the Olson Timezone Database

[David Lamb]

I thought Anonymous were in *favor* of free speech.

Not quite, if I recall correctly the essence of the few articles I've
read about them. Anonymous has participated in big-news stuff like
hacking and DDOS attacks, especially on corporate and government
organizations that interfere with speech they want to protect. IIRC they
originated on 4chan as a group that did all kinds of smaller stuff like
tracking down Boxy and threatening her in order to get her to remove her
YouTube videos. So, people they decide are stupid and/or evil don't seem
to be accorded the right to free speech.

 

[Lew]

Not quite, if I recall correctly the essence of the few articles I've
read about them. Anonymous has participated in big-news stuff like
hacking and DDOS attacks, especially on corporate and government
organizations that interfere with speech they want to protect. IIRC they
originated on 4chan as a group that did all kinds of smaller stuff like
tracking down Boxy and threatening her in order to get her to remove her
YouTube videos. So, people they decide are stupid and/or evil don't seem
to be accorded the right to free speech.

How ironic that stupid and evil people like Anonymous would have the arrogance
to set themselves up as arbiters of stupid and evil.

Their hypocrisy is objective evidence for my assessment of those jackasses.
They're just another band of crooks hiding their malfeasance behind bogus
high-falutin' rhetoric that attempts to spray perfume over the stench of their
necrotic souls.

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

Not likely. Canada has a notion of the right to free speech,

Usually "free speech" does not guarantee against criminal or
civil charges.

and it would be a
hard sell to produce a preponderance of evidence that such an obviously
emotional and hypothetical comment as this in any way adds to or incites
Anonymous's stupid and hypocritical destructive actions.

It has happen before that people and companies got sued even though the
causality between what they did and the issue are a bit thin.

Arne

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

The first rule of computer security which you have just broken is to
avoid setting yourself up as a target.

On the other hand I would say that the first rule of being a person
of character is not to let threats make you silent.

Arne

 

[Eric Sosman]

Not quite, if I recall correctly the essence of the few articles I've
read about them. Anonymous has participated in big-news stuff like
hacking and DDOS attacks, especially on corporate and government
organizations that interfere with speech they want to protect. IIRC they
originated on 4chan as a group that did all kinds of smaller stuff like
tracking down Boxy and threatening her in order to get her to remove her
YouTube videos. So, people they decide are stupid and/or evil don't seem
to be accorded the right to free speech.

They even victimized the Scottish Organic Producers Association.
(See <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/23/freetard_sopa_fail/>
if the penny fails to drop.)

 

[Gene Wirchenko]

They even victimized the Scottish Organic Producers Association.
(See <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/01/23/freetard_sopa_fail/>
if the penny fails to drop.)

Sad. I have submitted the link to the RISKS List.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

 

[Gordon Levi]

Are you threatening me?

I thought Anonymous were in *favor* of free speech. That's their line, anyway,
do schmuckly things in the name of individual rights, isn't it? Am I a bank? A
government? A spy agency? No, I'm just someone who's not afraid to point out
that Anonymous are evil, stupid bastards. And script kiddies. Assholes. They
should change their name to "AA" - "Assholes Anonymous".

And I'm not afraid of you, either.

I am very sorry that I made you feel threatened. It was not my
intention.

 

[Fredrik Jonson]

Happy news,

In what sounds like a sudden outbreak of common sense the lawsuit against
Olson and Eggert. There following is, believe it or not, a statement from
Astrolabe:

"Astrolabe's lawsuit against Mr. Olson and Mr. Eggert was based on a flawed
understanding of the law. We now recognize that historical facts are no
one's property and, accordingly, are withdrawing our Complaint. We deeply
regret the disruption that our lawsuit caused for the volunteers who
maintain the TZ database, and for Internet users."

https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-wins-protection-time-zone-database

 

[Lew]

Happy news,

In what sounds like a sudden outbreak of common sense the lawsuit against
Olson and Eggert. There following is, believe it or not, a statement from
Astrolabe:

"Astrolabe's lawsuit against Mr. Olson and Mr. Eggert was based on a flawed
understanding of the law. We now recognize that historical facts are no
one's property and, accordingly, are withdrawing our Complaint. We deeply
regret the disruption that our lawsuit caused for the volunteers who
maintain the TZ database, and for Internet users."

https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-wins-protection-time-zone-database

Well, that sure earns my respect. Good on them for owning up so forthrightly.

 

[Tom Anderson]

Well, that sure earns my respect. Good on them for owning up so forthrightly.

I imagine the threat of the EFF's battle-hardened lawyers taking your
dinner money does wonders for your for clarity of understanding:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/...-against-timezone-database-deserves-sanctions

tom

 

[Gene Wirchenko]

I imagine the threat of the EFF's battle-hardened lawyers taking your
dinner money does wonders for your for clarity of understanding:

Or possibly a more knowledgeable lawyer laying out the facts.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/...-against-timezone-database-deserves-sanctions

Let them save face. Unless they try a stunt like this again,
best to let it lie.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko