The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread

Kevin Purdy / Feb 23, 2024 / Policy

Avast ordered to stop selling browsing data from its browsing privacy apps

Identifiable data included job searches, map directions, “cosplay erotica.”…

Cunts. I mean, you’ve got to expect that behavior these days but to sell a tool as protecting your privacy while making money from selling out your privacy is a scumbag move. Avast used to be reputable back when I used their anti virus in the 2000’s.

Gators1

Pretty common these days I think. Company gets bought along the way or management turns over and they look to monetize everything they do with no fucks given. I figured it out though. Occasionally I look at stuff so disgusting that not even they want to track it. Do that a few times and your trackers look away when you go online.

Corporate money grab and greed will end us all

Kilemall

@Zeppelin said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

Corporate money grab and greed will end us all

The fun part is when ultra socialists and corporate scum collude and use each other to eliminate all other competition then fight it out for final dominance.

It’s coming.

Gators1

@Kyle How does that work?

Kilemall

@Gators1 said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Kyle How does that work?

You have already seen it in play with BLM type stuff. Banks don’t care who spends the money, they care that you can enforce the tax collection and pay.

Gators1

@Kilemall said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Gators1 said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Kyle How does that work?

You have already seen it in play with BLM type stuff. Banks don’t care who spends the money, they care that you can enforce the tax collection and pay.

But Blanks want’s Musk’s money, but Musk is awesome and therefore shouldn’t have to pay much. How do you get past that?

Kilemall

@Gators1 said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Kilemall said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Gators1 said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Kyle How does that work?

You have already seen it in play with BLM type stuff. Banks don’t care who spends the money, they care that you can enforce the tax collection and pay.

But Blanks want’s Musk’s money, but Musk is awesome and therefore shouldn’t have to pay much. How do you get past that?

If Blanks got the whole US to want electric cars, Musk will pay to play. Blanks better get him tax breaks.

Gators1

@Kilemall said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Gators1 said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Kilemall said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Gators1 said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Kyle How does that work?

You have already seen it in play with BLM type stuff. Banks don’t care who spends the money, they care that you can enforce the tax collection and pay.

But Blanks want’s Musk’s money, but Musk is awesome and therefore shouldn’t have to pay much. How do you get past that?

If Blanks got the whole US to want electric cars, Musk will pay to play. Blanks better get him tax breaks.

So capitalism is fine to Blanks as long as they are making commie hippie bullshit? How do you build income equality?

Kilemall

@Gators1 said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Kilemall said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Gators1 said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Kilemall said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Gators1 said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Kyle How does that work?

You have already seen it in play with BLM type stuff. Banks don’t care who spends the money, they care that you can enforce the tax collection and pay.

But Blanks want’s Musk’s money, but Musk is awesome and therefore shouldn’t have to pay much. How do you get past that?

If Blanks got the whole US to want electric cars, Musk will pay to play. Blanks better get him tax breaks.

So capitalism is fine to Blanks as long as they are making commie hippie bullshit? How do you build income equality?

New Soviet Man requires genetic engineering.

I don’t know if it’s just an unlucky run for me in particular today, but I feel like we’ve entered an age where it’s just okay to deliver broken shit.

I subscribed to the Wall Street Journal earlier today via their app on my phone. Google happily billed me instantly but the WSJ app redirected me to a separate web page to register. That registration process shat itself and the app then asked me to login which I couldn’t because I hadn’t even got to the password part of the registration process. There’s no option to re-register, only login, so $5 wasted. I’m not adding insult to injury by wasting I don’t know how much time and energy requesting refunds or dealing with WSJ tech support so I left a one star review explaining the problem and uninstalled the app.

Then tonight I order a movie through Google Play. They gave two options, $4 for SD or $5 for HD. Okay, so I select HD and Google instantly charge me. I sit down to watch the movie and the highest quality it will give me is 480p.

Is it really that hard to perfect the art of a selling a newspaper subscription or a movie rental? Surely they do this shit at scale and this is a core part of the service. Not some oddball fucking edge case that they might be forgiven for not expecting.

/rant

Gators1

You are lucky that you got out of WSJ. Once you get on their regular price, the only way to get out is by calling them and having a long argument with the rep about why you are worthy to cancel your subscription.

Pakoon

@Hog said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

I don’t know if it’s just an unlucky run for me in particular today, but I feel like we’ve entered an age where it’s just okay to deliver broken shit.

I subscribed to the Wall Street Journal earlier today via their app on my phone. Google happily billed me instantly but the WSJ app redirected me to a separate web page to register. That registration process shat itself and the app then asked me to login which I couldn’t because I hadn’t even got to the password part of the registration process. There’s no option to re-register, only login, so $5 wasted. I’m not adding insult to injury by wasting I don’t know how much time and energy requesting refunds or dealing with WSJ tech support so I left a one star review explaining the problem and uninstalled the app.

Then tonight I order a movie through Google Play. They gave two options, $4 for SD or $5 for HD. Okay, so I select HD and Google instantly charge me. I sit down to watch the movie and the highest quality it will give me is 480p.

Is it really that hard to perfect the art of a selling a newspaper subscription or a movie rental? Surely they do this shit at scale and this is a core part of the service. Not some oddball fucking edge case that they might be forgiven for not expecting.

/rant

I subscribed to Wired two weeks ago for five bucks a year. Worked for a week and then they wanted to charge me 29,90 bucks or something. I sent them an email and after two hours they said everything was AOK and told me that I’d get a free t-shirt or a tote bag lol

Great customer service I’d say.

Pakoon

Oh, and @Hog what does the tax base on? Cambodian?

@Pakoon said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

@Hog said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

I don’t know if it’s just an unlucky run for me in particular today, but I feel like we’ve entered an age where it’s just okay to deliver broken shit.

I subscribed to the Wall Street Journal earlier today via their app on my phone. Google happily billed me instantly but the WSJ app redirected me to a separate web page to register. That registration process shat itself and the app then asked me to login which I couldn’t because I hadn’t even got to the password part of the registration process. There’s no option to re-register, only login, so $5 wasted. I’m not adding insult to injury by wasting I don’t know how much time and energy requesting refunds or dealing with WSJ tech support so I left a one star review explaining the problem and uninstalled the app.

Then tonight I order a movie through Google Play. They gave two options, $4 for SD or $5 for HD. Okay, so I select HD and Google instantly charge me. I sit down to watch the movie and the highest quality it will give me is 480p.

Is it really that hard to perfect the art of a selling a newspaper subscription or a movie rental? Surely they do this shit at scale and this is a core part of the service. Not some oddball fucking edge case that they might be forgiven for not expecting.

/rant

I subscribed to Wired two weeks ago for five bucks a year. Worked for a week and then they wanted to charge me 29,90 bucks or something. I sent them an email and after two hours they said everything was AOK and told me that I’d get a free t-shirt or a tote bag lol

Great customer service I’d say.

Yeah, wow, that’s awesome.

@Pakoon said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

Oh, and @Hog what does the tax base on? Cambodian?

Yeah, Cambodia has 10% VAT so I assume it’s that.

Edit: Although I submit tax paperwork and money monthly with revenue, salary withholding tax etc, all my revenue comes from abroad so is VAT free and I don’t know much about how it works other than in theory.

WaPo (free): European court favors strong encryption, calling it key to privacy rights

The thing I found interesting about that story was that the whole case and ruling was prompted by Russia being a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights. They were sued for being in breach by their laws requiring access to Telegram users’ messages. Now that the ruling exists, it’s potentially going to stop the UK’s planned similar legislation because they are also a signatory.

madrebel

@Hog said in The OFFICIAL tech stuff thread:

WaPo (free): European court favors strong encryption, calling it key to privacy rights

The thing I found interesting about that story was that the whole case and ruling was prompted by Russia being a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights. They were sued for being in breach by their laws requiring access to Telegram users’ messages. Now that the ruling exists, it’s potentially going to stop the UK’s planned similar legislation because they are also a signatory.

But FBI Director Christopher A. Wray has cited encryption as one of law enforcement’s main challenges, telling an audience at Texas A&M University last year that “terrorists, hackers, child predators and more are taking advantage of end-to-end encryption to conceal their communications and illegal activities from us.”

Translation “Whaaa our job is harder when we have to do actual work whaaaa”

Gators1

I mean it actually does facilitate that kind of stuff as well as organized crime because the agency can’t get a wiretap even if they bother to get the warrant this time. Privacy isn’t absolute.

I can see arguments on both sides. I just wish people would think of how the powers can (and, almost inevitably, will) be abused by future governments whenever they’re emotively exhorted to “think of the children”.

CP is unquestionably evil. So is a vindictive Trump looking to punish disloyal citizens in his third term.

Edit: even putting aside maybe ridiculous extreme scenarios, there was plenty of shit that the Patriot act allowed for that went too far IMO.

Jam

@Hog

We are in big trouble if he ever gets a third term.