, if you correct me tomorrow or next week or something I'll still get the comments fixed (at least, as long as I see it). I'm genuinely sorry that you feel frustrated and insulted. Hope you have a good rest of your day.
    - dang 3y ago
      Can you please not post in the flamewar style to HN? It sounds like you have a lot of experience in this area and have substantive points to make, but you've been making them in an inflammatory way that is guaranteed to worsen the discussion. We're trying to go in the opposite direction here. If you wouldn't mind reviewing https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and taking the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.
DANmode 3y ago
Would you all stop talking about this journalist without mentioning his (US) government connections? Leaves the context of the story incomplete, otherwise.
- maxbond 3y ago
  If you would like to elaborate, or if there's an article you think I should read (or podcast, video, etc), then I'm listening. I'm open to feedback but this is too vague for me to do much with.
  - DANmode 3y ago
    The dude was intelligence.
    - maxbond 3y ago
      Alright. I'm not gunnuh buy that without a citation. You have no obligation to provide me with one, but finding one on my own is going to be at the bottom of my priorities.
      - DANmode 3y ago
        Tough nut to crack. "Not long after the Saudi journalist was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the CIA assessed with high confidence that MBS had personally ordered the killing, but intelligence officials never spoke publicly or presented evidence." How many journalists get their deaths investigated at all, let alone laid at the door of a...whatever you want to call their government, and what it is to the US'.