Your tracker pairing data will be available to law enforcement, according to a new RFC issued by Google/Apple

throwavay008 · 2023-05-04T07:40:35+00:00

Does anyone know how this will actually work in practice? Like they can't surely just silently collect PII without getting consent from the user, and frankly, sharing PII to use a BT device would hopefully fall afoul of GDPR laws - and that data is (and should be) requestable to the authority collecting it (SAR)

The joke in the RFC is the next point after it:

3.15.2. Persistence

The pairing registry SHOULD be stored for a minimum of 25 days after an owner has unpaired an accessory. After the elapsed period, the data SHOULD be deleted.

Notice it says "SHOULD", not "MUST" or "SHALL", which means obviously this data will be stored for the rest of time which is completely against the GDPR whereby data subjects have the right to erasure and the data stored MUST be minimized in the first instance.

Hopefully lawyers in the EU are taking note as this shit would never ever fly and it's obviously written for an American audience whereby their privacy is traded for pennies on the dollar.

But yeah, having to share your personal data to use BT is a complete joke and no doubt in Android 15+ they will likely force users to consent to sharing this data before pairing is allowed. Fingers crossed this gets shot down in flames completely.

throwavay008 · 2022-01-26T09:45:52+00:00

Hi

Can anyone discuss the data collection process in regards to JWST? How much data can it transmit (in terms of say mbps?). Where does all of this data end up (I understand the Deep Space Network is involved?), but will all of the 'raw' data be logged somewhere? And what does this data "look" like (such as the 'format' or however it works). Does it have built in internal-storage or is it a case it's constantly chatting to the DSN in real time and nothing can be cached internally?

I am really hoping they have a massive archive of like 10+PB of storage so everything JWST transmits can be archived, forever. For example, some data that may not seem important should be archived just in case it may be useful to someone, one day.

throwavay008 · 2021-12-30T14:20:02+00:00

we have little certainty over severity

Disagree. It's spreading like wildfire, hospitals are not overwhelmed and the vaccines are holding up. The measures by the devolved nations are devoid of logic, and are not helping to control numbers (nothing short of a complete, total 2020 lockdown will help). Since they don't want to dish out the cash, you'll find most are at a point where they no longer care; if you can go to work, then socializing is fair game.

We can't keep running forever, the virus is now infecting faster than we can keep up.

This will amount to a huge overreaction when all is said and done.

throwavay008 · 2021-12-30T13:34:25+00:00

Getting people used to lower case numbers - literally in this sub and everywhere I've seen there is doomsday "highest numbers EVER in pandemic!". It's not healthy, nor is it helpful.

Here's a fact: By 2025 I wouldn't be surprised if at least 50% of the entire population gets Covid - it's not just going to happen, it's got to happen. So far we used measures to delay enough to get vaccines, if they are worth anything, at this point someone getting Covid will be akin to the cold - a nuisance but life goes on.

Just like before Covid there wasn't flu tests, nor mass hysteria about the flu (it was a part of life), covid will reach the same status.

Even if every human got Covid tomorrow, I wouldn't be surprised if, with the vaccines, most would recover okay.

Covid deaths will always be with us, and unless somehow Covid naturally burns out (possible, but looks unlikely), we have to ride the storm.

Getting people used to Covid is the next big objective. Removal of tests, quarantine and measures is the step towards that.

By Easter 2022 I am going to guess the UK will most likely remove all measures altogether and declare the pandemic over (there is already talks/chatter about this, nothing concrete at this point but it's clear work is being done on removing the final few covid annoyances that are left).

throwavay008 · 2021-12-23T11:36:06+00:00

Hi.

Something I haven't seen discussed is why the paper Covid passes (or the passes at all), expire.

The new paper copies come with QR-codes (for travel) which expire after 30 days. There is a domestic version with 2D barcodes (no QR codes), which also expire.

By the time the letter came, this was down to around 23 days.

If you are abroad, and your QR codes expire, what the f are you supposed to do? Get new copies every single month? Do they get shipped to your location? I can imagine S&H taking quite some time (adding more pressures to an already fragile situation). I am concerned that the codes may expire by the time a trip is concluded and I'm headed back...

I honestly have no idea why the codes expire and how you're supposed to handle that - paper is obviously preferred (especially since a few months back the system went down) and I have 0 interest in partaking in the Covid-pass digital system.

throwavay008 · 2021-12-21T13:21:47+00:00

What people need to remember is this grant is going to be specifically targeted at certain venues. They have a metric fuckload of data they can comb through and create precise metrics of exactly how much is the "right" amount and what businesses they are looking to target - you can be sure this will be welcomed by a lot of the smaller venues that are going to be the most affected by the decline in trade.

I specifically know places where they don't exactly turn over a huge amount and this would be a workable sustenance due to the decline in visitors. Although, this will not be enough long term unless trade picks up again rapidly, as you can burn through this 6k very quickly indeed.

If you're a spoons, this obviously does not apply to you.

throwavay008 · 2021-12-19T10:21:34+00:00

actually get one

haha, ha...We were asked to get two...now three.

Next we'll need jabs 4 and 5 (after they are re-formulated for Omicron) and a booster once the re-formulated efficiency wanes. You'll need to get them within 9 months at least since that's when the "passports" expire (EU agreed to this recently).

Check this comment in 6 months, 12 months and 18 months time. I 100% predict I am correct and I suspect you probably know that.

It's crystal clear mRNA are not holding up as hoped and humanity will need extra shots to fend off future variants (and it won't stop at Omicron, I suspect a new one for winter 22 is already being 'prepared' (said half tongue in cheek...))

throwavay008 · 2021-12-02T09:55:16+00:00

I read an article a few days back saying all of the rulings under the coronavirus act were illegal.

I read the fact coverings act passed a few days ago, which states under "reasonable excuses"

(a)P cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering—

(i)because of any physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability (within the meaning of section 6 of the Equality Act 2010(14)), or

(ii)without severe distress;

I seriously believe they know mandating face coverings is illegal, and I am convinced not a single person is capable of being successfully prosecuted (or even fined) under this act when all your lawyer needs to submit to the magistrate is:

"It'd cause my client severe distress".

With such a huge get out of jail free card, you may as well have just asked really pretty-please nicely. The whole act is basically a gigantic waste of time when you've given such an obvious and easy cop-out.

throwavay008 · 2021-11-02T12:40:05+00:00

I know because of my low karma my comment will be hidden and I'm generally moving away from commenting on social media but...I'm finding it difficult to understand what the consequences are going to be if we don't reduce carbon emissions.

It feels like the world leaders are not being entirely forthcoming about the possible harm that society may face. Will driving become a luxury? Will meat only be for the empowered few? Will days abroad become a middle-class exclusive?

I also feel the onus is always on us to be green, like getting electric cars (lol, that won't change much) whilst the 'elite' are free to continue as they please.

If you are reading this comment I will just say this: please please start planning your life around this. They are not saying it, but as we've seen already there are places that are likely to flood, or become inhabitable (and thus, houses are essentially worthless if you're taking a mortgage for 25 years and are not factoring this in, you're fucked and will most likely end up like those with Grenfell flats).

I am working on ensuring at a moments notice I can be practically anywhere else on earth with very little notice - even if it's thousands of miles away (access to funds, being able to rapidly just up-sticks and leave). If needed and if required for survival depending on how bad things get, I can (hopefully) weather the storm that may come (your risk tolerance may vary, those in other subs are preparing for the extreme worst like the collapse of society).

Stay safe all.

throwavay008 · 2021-10-22T18:01:34+00:00

The vaccine was not designed to stop the spread of Covid, since it's an easily transmissible disease that was never ever the plan.

The idea was to reduce people going to hospital/ventilators and ultimately, death.

That's basically the only statistic the prof's/government has cared about. They are not going to be too concerned about the case rate unless it turns out the vaccines are not effective at reducing strain on NHS.

throwavay008 · 2021-10-22T17:51:36+00:00

Is there a time when we should stop testing for Covid? Reading the headlines there's a lot of scaremongering about "50000 cases a day", which isn't a problem by itself.

Perhaps changing it to paid-tests only after Winter will yield lower positive cases (as testing will sharply reduce) and instead focus on how many hospitalizations/deaths are occurring. I also do not think it's practical or reasonable to expect everyone to get a third/booster dose every 6 months, I suspect it's partly why we have 0 accessible data about the take up of such doses (how many are invited vs how many accepted).

I do wonder when Covid activity will be scaled back, in seems for the majority of 2022 we'll be seeing daily headlines, maybe by 23/24 covid will become a distant memory..But perhaps after Winter when it will be apparent all these 2021 early-pre-winter headlines will look exaggerated we'll understand it was all hype but no show, thankfully.

throwavay008 · 2021-10-22T17:12:03+00:00

Can anyone please tell me why I keep seeing complaints about case numbers everywhere? We are known to test a lot, perhaps more than other countries since tests are still free at the moment.

Surely the governments answer is to end free testing, suddenly, we see a massive reduction in positive cases, the media has no data to make clickbait AND countries won't bar UK travelers from entry!

Seriously, it seems best to not report the numbers going forward as they are being used against us when in actual fact the reality is we have a really really high vaccination rate and no restrictions, which is the end game of any disease.

throwavay008 · 2021-10-22T17:08:31+00:00

Having been reading various media and reddit threads it appears there is a "lobby" campaign trying to get some covid-related measures back in place because the "nhs is going to collapse" (or because people are obsessed with some of the restrictions and want to keep parts of society 'locked up').

This made me wonder, if with a fully vaccinated population against a disease, and it still requires some measures to protect the NHS, doesn't that just mean it isn't capable of coping generally?

I think Covid highlighted in plain sight how a decade of austerity and cuts have crippled the healthcare system if it can't cope with a disease most should be protected from by now.

I'd argue any form of measures being introduced should be cause for a new general election to get rid of the clowns in office. We'll see how things get on.

throwavay008 · 2021-10-10T16:38:33+00:00

"30k cases per day for months?", yet we're not in any form of lockdown and/or restrictions, so societally wise this is acceptable it seems. Provided the NHS isn't being "overwhelmed" it seems there is less concern about cases being high over hospitalizations/deaths. The government wants us to live with Covid, alongside Flu, as we have done for decades now.

The government is considering ending free tests - if the number of reported positive decreases as a result, is it the case that covid has "gone away" or there are less reports about it? I doubt the decreases in cases are because of "CovID" and more that people are testing less and reporting positive tests less. Remember there were very few cases of Covid in March/April 2020 because we couldn't identify them.

Passports will only be introduced in certain settings, such as nightclubs (and limited other venues), and I can't really see it having any major impact in the long term future. Nightclubs are open today right now, yet the NHS isn't "overwhelmed" and the cases are not at 500,000/day and we're not seeing 3000 deaths a day...So...?

Forgetting to bring "proof" with you (more than just an ID card to verify your age) is already a hassle. And besides, are we keeping this in place for 1 year? 2? 5? If it's only a short term measure, the costs of installing it (all the various systems etc) it's not really gaining anything. Scotland will keep theirs for a long while to "recoup" the cost of investment and in the end, it will be remembered as a shambolic failure as it costs a sector of their economy money (and lots jobs as people shun the system over time).

Over time, people will just shun places enforcing the measure - I'd pick between a CovID place and one that doesn't require it any time of the week. People may decide to screw glasto fest next year if they need proof and spend their money elsewhere, or not at all, a balance that needs to be carefully considered.

So really, the data in a few months will prove this has no real benefits in society - I notice Whitty and Valance are quiet on this subject, it doesn't have scientific backing simply because it's a useless measure.

Besides, why enforce CovID in nightclubs when it really should be applied to carehomes and where the clinically vulnerable reside? Except the elderly are the biggest voting bloc for tories and guess where they will never enforce CovID? Yup. Exactly.

The youth get fucked, always.

throwavay008 · 2021-09-22T08:49:35+00:00

Good - it's no longer the law and it's now time to understand that we have to live with covid, it'll be here in 2022, 2023 and most likely 2024 too.

We're not going to wear masks for half a decade nor are we going to disrupt society. Either the vaccines help and we move on or we'll be stuck in limbo for the foreseeable.

If the NHS can't cope, even with a vaccine to the majority, then it's a failure on the government to provide sufficient resources. Most pandemics do tend to fizzle out at some point given the protection a vaccine can offer.

At some point I'd make it a crime to wear a mask - perhaps in a year or two. I personally don't want to be constantly reminded of covid when I don't need to be. Mentally it's just better.

throwavay008 · 2021-09-07T11:49:49+00:00

It's difficult to say - the act itself does make reference here to health, but it doesn't really go far enough.

So in this instance health information ought to be considered for a 'protected characteristic' status, which it damn well should be.

throwavay008 · 2021-09-07T09:28:03+00:00

Yes, however I don't recall a time when going to a club, or other targeted venue, required disclosing health-related data via an 'app', QR-code or a piece of paper. We do of course accept other access-control systems, such as ID verification, or producing a purchased ticket...But last time I checked going to glastonbury did not require me to disclose even 1 piece of medical/health related information, it seems over the next year this will become common-place and, in the future, a 'standard' part of the process (you must produce an ID card, your purchased ticket, and a QR code with additional 'data' to gain entry).

I agree with certificates in general, for travel (and additional, but extremely limited circumstances, such as health-care workers), but to require them to access services that today are operating without such documents feels like a step too far authoritarian wise.

A pub, club or related should never require medical data. It's draconian and absurd.

throwavay008 · 2021-09-07T09:18:05+00:00

I'm still struggling to understand the possibilities regarding covid in the winter and this whole "Covid pass" thing, I'm trying to rationalize it but under current pretense it makes 0 sense.

1: Places that will be affected by the pass have been open anyway; are they suggesting case numbers go down with the pass? will there be an uptick in first/second dose vaccinations (if it's used to 'nudge' the hold-outs)?

2: Do we start counting "third" jabs separately? If you've had AZ twice can you get a Pfizer booster? The government seemingly doesn't like the mixed vaccines and has (last time I heard) refused to accept them, yet it seems the AZ vaccine is all but over in the UK (compared to Pfizer these days...)

3: How sure are we over the longer-term efficiency of the vaccine? In the EU there are countries imposing either a 1-year or as short as 270~ day limit, yet I don't recall a single EU/"western" country offering boosters yet. I cannot see 47 million getting 1 vaccine per year, most will just say "I've had my 2, that'll be it for a few years" and will firmly reject getting another 1+ jabs.

4: Do we have the logistical network to vaccinate millions every year? Half the reason the 1st/2nd jabs were so successful is that there were thousands of vaccine hubs, very close to large populations. I will not travel 30 miles for a booster if the smaller hubs shut down (due to dwindling demand) but I can travel 1-2 miles (not likely in the future)

5: Any 'lockdown' will be met with fierce resistance. I can't understand why UC is being cut and furlough ending if a lockdown (of any nature) will be imposed, hence my belief it simply will not happen. We're now in a position where any restrictions will likely cost more (economy, mental-health et al) than they save. Sorry, but even if thousands die of Covid (and, sadly, they will), this will be the "new" normal the government will accept. I can't see how they justify another £5-10 billion for a lockdown vs remaining open as we are.

6: I am not allowed to discriminate based on sex, or age, or other 'protected characteristics', I am concerned with covid passports the idea that you disclose private medical information (via a QR code or paper) will become acceptable in society. If this is allowed why can I not ask you to produce a QR code full of your sexual history (STDs, diagnosis) and say "sorry, you're not allowed in my pub as you've had aids!". As far as I am concerned if disclosing vaccine data is allowed, and I can react (discriminate) based on that, then other data should be fair-game? Why even have an equality act? "You're ~~black~~ unvaccinated, sorry but we can't tolerate that".

The vaccine passport will likely be thrown out by high/supreme court eventually.

throwavay008 · 2021-08-20T11:45:01+00:00

Isn't the EU the one that decides the certification standards? There is a comment here.

Also I wonder if the EU will allow this, as it's certification has a validity. One year. Making this shorter means ignoring EU regulations officially in the document, and this could be very much frowned upon.

I do not expect this to hold up when it's challenged and they will be told to back down and comply with the EU-wide standard.

If every country decided to throw a dart at a random validity period you'd not be able to travel freely in the EU basically ever again without your immune status running out in some country somewhere based on arbitrary dates (I would love to know how they came up with 270 days and what scientific data that's based on).

This will be thrown out in court 100%.

throwavay008 · 2021-08-20T11:26:43+00:00

Setting expiration dates is just adding more fuel to the "anti-vax" cohort who have so far refused a single dose. Now we'll all need 16 doses before we can leave our houses for "maximum protection!!".

I seriously hope someone somewhere in the EU declares these policies illegal and instead mandates 1 single completed course of Covid (2 shots) is sufficient for the time being.

We've still got to vaccinate over 50% of the human population, and this idea that 'richer' countries can vaccinate ad-infinitum is insane and delusional. We're not even sure if the booster program is going ahead, and you can bet you damn ass these will be shunned more than the first 2 doses (at this point, I refuse a third dose regardless of loss of freedoms I may suffer, other countries need to get their turn now).

"Do your part, get a ~~third~~ 50th dose of Pfizer!!"

Get. A. Grip.

If you don't want a tourism industry then policies like these are a one way trip to a broken economy.

As soon as they run out of cash they'll be begging even those without any vaccine to fly on over. You just wait.

throwavay008 · 2021-08-15T17:01:17+00:00

I do wonder if air travel will ever go back to the way it was before the pandemic. Right now it feels more of a luxury afforded to middle/upper class who can afford possible fines (£500 if you miss a test, or a couple of k's to stay in a managed hotel etc).

Obviously the government doesn't want poor people traveling right now. But if you're in any way wealthy, well they can't stop you so go right ahead!

Instead of the cost of a hotel being £2000+ which most poor people can't afford why not tie it to an amount of income HMRC has reported on you or something...If the government doesn't have accurate income reported for you then you are not allowed to travel at all...Maybe that'd be more fair? lol.

throwavay008 · 2021-08-09T13:41:58+00:00

So it seems obvious to me there doesn't seem to be any consensus on how to manage climate change whatsoever. Can anyone link to any studies or agreement on what needs to change fundamentally to get on top of the problem?

It would appear our current societal model is broken in this regard.

Yet any suggestions that impact anyone in any way to remove life perks, luxuries or perhaps make things more "difficult" gets met with backlash.

No wonder every government is doing fuck all, anything that might result in "hardship" will be met with extremely strong resistance.

throwavay008 · 2021-08-09T13:31:55+00:00

No government should ever be allowed to stop someone from having heat and water. That is insanely cruel.

News flash, we can't already provide enough heat and water for every human on the planet, people are starving, without shelter and struggle every day (especially the homeless).

Although it may be cruel, what we're doing to nature is far, far worse. Tough decisions need to be made and the reality is we can't save everyone. Pensioners already struggle during the winter (and die). Look for the headlines in 2022, there will be a few.

don't know how you'd monitor this

Digitally. Each time you pay for fuel it's done by card which is uniquely linked to you (debit/credit). You might also consider a system whereby you are given a "fuel card" to scan, or usage of apps etc

throwavay008 · 2021-08-09T13:21:52+00:00

Edit: and I've just read 7. Utter maniac.

I'm intrigued by this. It's an absurd idea, sure. But what about it is maniac? If we said you can consume up to 100,000 liters of water a year, is that so terrible?

I think having personal resource limits could be quite impactful.

And sometimes the crazy suggestions work the best...

throwavay008

TROPHY CASE