Here's what a few of you had to say about some of our recent stories. To post a remark in our feedback forums, enter your comments in the text box at the end of any story (registration required). Additionally, you can jump in on the hottest discussions about our most popular blog posts through the links at the bottom of this page.
Re: Computer Privacy in Distress
By Jennifer Granick
From: David
I think the cops should be required to be prepared to clone the named machines, not seize them. Today, storage is inexpensive, and if they have a warrant, the warrant should be to seize an image of the target disk, not simply take the disk. Taking the disk is wanton, specious and punitive even before there's been a trial. For those whose lives and livelihood (other than outright criminals) are "on the line," the damned computer should only be seized if it already is a verifiable, stolen computer, or one that is more than a mere hapless gateway. In other words, the machine must have been stolen or is a malicious point of attack.
A few ideas I would suggest to them (though it diminishes their vested/air of authority):
1. Show up with a warrant.
2. Search the premises for media.
3. Clone found media, and if unable to clone, tough.
4. Keep an eye on the target; eventually, if up to no good, he'll/she'll screw up.
5. Descend upon legit, not opportunistic, targets.
6. Sniff the demarc quietly, and if the target is the wrong one, few people will ever even know, reducing the risk of lawsuits (I accept and expect that covert taps are all over the place anyway, especially with the help of ISPs).
Hell hath no fury like an innocent suspiciously/maliciously wronged.
- - -
Re: Computer Privacy in Distress
By Jennifer Granick
From: RocketGirl
I just wanted to thank Jennifer for her well-thought-out ruminations on this particular topic. I appreciate her efforts on the part of some in the cybercommunity. When I grow up, I would like to be like her.
- - -
Re: Computer Privacy in Distress
By Jennifer Granick
From: Kid Ordinn
Interesting how judges and all interpret individuals' rights. I realize that my rights have diminished greatly, or should I say disappeared totally, since I became an American citizen a decade ago. The Constitution doesn't have the respect it used to have before this president.
As for laptops, what happens if your laptop is secured so that no one can get in it? For example, with a Mac, a free encryption package with the operating system protects from prying eyes and fingers all of your home area. PGP also has an application that encrypts all of your hard disk.
If you refuse to give the password to authorities, and the laptop is your own personal property, what will they do? Throw you in jail for the rest of your life?
- - -
Re: Computer Privacy in Distress
By Jennifer Granick
From: Mike
You start off, "My laptop computer was purchased by Stanford."
End of story! Stop whining – you don't have any "right" to privacy on a machine owned by your employer. Keep your personal stuff on your own laptop and at least you can make an argument against unreasonable search, but not with anything on your employer's hardware. Get a grip – you don't own that PC. How much clearer could it be??
- - -
Re: Computer Privacy in Distress
By Jennifer Granick
From: Tim Busbice
Your story hit home for me. On Dec. 7, 2006, a district attorney investigator and an army of sheriffs stormed my home and took all my computers, including some broken ones, with a search warrant in hand. They accused me of horrendous things (identity theft) that I believe were trumped up to get the judge to sign the warrant. I gave the investigator an earful about people they should have talked to before fabricating stories. Since then they have conducted interviews and, through the grapevine, I hear the investigator is recommending that the case be dropped. When anyone asks about when my equipment will be returned, the investigator always says, "in a couple of weeks."
It's Jan. 18 and I still do not have my equipment, nor have I heard anything directly from the district attorney. I was not arrested and I have not been charged with any crime. I feel this violates my Fourth Amendment rights in a huge way. As a computer scientist, this took away my livelihood, traumatized my family and myself and caused me a tremendous undue hardship – all because the district attorney couldn't spend two minutes asking the owners of a county website whether I had permission to enter the site.
When I read the Fourth Amendment, I wonder how people that have taken oaths to uphold this document can justify doing the things they do. Let's hope the courts can come to the side of the individual in these circumstances.
Re: Why I Want a Locked IPhone
By Leander Kahney
From: Hugh McCarthy
You wrote: "(Steve) Jobs has got his eyes on the exploding digital entertainment market – and the iPhone is digital entertainment device extraordinaire."
Forgive me, but if this is a "digital entertainment device extraordinaire" why will it prohibit direct downloading from iTunes and why will it limit its memory capacity to 512 MB? This to me smacks of protecting Apple's core businesses of iTunes and iPod at the expense of what could have been an extraordinary device.
The Sony Ericsson W950i Walkman phone is now far superior simply because Jobs wouldn't compromise his other businesses, leaving the hamstrung iPhone as a rather mediocre phone in my opinion.
- - -
Re: Why I Want a Locked IPhone
By Leander Kahney
From: Orlando Smith
While I agree with your analysis in the above-referenced article, I have three comments. First, Steve Jobs has not conceded the business market to Microsoft. The current crop of Macs and Xserve are excellent business machines, and Jobs' investment in Mac OS X Server belies any concession of the business market to Microsoft.
I don't expect a surge of businesses to switch to Mac, but businesses, just like consumers, are fed up with Microsoft's rapacious licensing fees for its buggy, bloated and insecure software. Some small number will use Macs where it makes sense to do so. And by attacking and forcing Microsoft to defend its monopoly franchise in the enterprise, Apple develops important skills, reaches broader markets and wins some new customers, defends its franchises in graphics and multimedia, gains credibility in the enterprise and forces Microsoft to divert resources and attention to defending its enterprise franchise against the Mac, Linux and open-source threats.
Second, the iPhone is not a closed platform. As Jobs has said, it is a controlled platform. Jobs did not say that he would never allow third parties to write applications for the iPhone. He left open the possibility that someday Apple would permit others to write applications for the iPhone, though I imagine that requirements for the quality of any third-party application would be quite high.
Third, I wouldn't be surprised if, in the future, Apple or someone writes an office application or office suite for the iPhone. But securing those applications is a problem, and the iPhone's initial target market probably, as you noted, would not miss the absence of an office suite for iPhone. Indeed, anybody doing serious work with a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program or database does so on at least a notebook computer, so even the current crop of smartphones doesn't see much use with any sort of document. Beyond e-mail and the internet, smartphones just don't work, so there is currently no need to put an office suite in a phone for anyone except a tiny niche market.
- - -
Re: Why I Want a Locked IPhone
By Leander Kahney
From: Jorge Tittel
I'm a filmmaker living between London and Los Angeles and read your editorial with great interest. I agree that opening the platform up to "external" software could invite Trojans, bugs and other nuisances onto the platform. But you failed to mention the one piece of software that all users of this "traditional" mobile phone and Wi-Fi device have been looking forward to: "free" internet telephony or, in one word, Skype.
Do you not see the advantage and necessity of this feature?
- - -
What? We can't hear you. You're going to have to speak up. Take a look at some of our readers who've already spoken to us on some of our most popular blog posts:
Bodyhack: Clone Me, Clone You: Does the Soul Get Copied Too?
Comments: 144
Monkey Bites: Vista Antivirus Blues
Comments: 84
Cult of Mac: Wharton Prof Responds: Our Disagreement Is Design vs. Marketing
Comments: 74
Autopia: Economics Favor Altima Hybrid
Comments: 39
Bodyhack: The Super Size Me Diet: Your Results May Vary
Comments: 38
Furthermore: Dosing Doughnuts With Caffeine
Comments: 21
