zlacker

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1. a3n+(OP)[view] [source] 2021-06-05 23:49:45
So DoJ is like Google or Facebook: They silently do whatever they want until it appears on HN, then they fix it.
replies(4): >>judge2+U >>tootie+y6 >>throw_+nc >>tooman+mb1
2. judge2+U[view] [source] 2021-06-06 00:01:19
>>a3n+(OP)
All three share the trait of being in the public sphere. Graver atrocities are happening across every other industry, they're just boring/not newsworthy so nobody really applies scrutiny.
replies(1): >>cschep+Q4
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3. cschep+Q4[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 00:49:34
>>judge2+U
They also all three share the trait of not caring at all what we hacker newsers think :D There just aren't enough of us.
replies(1): >>judge2+jm
4. tootie+y6[view] [source] 2021-06-06 01:05:54
>>a3n+(OP)
The DOJ was trying to catch a child molester. Not sell ads.
replies(1): >>zapdri+77
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5. zapdri+77[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 01:10:21
>>tootie+y6
The perp was being investigated for possession of child pornography. While not a saint, he was not a "child molester".
replies(1): >>arp242+Bd
6. throw_+nc[view] [source] 2021-06-06 02:18:16
>>a3n+(OP)
In a democratic society, as an entity grows in power, so must the level of transparency. Otherwise the will of the people cannot be a real check on that power. Whether through standard journalism (which seems to be lacking lately) or other means this is still true.

Would you personally be (as) worried about mass surveillance if you could somehow guarantee that every use of that power would be reported on to the public; and that any abuses of power would come to light? With the underlying assumption that those abuses of power would also have consequences.

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7. arp242+Bd[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 02:32:43
>>zapdri+77
The trade in child pornography enables child molestation.

I suppose that if we get very technical you're technically correct. Seems like an odd and very pedantic hill to die on though.

replies(3): >>gruez+Sd >>jlokie+0r >>lauren+tu
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8. gruez+Sd[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 02:36:34
>>arp242+Bd
Conflict minerals enable regimes that commit war crimes. Does buying electronics made from such minerals make you a war criminal?
replies(1): >>arp242+gf
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9. arp242+gf[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 02:48:19
>>gruez+Sd
This is a silly comparison and this "aha, but what about this, huh?!"-style of conversation is not one I'm interested in having.
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10. judge2+jm[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 04:21:46
>>cschep+Q4
I think the reason we often see FAANG-related issues actually resolved when they're posted on HN is that so many programmers who work at these FAANGs read HN and can escalate real issues internally.

While there probably are thousands of real issues that don't make it onto HN and thus never get resolved, there's probably multiple millions of people just as desparate that are just trying to skirt some rule or are telling half-truths to try to get their way and bypass policies.

replies(1): >>nexuis+Zt
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11. jlokie+0r[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 05:47:24
>>arp242+Bd
I wouldn't call false accusations of such a serious crime "technical" or "pedantic".

I'd call it "profoundly misleading about a serious matter" at best.

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12. nexuis+Zt[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 06:38:34
>>judge2+jm
This makes me wonder how a Hacker News-for-politicians variant would fare, if political managers at various levels in the chain could post under a pseudonym to bring high level attention to some broken or un-oiled cog. Not necessarily for civilians to find out but for other political operatives to learn about and pull whatever levers they can pull to resolve issues internally. My understanding is that the government (at least the US Fed) is very top->down information wise, and e.g. a town clerk in Kansas has no available way to interact with INS even when they need to for their job.

Let's say one day you stumble upon some nuclear centrifuge in the middle of a field. Who do you even call and how do you do it in such a way that you don't end up on the no-fly list for the rest of your life?

replies(1): >>B1FF_P+Qc1
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13. lauren+tu[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 06:46:22
>>arp242+Bd
Child pronography is any depiction of someone under 18. This includes:

- Drawings, 3D renderings,

- People you don’t have the ID of. Remember the joke: “Actress ___ turned 18, it is now legal to watch her films.”

While one of the gravest crimes, accusations of CP made by police are wildly different from a human’s definition of it, and it is also at high risk of being used for political reasons, we need to keep that in mind.

14. tooman+mb1[view] [source] 2021-06-06 15:50:24
>>a3n+(OP)
How does HN play into this at all?

The FBI served USA Today with a subpoena. USA Today's lawyers replied to the FBI, stating that the subpoena is "not authorized under federal regulations, and object to its service" [1]

[1] (page 15) https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.231...

replies(1): >>a3n+Ir2
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15. B1FF_P+Qc1[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-06 16:04:23
>>nexuis+Zt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_of_Sabotage
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16. a3n+Ir2[view] [source] [discussion] 2021-06-07 03:42:16
>>tooman+mb1
Well, the story has appeared on HN recently, so ...

It's an inside HN joke, to point out that the less exposed something "bad" is, the more likely it is to continue, and if it becomes widely known (not merely publicly available), then there is often visible backpedaling.

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