Posts by Doctor Syntax

ATM fees shake-up may push Britain towards cashless society

Be careful what you wish for

The banks might think they can save money by cutting back on ATMs. They could be caught out if it results in queues in banks for an RTP (Real Teller Person).

'Lambda and serverless is one of the worst forms of proprietary lock-in we've ever seen in the history of humanity'

It looks as if we're getting about as far as the pendulum swings on this particular cycle. Then a few people realise that the lock-in has made it difficult to get anything done without consulting the resident Kubernetes or whatever wizards or break the hold the beancounters have on the AWS account and it would be a lot easier to sneak in a PC or two...

Your future data-centre: servers immersed in box full of oil, in a field

Re: Surprised

"installs servers that look like radiators into domiciles. The residents get free heat"

I was thinking about this one the other day. There were reports about this a year or two ago and then nothing further. I'd assumed the idea had died.

ICANN gives domain souks permission to tell it the answer to Whois privacy law debacle

I think you will find that it is only "incomprehensible" (or more accurately "unconscionable" ) to large US corporations that want to hoover up all this information because of "money".

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!"

Re: Not sure I understand

"That is the predicament ICANN are in. Their contract stipulates the registrars must provide contact details of the owner. EU law now forbids that."

They have, as I understand it, a contract with the US authorities that stipulates they impose conditions on registrars. Those conditions, when imposed on EU customers contradict the new EU law. So they can impose the terms on the registrars as per their contract but as the terms are contrary to EU law. At the point where the contract chain hits EU law the term becomes unenforceable.

I can understand that the US authorities with their concepts of global jurisdiction might not like this. However, if they want to keep the Privacy Figleaf in place they need to think very, very carefully about the wisdom of trying to enforce their own contract with ICANN. A graceful way round it would be for them to revise the ICANN contract with words to the effect of "where allowed by local law" slotted in.

At some point the US does need to get off its high horse. Ultimately ICANN's only power is that it runs the root DNS. Would it really be impossible for the ROTW to get together, clone that root and regard the clone as authoritative? And if they did so the US would simply have to follow.

Re: @Doctor

"Secondly, you can't refuse the service if the checkbox isn't ticked."

Why not? There's plenty of businesses where if you don't sign their contract they won't do business with you, what's different in this case?

From the ICO's site:

Consent under the GDPR must be a freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the individual’s wishes. There must be some form of clear affirmative action – or in other words, a positive opt-in – consent cannot be inferred from silence, pre-ticked boxes or inactivity. Consent must also be separate from other terms and conditions, and you will need to provide simple ways for people to withdraw consent.

I doubt refusing to provide the service if consent isn't given constitutes "freely". Also not "separate from other T&Cs" - again you can sign the contract but refuse consent. I think anyone trying to make consent a condition for providing a service will find themselves answering to the ICO or equivalent in other jurisdictions.

"Not generally speaking - always (I can't think of a single situation where it doesn't)"

If I'd said "always" some smartarse would come up with an exception. But, like you, I can't think of one.

It seems to be a characteristic of the the difference between European and US cultures. In EU terms it's quite obvious that the ICANN terms are unenforceable and in US terms it's incomprehensible.

Re: Not sure I understand

"What your registrar is doing is GDPR compliant, but against ICANN rules."

And the latter are unenforceable.

So probably EU-based registrars could have an opt-in tickbox, but if you opt out then they still have to manage your domain but with a private registry entry.

And they couldn't pre-tick the box either.

"Why not, when someone is registering a domain, have a clearly seen notice, notifying the person registering the domain of the following?"

You can but you'd be lining yourself up for a big fine.

"Would it be possible for registrars to make it "opt-in" for making the info public at least in the EU? Or is that option illegal under the new rules?"

It is.

Re: @Doctor

It all boils down to consent. So what would be easier than to add a checkbox in the domain registration process: "I give consent to add my details to the ICANN database"

Firstly, you can't pre-tick the checkbox. Secondly, you can't refuse the service if the checkox isn't ticked. So, although consent would allow the user details to be published, ICANN can't assume that it will be given and that they can enforce that term.

Estonia government locks down ID smartcards: Refresh or else

Re: Is there any chance

"What we don't like"

Perhaps I should qualify "we" as GB. During the troubles in we got used in NI to having to provide ID at checkpoints. It came as a major culture shock to my parents when they visited and we got stopped at a VCP on a back road from Aldergove to Listburn.

I'm curious as to what's the attitude there now. Anybody?

"What worries me though is the potential single point of failure issues and also the possible function creep, if it's not tightly regulated. That's already happened with PPS numbers (equivalent or Social Security / National Insurance) where all of a sudden they're needed for everything from school registration to applying to University etc etc"

That seems to be a problem with the US SSN which is regularly part of the PII lost in data breaches.

"In the UK Sir Humphry would spend six months obscuring the problem."

It would, however, be Sir Humphrey, and not Jim Hacker, who'd be in favour of the ID card in the first place. Hacker would realise it could lose him an election. Sir H would, of course, not have to carry such a demeaning object himself; he'd excuse graduates of both Universities.

Re: Is there any chance

"You do have to identify yourself at times, soon so much easier with that passport of the right and only colour. driving perhaps with some identification too."

What we don't like is the idea of some jobs-worth coming up to us and demanding our identification. It doesn't sit well with our ideas of the assumption of innocence etc. The easiest way to stop that is to ensure that there is no such item that the jobs-worth could demand.

Equifax execs sold shares before mega-hack reveal. All above board – Equifax probe

Re: Different story now

"So now that these dishonest and libellous accusations have been shown to be false"

I think I'd wait for an SEC investigation to get a definitive answer on that.

And have a down vote for answering your own question - such a tiresomely childish meme.

A review like this carries all the conviction of, say, the EU Justice Commissioner and the US Sec of Commerce reviewing the Privacy Figleaf. Did I just write conviction? How odd.

Take off, ya hosers! Silicon Valley court says Google can safely ignore Canadian search ban

Re: Hmmm

"This is in addition to the local ones being liable for a contempt of court."

More likely they'd fine the local Google office for contempt.

OpenSSL patches, Apple bug fixes, Hilton's $700k hack bill, Kim Dotcom raid settlement, Signal desktop app, and more

Re: Hacking the home

"Works for all the usual people I get to do work for me, plumbers, electricians."

What, no cash in hand?

Re: The Azure Edge of Chrome

Rule 3 : there is no Rule 3. Also bring your presentation on OHP acetates and have an OHP projector and spare bulb in the boot of your car. 35mm slides and projector as additional backup for the seriously paranoid and/or experienced.

And here's one you may have missed

http://theartnewspaper.com/news/galleries-lose-large-sums-to-cybercrime

'Qualcomm, we will buy you... for... one HUNDRED... BILLION DOLLARS' – Broadcom

"embedded engineering – an industry rebranded to the much more trendy-sounding Internet of Things"

Are you sure IoT and engineering belong in the same sentence unless there's a negative in it?

Donald, YOU'RE FIRED: Rogue Twitter worker quits, deletes President Trump's account

Re: Fake news

"Look how many people are *IRRITATED* by it"

I think the word you're looking for is "alarmed" because we feel it gives an insight into the mind of one of our great national leaders.

It's worth repeating something that comes very shortly after the previous quotation:

"One of the reasons for trying to maintain impenetrable secrecy around Government Ministers is that without it many would make themselves laughing stocks within days or -- at most -- weeks."

Re: Chirp

"The PM might have something to say about that."

She's an expert on leadership now?

Re: Twitter should stick to the T&C and ban the orange twerp.

"They will ban you for small idiotic things."

Large idiotic things are OK. Size matters.

" there is nobody on the planet other than the utterly deluded who can consider Trump's account to have been operated within the bounds of the rules Twitter set themselves"

That's a statement to reflect on. I'm sure you're right.

Re: Fake news

"Twitter shouldn't have it so a CS employee can unilaterally delete *anyone's* account under any circumstances. There should be something like a two-step process that requires a supervisor's approval."

Maybe a whole lot of them got together to do it and then blamed someone who was leaving.

What's the turnover in Twitter staff? How many leave per day?

Maybe this could be written into their leaving process: clear your desk, collect your final pay, delete Trump's account.

Re: Chirp

"Well, he is [leader of the free world]. I understand that that upsets you."

I don't acknowledge him as my leader here in the UK so either he isn't my leader or else he is but I'm not free to choose.

Your statement fails.

Subsidy-guzzling Tesla's Model 3 volumes a huge problem – Wall St man

Re: Guzzling?

"All the major car companies hate the idea of electric cars."

I doubt it. They just like anything that sells well. Stronger emotions, positive or negative, won't be worth bothering about.

Re: Musk, the new Jobs?

"Certainly but it does what it says on the tin."

A voice from way back in the depths of time - a Leitz salesman commenting on a rival's microscopes. "Tin. Good quality but tin.".

Official Secrets Act alert went off after embassy hired local tech support

Re: Too many stories like that one.

"The thing is, I've had that happen to me on Windows."

Much the same on Linux. If the battery's on its way out it doesn't fail gracefully. 90% to 12% to off can take seconds. It's one reason why I decided to replace SWMBO's ancient laptop rather than throw good money after bad on a new battery.

What were top secret files doing on a USB in the first place? Were they being smuggled out to be hidden under a pile of leaves?

El Reg assesses crypto of UK banks: Who gets to wear the dunce cap?

Re: Good article. Maybe this will help them?

"El Reg, maybe forward them all this article from the reknown Troy Hunt?"

How many of them will even have heard of Troy Hunt?

Re: Dunce Cap tip

" I'd suggest that it doesn't fill a cynical customer with joy to get a call from a random 07... number stating it's my bank and asking for security information."

The really worrying thing is that they'd only persist with this if the majority of customers responded positively.

Re: Dunce Cap tip

"So, better rip the bottom half inch off your cheques every time you write one then... and NEVER ask people to pay you by bank transfer."

No, I think he has a point.

It's one thing to have that information on a cheque, it's another to combine it with a lot of other personal information such as DoB & employers. Someone intercepting the letter without that might be able to fill in the blanks from other sources but why present the whole lot on a plate?

Re: Dunce Cap tip

HSBC used to do something similar when I had a business account with them. They wanted the amount of a recent transaction for me to prove who I was!

I always told them I didn't believe they were who they said they were because I'd made it clear to my bank that I wouldn't accept such calls without a secure means of identifying themselves. If they were calling without such identification then they couldn't be my bank and I wouldn't even confirm if they'd guessed right. It was always followed up by a letter from them essentially saying how miffed they were that they hadn't been able to talk to me to sell me something.

I suppose I could have replied by giving them some random incorrect amount. Their recognition that it was incorrect would serve to identify them but I didn't particular want to take sales calls from them so why bother?

Re: It's not a problem, it's an opportunity

"Do you mean ExpertSexchange?"

Don't sign me up.

Re: Dunce Cap tip

"How come then does the NatWest server know individual letters of my password when it prompts me for a random selection of them at each login?"

Possibly it created hashes for each of the combinations it might ask you and stored those.

Those IT gadget freebies you picked up this year? They make AWFUL Christmas presents

Re: chilli sambuca

"just what's needed on a cold day"

So was the nip of poteen. Having bought a bottle we discovered that that was the only circumstance in which it was drinkable. It lasted a long, long time.

Re: freebie USB sticks

"Yes I do carry that thing in my pocket, thanks for asking, although now that you mention it maybe I should consider an alpinist-rated belt clip (and a properly sturdy utility belt to match)."

It all gets out of hand so quickly...

My alternative is https://www.integralmemory.com/product/courier-usb-flash-drive but its an old & slow one. I see they're doing a USB 3 version now so maybe it's time for a change.

Re: freebie USB sticks

"It boggles my mind that it has taken 20 years to design a hole for the usage of putting string , chain , or keyring through that dosent immediately snap off, losing your memory stick."

It's still wrong. It leaves your keyring dangling from the plugged in memory stick. I don't think supporting a heavy keyring was one of the design requirements for USB.

Re: freebie USB sticks

"But it's main failing is the case is so FAT"

Right there is an example of why you shouldn't go all Bob on us. I was trying to work out why its formatting was a failing.

Landlubber northern council shores up against boat-tipping

Re: At least their Social media team has a sense of humour about it.

"Like most Councils, they should use it as a form of planter for flowers on a roundabout."

They'll only do that if someone sponsors the roundabout.

Re: One of these days...

"In other words: you're a lazy fucker who wants other people to pay so you don't have to deal with your own waste."

Because you're too lazy to quote properly it's impossible to be clear to whom you're replying but let's be clear about this:

We pay council taxes for local councils to provide services. One of the services is collection and disposal of waste. (Others include running local libraries and other such facilities.) Increasingly local councils are abnegating the provision of such services.

Re: One of these days...

"It probably costs you more than £2.50 to drive to the council dumping facility."

At which point you'll be turned away because you fail on one of the numerous terms they've come up with to prevent you using the facility for which you've already paid council tax.

Black Horse Down: Lloyds Banking Group goes TITSUP*

Re: There may be trouble ahead

"Please identify the bank that hasn't outsourced any of its core competencies."

It's usually only the IT core competency that gets outsourced. They hang onto the other half of the business, the casino.

Re: "outsource management of its data centres to Big Blue"

"The senior management never learn, or they are in another world. How people with a previous reputation of messing up still keep on getting top positions"

Two possible, and not mutually exclusive, explanations:

1. They move on on the basis of the projected savings of what they did in the last place.

2. People value people who look like themselves so wankers in management appoint more wankers instead of workers.