Posts by Doctor Syntax

HP boss hopes MS Surface Book will jack up notebook prices

The arrival of a high price-tag MS laptop isn't really going to have any effect on customers' budgets unless the boss spends a bit more on his so everybody else's is going to have to be a little bit cheaper. I'm not sure how that works out for HP.

Talk revealing p0wnable surveillance cams pulled after legal threat

We need new terminology

Insecurity cameras.

America's top courts may have to prove how truly dull they are by law

"Would you want to be a witness being interrogated by a hostile lawyer, and knowing that possibly thousands of people are getting their kicks watching you?"

Having been a witness many times I agree with your sentiment. However, according to the article this only applies to the courts of appeal and supreme court. If these are anything like their UK equivalents they deal with points of law. The witness evidence has been taken in the lower courts. And if these hearings involve the likes of Prenda law they should be way more entertaining than the those lower courts.

Silicon Valley fights European Court of Justice ruling with small print

Re: lack of realpolitik

but we can't guarantee that our own government won't look at if they put their mind to it so we'll undertake to compensate you if they do as we can't be arsed to set up where our government can't poke its fingers in.

FTFY

Re: The problem is

"As the exporter is effectively the controller of the data they already carry that liability which would fall under the EU jurisdiction the customer and/or controller are in."

I know. The trouble is that AFAICS the Commission is now trying to throw this over the wall. The data subject is to be able to claim from the importer.

It's a big mess. As a data subject am I supposed to be bound by an agreement between my supplier and a third party? If the theory is that this is going to be covered by small print or by some 3 pixel high, pre-ticked, well-hidden box it's going to fail on the basis of unfair terms and/or lack of informed consent. The trouble is it's going to cost someone a lot in legal fees, time and trouble to take all this to court and get the precedents set. Possibly a data protection regulator with teeth is going to call BS on it in that the circumstances that invalidate safe harbour also apply to such clauses. Would that be the ICO?

Re: Makes no sense

"Clause 5: the data importer agrees and warrants.. that he has no reason to believe that the legislation applicable to him prevents him from fulfilling his obligations...?"

If I were a US-based data importer I don't see how I could stand over that clause in an EU court*. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

*And in my time I've written a lot of stuff I had to be able to stand over in court.

"Those who needed the Safe Harbor rather than any of the other exemptions can no longer do so, but presumably can now sue the Commission for any costs in relocating to Bulgaria or Argentina and losses during the transition that are directly attributable to not correctly implementing a directive."

How so? The safe harbour provisions pre-date the PATRIOT act which has made them invalid in the eyes of the ECJ. So if anybody is responsible for compensating anybod it must be the US govt. Good luck with that.

Re: The problem is

"That the same key reason why the ECJ ruled that the safe harbor provisions dont apply will also cover Binding Corporate Rules and Model Contract Clauses."

And it will end up back in the ECJ with a similar decision.

At the very minimum the data exporter should be liable to the EU resident, not the importer, with the case to be heard in an EU court.

Alleged Anonymous-aiding journo's brief tells jury nowt's been proven

Re: Wow...

"It's not worth the stress or resentment."

It can even be profitable. Two months after leaving my recently ex-boss decided to emigrate. So there was a 3 month freelance gig to pick up some of his stuff & a 3 month extension.

Assange™ offered 'plans for escape by flying fox to Harrods'

"But is there any documented proof of a diplomatically sealed trunk or other container large enough to contain a person and breathing equipment?"

No problem. Just leave out the breathing equipment.

"3 and a quarter years of self imprisonment"

When he finally comes out & gets nabbed will he try to get it counted against sentence like time on remand?

EU desperately pushes just-as-dodgy safe harbour alternatives

I suppose that after a suitable period of posturing the US will have to accept one of two things. Safe harbour is dead or they will have to create a new framework in which it is actually acceptable.

The latter alternative requires them to change their own behaviour. It's the main point at issue and there's not getting round it. No amount of model clauses or other guff is worth any more than the original agreement unless the US accepts its culpability here & deals with it.

White House 'deeply disappointed' by Europe outlawing Silicon Valley

Re: About time the EU did that.

"treaty"

It wasn't even a treaty. It was just a mutual agreement to look the other way.

"I've just consulted my crystal ball"

Just the one? What's the other made out of?

Re: Dear US government, there is something you have forgotten..

"Creating trust is difficult, but destroying it takes little."

Very true. And rebuilding it once it's destroyed is the hardest thing of all.

Re: @ Grikath

"My current one is chainsaws.

I've already got 2, how many more do you think I need?!"

Maybe another to lend to Dabbsy.

Re: Tantrum coming in 3, 2, 1...

"In the past, it came in handy to rescue the Brits from the Germans...."

Maybe you watched that film where the US Navy helped BP to break Enigma codes?

Join Uber in a tale of rent seeking and employment law

"the UK test for whether you're a contractor is ... how many different people do you work for?"

"To suggest that a company must abandon a customer who provides regular business simply to prove its independence is an unreasonable restraint of trade"

Apart from that there are other tests. I'd have thought that "provides own equipment" would be fairly significant. BYOD may be blurring that but one would hope that the Uber driver has paid more than the cost of an iPad for his vehicle.

Silicon Valley now 'illegal' in Europe: Why Schrems vs Facebook is such a biggie

"IIf I e-mail a company in the EU, I have a reasonable expectation that that data stays inside the EU."

I should have quoted more of the original article:

" Imagine you’re a UK resident business, and you're using Google for email. What happens when I email you? You'll receive my message on US-owned infrastructure. Before you've gained my permission, you've exported my personal data - and maybe it’s even privileged information - to a third party entity.

That's because the recipient of the email - in this case you - export the data to a third party without the sender's permission."

In this case it's explicit that the email service is run by Google so there's no reasonable expectation that it would remain in the EU. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Re: I can see only one solution to this

"If I were the CEO etc I would be asking several underlings what they have done to be ready and if nothing showing them the door."

The underlings might remind you of their several requests to do this which you quashed. Not that that would help them of course.

Re: Perhaps anything, but probably not

"Unless something happens quickly, we may have to change the services we use."

As things stand the Schrem case now goes back to the Irish court with the ECJ ruling to guide it. Courts are involved so your concept of quickly may need some adjustment. But that gives you time to explore alternatives.

Re: Perhaps anything, but probably not

"Then there is the price difference between between American offerings and local counterparts. This won't just hurt American corporations, it will hurt everyone."

No, it won't hurt those local counterparts you just mentioned.

"There's no real doubt"

In your mind, it would seem. But some of us like evidence.

"US companies that export data are fundamentally illegal in Europe."

Actually it's any company that exports personal data to the US.

"That's because the recipient of the email - in this case you - export the data to a third party without the sender's permission."

Actually, this one doesn't fly. The sender of the email exported his own data.

"Brussels doesn't have the institutional machinery, or maybe even the brains, to fix this one."

Or the balls.

'the US doesn't recognise an "abroad"'

I'm not sure of that. The abroad where companies like Apple accumulate their income outside the US tax regime seem to be recognised OK. The Microsoft case seems to hinge on the fact that for whatever reason (and none that I can think of do the originator of the case any credit) someone decided to try to bypass the existing mechanism which the treaty with abroad would have enabled to try for a warrant in Ireland. And AFAIK the basis of their case is that records which Microsoft hold in trust for other people are somehow Microsoft's own records which they're entitled to demand because Microsoft is a US company. I don't see any problem with them going after records of a US company such as Enron wherever they're held.

And I assume that the Computer & Communications Industry Association largely represents US companies interests. If the ruling means that work formerly done in the US has to be done in Europe its hard to see how it isn't going to help the European IT industry.

One of the interesting aspects of this is how it's going to extend. Will the court rule it impossible to process personal data in the UK? Or France? Or India?

Surface Book: Microsoft to turn unsuccessful tab into unsuccessful laptop

" terra

I think that bit of kit you're so proud of has an obscure fault. The only upper case letter that works seems to be the "A".

Safe harbour ruling: RELAX, Facebook and Google will be FINE!

Re: For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap

"US has anti-terror legislation that trumps any other legislation"

Yes, but this is not having PROPER data protection legislation. As the OP put it and you quoted, it's proper data protection legislation that's needed.

Linux kernel dev who asked Linus Torvalds to stop verbal abuse quits over verbal abuse

Re: Torvalds is a dinosaur (personally)

"Torvalds is a clearly a BAD manager, and has been promoted beyond his capabilities."

Did you forget the joke icon? It's his abilities that have put him where he is. The similarity between "Linus" and "Linux" isn't a coincidence.

But the consequence is that the culture of the project is what he makes it. If you don't accept the culture don't be part of the project.

Re: At some point I might resign from my job

"Much as Torvalds does himself - don't say much, but if necessary say it in a way to get maximum exposure."

If you read even a little of the kernel mailing list you'll find that he has a lot to say only a tiny proportion of which makes the headlines.

Re: The problem is, usually Linus is right

"Saying that a volunteer is responsible is not quite correct"

As I understand it she was a sub-system maintainer. That is a responsible role. Being a volunteer does not absolve one of responsibility. My wife is a volunteer in a charity shop but she has a responsibility to put the cash into the till, not take it out.

Re: The problem is, usually Linus is right @ Christian Berger

Thanks, Christian, an interesting read. I can't help thinking that college education has been greatly over-extended to those who can't handle it.

Re: YoLotD

Is it the kernel that's the problem or the fact that people want to do stuff with it?

Re: The problem is, usually Linus is right

"Can you do that? Thought not."

Pro tip: don't answer your own rhetorical questions.

"Every attempt to mobil-ify desktop OS has resulted in a train wreck."

It's a bit more complex that that. Remember that Linux is just a kernel. Linux distros such as Fedora, Ubuntu, etc are collections of desktop userlands wrapped round that kernel. It's equally possible to wrap a mobile userland round it. Whatever your opinion of Android it would be impossible to describe its market share as a train wreck.

'One Windows' crunch time: Microsoft tempts with glittery new devices

Re: MS on to something with the 'One Windows' strategy?

"most of us will have moved to a web style laptop in 10 years such as Chrome OS"

What a dreadful thought. Not that I have anything against Chrome OS as such, it's the concept.

If you wanted Windows 10, it looks like you've already installed it

Re: Windows 10 on floppy…

"And then I did an rm -rf * in the wrong place and had to do it all again."

A valuable learning experience about the dangers of doing stuff in root.

Re: 1/7 computers stayed on 10 after upgrading...

"old HP printers just don't work"

That probably can be fixed. I tried W10 on a test box under the Insider scheme & had the same problem. I downloaded the 8.x driver from HP's site & that fixed it. Up to a few months ago didn't we get posts telling us how hard Linux was because drivers for $HARDWARE weren't available?

The test box, by the way, has been restored to health running Debian 7 to test ownCloud.

I expect downvotes as the pro-MS downvoters who had previously taken cover seem to have psyched themselves up to weather the shitstorm & have reemerged.

Australian boffins say Quantum Pentiums are on the horizon

Re: I would guess

They'd get rid of the boxed mice http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/04/mysterious_brown_spots/

Potent OWA backdoor scores 11,000 corporate creds from single biz

Re: So how did it get on there?

I agree it's unclear. But it does sound as if Cybereason were brought in after the client realised they had a problem so it's not a pen test. I'd guess the original break-in was a sysadmin being phished.

Safe Harbour ruled INVALID: Facebook 'n' pals' data slurp at risk

"This is why cyberspace needs its own government and laws (perhaps owned by the UN)....a worldwide agreed standard and laws to protect each individual."

The second part is the requirement but the first part isn't the only way to achieve it. International agreements should be sufficient if (and it's a big if) governments then abided by the agreements they made.

Re: NSA hurting US business interests

" but not for the obvious reasons"

Not obvious? "Stating the bleedin' obvious" more likely.

Re: Great news!

"The Atlantic versino[sic] of the TTIP wil[sic] (AFAIK) give US Megacorps total freedom to slurp whatever data the want and sell it to whoever they please."

I think your AFAIK has just met a bit of a stumbling block.

"potentially better"

I suppose anything other than already perfect is potentially better. And when someone completely fails at a basic requirement then yes, there's maybe potential for improvement. But if they fail due to circumstances outside their control* then I'm not sure the potential really exists.

*Other than buying themselves a better government.

Startup promises to cancel your hated Comcast subscription for you for just $5

Know the script, record the answers (need to be able to insert the customer's name & number as required), initiate the call, start the recording.

US tries one last time to sway EU court on data-slurping deal

"If they operate in any shape or form in the US then this still wouldn't work"

That's the whole point. Safe harbour is a hollow promise. In the absence of the US reforming its entire privacy legislation the way to go is to kill it and go with wholly EU operations. If, for instance, your EU telecoms provider wants to run a credit check on you (I can't think why this particular scenario came to mind) it would have to go to a wholly EU owned and based agency to do so.

Actually I don't see why we need safe harbour at all. If you (for values of you which evaluate to EU citizen) deal with an EU company you should be able to hold that EU company responsible for any breaches of data you give it. If they take the decision to pass that on to another company, irrespective of where that company is, they'd better be sure that they can trust that company or else have T&Cs with it that allow them to recover any damages that they may have to pay out the customer. A further element should be transparency; before passing on data a company should ascertain any further transfers that will be made (no weaseling out with vague "may" clauses to unnamed "partners"), report back to the customer and receive positive opt-in before proceeding. (Actually there could be circumstances in which it would not be possible to decide up-front whether a transfer would be necessary; in that case it would be OK to say "may" in the first place providing they named the options and sought additional opt-in for any such transfers when the necessity arose.)

" the European Parliament called for it to be suspended.

However, the EU executive, the European Commission, was reluctant to do so and instead pinned its hopes on renegotiating the terms of the arrangement."

If the court follows Bot's advice renegotiation will be a lot easier & faster. Wasn't it one of Tricky Dicky's henchmen who said "when you've got them by the balls their hearts and minds will follow"?

Rise of der Maschinen: Daimler trials ROBOT LORRY in Germany

"So on the motorway the driver is just there to be blamed ?"

No, he's there to call the tow-truck when the GPS navigated automated system gets firmly wedged round a tight corner in a narrow lane.

Pocket mobe butt dialing clogs up 911 emergency calls, says Google

"The other component is the particular digits selected"

In that respect 911 might be better than 999.

UK gets the Ashley Madison fear: Data privacy moans on the up

Re: "over-reliance on toothless decision notices"

' "Lessons Have Been Learned" is *not* a valid response!'

And "We take your privacy seriously" is on a par with "your call is important to us".

Only a CNUT would hold back the waves of the sharing economy

Re: King Cnut reference misleading.

"The same could be said of Luddites too"

I think it was a fairly complicated situation. It was a movement which took place in different parts of the country so that the nature of the industries varied. What was happening was that various industries were moving from a domestic to a factory system, a move facilitated and, indeed, required by new technology (the new machines were often driven by non-human power sources, initially water wheels, which required them to be aggregated around the power sources).

The owners of the new factories were, in many cases, some of the more successful domestic operators. Clearly not everyone who operated a domestic business could set up a factory - there'd have been neither the work-force nor the markets available. The end result was undoubtedly increased employment in those industries that lasted for many generations.

The protests came from those who objected to becoming factory employees and were being put out of business by the more efficient machines in the factories but who didn't make the alternative transition to becoming factory owners themselves. At least that's what I make out of the evidence I've looked at.

Re: Repeated Typo!

"I think it's extremely relevant, because it goes to the heart of the sort of society we want to have."

A mature economy or society, much like a mature ecological community should surely have many different niches so there should be room for settled employment, freelancing and casual employment. Each has its advantages (to both engagers and workers) in the appropriate situation. What we need, as a society, is to ensure that all those niches are recognised, understood and kept in balance.

@ graeme leggett

Maybe you missed the earlier article where TNT was defined.