Posts by Doctor Syntax

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

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.

Generally speaking, law overrides contract terms. If the ICANN contract requires the other party to do something illegal then surely that clause would be unenforceable.

Now let's think about the more complicated aspects: if an EU citizen registers a domain with a non-EU registrar is that registrar obliged to follow EU legislation? If so how does the EU bring the registrar to account if it has no EU residency and how does the registrar discover that citizenship of the registrant?

'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?

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

And here's one you may have missed

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

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.".

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

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.

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.

Re: I wonder if...

"Doesn't anyone who own a small boat and trailer ever look in the rearview mirror?"

No point. There's a boat blocking the view.

Re: One of these days...

"I can't off hand remember a time when you would have been welcome at your local recycling centre with a boat"

If the site at High Wycombe is still being run on the lines it used to be you wouldn't even need to unhitch it yourself.

Re: One of these days...

"Mine did that, and now they're embroiled in a court case to work out if it's legal"

Do you have a link to any reports of this. I'm sure a lot of us would be interested in the outcome.

My local council instituted similar shenanigans a little while ago which included registering vehicles, limits on the size of vehicle that could visit the sites, the size of trailers and removing the rubble and plasterboard skips. Everybody told them it would increase fly tipping and end up costing them more but they went ahead. Oddly enough, fly tipping has increased.

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.

Re: Johnny Cash

Maybe they thought his name was appropriate for a bank.

"Total Inability To Support Usual Pecuniary activity"

That's an improvement. Not long ago they were impecunious.

Tesla share crash amid Republican bid to kill off electric car tax break

Re: The US has an inverted system

"Again, the wealthy liberals getting tax breaks in the name of the green movement."

You mean wealthy conservatives aren't allowed to get them?

TalkTalk glitch causing mobiles and landlines to go off at the same time

"They may be shite, but they are consistently shite"

That's ISO9000 for you. So long as the quality of performance is consistent it doesn't matter what the actual quality is.

One customer deserved the issue as "another **** up from TalkTalk". He said: "I have emailed the CEO's office as its an absolute joke! My broadband hasn’t worked properly for 5 months and constant issues, they are still happy to take the payment every month.

And he still can't work out what to do about it?

US says it's identified six Russian officials as DNC hack suspects

Prosecutions? I'd have thought Trump would have given them some kind of reward.

Guess who's now automating small-biz IT jobs? Yes, it's Microsoft

"But this might be tolerable compared to a situation ...where borking your password locks you out. If it's after 2PM, you may as well head to the bars because the IT department is on the other coast and won't arrive until 5AM."

What happens when the PHB who's running it locks himself out?

So, tell us again how tech giants are more important than US govt...

Re: Applying pressure on Twitter

"If they push too hard, Twitter doesn't have to be based in the US."

If they push too hard none of the multinational tech businesses have to be based in the US as legal entities. Running down the US-based resources could take longer but could happen. All the US govt would then be able to apply pressure to would be a local subsidiary or, for added distance, a local franchise.

Hardware has never been better, but it isn't a licence for code bloat

It ain't necessarily so

At least, not as far as program size is concerned.

This morning I've just installed upgrades for 3 graphicsmagic packages, 2 tzdata packages and wpasupplicant. Overall it reported freeing 116kB of disk.