False.

Censorship is bad. There are ways to moderate trolls, spam, and misinformation that don't involve censorship. We've seen that censorship serves to promote conspiracy theories (because it actually is a conspiracy.)

Yes, so what on earth are you doing on Slashdot? This certainly has morphed, from me making a truthful admonition to people that their phones are not a safe space to me somehow being part of the police state, where they are gonna get ya, and can manufacture all the evidence needed, and all citizens are doomed.

This isn't even to make some sort of statement that bad things can't happen. Of course there are bad police, just like there are bad people. Are all people evil? Are they evil because some people make false accusations? I posted in here about a false accusation against me - too long to do. it again. But if I take the standard Slashdot intense hatred of law enforcement, I should therefore believe all humans are doing this.

Hell, the police I had to deal with in the fall accusation against me we pretty nice. Seems that a lot of people in here are caught up in a narrative, a prejudiced viewpoint.

Better move to Idaho, build a compound, barter chickens for bullets, Destory your social security card, no electronics, completely cut off from society. Because popo can get ya, and since everyone here thinks popo can just make shit up, you gotta do that. Leave civilization

Wanna get yourself even more paranoid? Popo can record your conversations by measuring the glass vibrations in your house windows. Popo can tell if you are using a radio by finding the IF frequencies. They can even tell what station you are listening to. Popo can disable your GM car using Onstar. Popo can even tell what you are working on by reading RF emissions from your computer screen. Cites upon request.

But they so seldom do this. It's expensive, labor intensive, and always saved for people who they know are doing sketchy things as they build a case.

Enjoy your fear and paranoia.

I feel sorry for people like you. Living constantly in terror and fear of popo, Why do you not move to another country where there is total privacy.

My entire point in all of this, is that you can do whatever you want to do. But using insecure devices is stupid. But you have a narrative that must be served.

First off my fear filled friend, I'm exposing my innocence, not proving it. I'm providing an alibi.

Perhaps you do not like alibis? If a gas station has me on camera, time stamped, and my credit card was used to purchase gas, or a soda, on my credit card, while my cell phone pings off a local tower, that goes a hella long way to provide an alibi.

What is your solution, homie? I just gave a fine way to show your location, and show your innocence if questioned. All by outside sources.

And yes, not all police are saints. Then again, not all police are the evil, evidence planting monsters you appear to believe. It's a spectrum, just like everyone else on earth.

What's more, I have some experience with wrongful accusation. It was sometime in the late 90's, the day after Christmas. I took my son to the local skating rink. about 20 minutes in, when I stepped off the ice, I was approached by 2 officers.

"Sir, where were you last night around 7 P.M.?"

Me: "I was at my parents house, watching a game on TV."

"Can you provide proof?"

Me: Yes, there were some 20 people there at the time,"

"Were you at the airport?"

Me: "I drove by around 8:30 on the way home."

Sir, it's better if you just confess"

Me: (quiet)

So we took it outside, I had the rink manager look after my son. I cooperated fully.

Already the police saw something was off about the situation.

They asked for my ID of course.

"Can you show us your ID?"

Me: "Sure - it is in my car, the red Chevy van right there."

The male cop gets on the phone, the lady cop accompanies me to my vehicle.

"Sir, you shouldn't keep your wallet inside your vehicle, it isn't safe you know."

Me: "It's a lot safer than inside the rink."

She started laughing. This whole thing was not adding up.

We went back to join the other cop.

"Me: Do you want me to call up my parents and relatives now? And I've been very cooperative - what exactly is it I've been accused of?"

Sir, a worker at the airport was threatened last night around 7 P.M., and someone in the rink says you were the person threatening the employee."

Me: "What do we do now?"

"My partner is going to pick up the victim, and we're going to see if he can identify you."

So I hang out with the lady cop while the other runs off to the airport. Comes back 20 minutes later with the victim. I stood with the lady cop, the victim stood about 25 feet away. I could see them talking, eventually the victim shakes his head. Office tells him to have a seat in the cop car. Then walks back to us, also shaking his head.

"Well sir, it definitely wasn't you."

Me: "What did he say?"

"You are taller, wear glasses, have shorter hair, have a beard, are more muscular, and don't really look like the guy who threatened him at all."

We walked back to the rink, They apologized, shook my hand.

"We're so sorry, Mr Olsoc, for the inconvenience, And thank you so much for the cooperation. I'm going in to speak with your accuser."

I chatted with the lady cop, she appeared to actually like me by this point. The male cop came back out.

"They insist it was you, even after letting them know it was definitely not."

Now it was my turn. When I get really angry my voice takes on a calm, apparently eerie tone, I'm told. Never yell.

Me: "I am the president of the youth Ice Hockey association here, my career requires me to work on sensitive research, and I have to maintain a clearance. My life requires I be pretty spotless. Let us make no mistake, if they do not stop, here and now, I will insist on them being arrested for a false police report, and we'll all be in court, criminal, then civil, so if you could do me and them a favor and let them know that if that is what they want, we'll pursue that."

He went in again, came back out

"All taken care of, Ol"

Only repercussions were getting ribbed a lot by the rink manager, and yes, there is some psychological damage to being falsely accused. And ended up on a first name basis with the police I was working with.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

So is it your thesis that the police can and will plant information on my phone for the Lulz?

I suppose there is a no-zero chance, just like there is a none-zro chance I can shit out a singularity.

Yeah, everyone in jail is innocent. And you are quite paranoid.

Now ima gonna give you nightmares. I make certain when I am at a store that I look at and wave to the cameras. I'ma going to buy everything on credit cards. In the even I am arrested in one of your Cops plant evidence schemes, I'ma going to subpoena cell phone records. I'ma going to subpoena their cop cams.

You think I don't have imagination? Au contraire. This invasion of your sovereign citizen rights are things I will plan to use in my defense.

SoI will counter your paranoia with the truth that these modern spying actions are equally likely to prove you innocent.

I haven't been able to find it, because it was several years ago, but in a case in New York City, a woman was raped, and the description of her assailant was circulated. They arrested a man who matched her description - she identified him as the perp.

But it turns out that he worked at a bank, and was working late that day. When he left the bank and checked out, the security cams showed him quite clearly at the same time she was assaulted. A week or so later, they found the real perp, who as it turned out looked very much like him.

Anyhow, you do you.

Similar, I have Safari, Mail, VPN, Boom3d, and Preview, and am using 2.1GB.

It the Mac mini M4 not a sweet little thing?

I have told people, do as you like, commit crimes as you like. You do you.

But I have also told people that if you for a new your second, believe that using your smartphone is at all a good way of assisting in whatever you feel like doing - you are not as smart as you believe you are. They are not secure, they are a little walkie talkie, that transmits radio waves that can be listened to. As noted here, they are not at all secure.

The very technology that allows the cellular system to function is exactly a tracking system, unfortunately people can't understand that if you live in LA, and can still receive calls and text in sat, New York, it knows where you are. Maybe they think that the angry desert gawd tells your phones to ring because only he knows where you are at all times.

Like I said, if a person wants to do something that will land them in trouble - hey, have fun. But using a smartphone, you are documenting it.

Yeah - but I do understand corporatese. If the man says "Xbox is not for sale" - it means it is for sale. Just like when someone is in a bit of trouble, and teh Boss says, We're behind him 100 percent, the guy is gone the next morning.

Regardless, the gaming industry is in a bit of a kerfuffle at the moment. I'm a casual gamer, but can drop a few hundred on them - or at least I used to. I haven't bought a game in a couple years now. So Maybe games will get better if no one is making them any more? Get those mass layoffs going!

That's a bold strategy Cotton - let's see how it works out... 8^) All joking aside, I have an M4 Mini, and it seriously hauls ass.

Stop it! I'm drooling! Seriously though, I'd love to take a test ride in that. I don't do all that much heavy duty computing these days but it would be fun testing that beast out

That made for a flashback. My old G5 Mac - the one In that incredible aircraft aluminum case, sounded like a jet taking off while rendering 3-D animations.

Too bad the operating System at present is not stable.

I know, I am still pissed off that My M4 Mac is better than my Intel Macs in every way. We need to go back to 286's this business of changing things has to stop. 8^/

You figure that inertia is going to hold 50 years from now? Also, there was a reason why my previous place kept a museum of windows and DOS machines. Because despite claims of stability, they aren't all that.

Sounds like the number one now, so it will be number one to infinity and beyond argument.

Yes - for years, Microsoft has done whatever it wants, and even if the customers grumble, they will come back and take it. And for years they have. Will they forever? There is no questioning that W11 has become a very unstable OS. I've been bit several times, my students were bit so many times that they wanted me to teach the class using Linux. A couple migrated their programs to Mac.

So yes, I agree Microsoft wants the user base to continue, and yes, keeping that user base captive is a big priority. However - in nuance, I'm still in agreement with hutkept, as the present Windows situation unfolds, they might want to hold on to everyone they have. Linux and UNIX can do everything Windows can do, just have to write the appropriate software and drivers. The goes for games too.

Linux is catching up in gaming, Apple is mildly interested in gaming, but probably not all that worried.

Maybe they should look at why their gaming division is losing money, and try a different approach?

That is an interesting take - and I think you are exactly right. Otherwise, most everything else is just inertia, the installed user base argument.

What odds do you give that the reflecting pool will be fixed before he leaves office?

I'll wager that just like all other things Microsoft, updates will render it inoperable.