booyaa00

Totally depends on the ISP.

Any mobile phone bought on O2 for instance in the last 10 or so years, had filtering enabled by default.

You just call them up and ask them to disable it. It's not a big deal.

I don't buy the ridiculous notion that the only means a child has to report child abuse is via the internet...

1. When you sign up to an ISP, they explicitly ask if you want a filter. 2. Asking your ISP to stop filtering is simple, easy, and immediate.

Seriously. This is a non issue.

Several cellphones have come with filtering enabled by default for years and years. It's not a big deal, you just call them up and say "Yeah when I bought this phone, I wanted to use the internet. So disable your crappy little filter, and we'll say no more about it"

All these filters by ISPs are optional. Is it that hard to say "hell no" when they ask you "do you want us to block stuff?"

The amount of misinformation spread about this mythical "UK porn filter" is astounding, but I guess unsurprising as it fits completely into the orwellian surveillance state conspiracy theory agenda.

Cameron is pandering to worried parents who believe the internet is a bad place, and little Johnny must be protected by a filter. The government believe it will mean they'll win the next election. It's just politics.

It's nothing whatsoever about censorship. Anyone can opt out of the filters, and anyone can get past the filters with a couple of clicks.

edit: anyone downvoting actually live in the UK? Any of you actually have any hard facts? Or are you just regurgitating the crap you read on the internet.

The meaning of "troll" has been diluted so much in recent years, that it's now largely used by the media, and people in general, to mean someone who expresses a view that you disagree with.

And it's used to describe people on twitter who harass or post abusive comments.

"troll" used to mean something. Now it's just a stock insult.

Yes. Hellbanning is random. Although making 'dissenting' comments, or disagreeing with the hivemind certainly accelerates your hellbanning.

I've been hellbanned umpteen times for essentially no good reasons.

Also depends on how much investment they got surely.

Loopt apparently sold for $43m, but had $32m investment. I don't know if that's classed as 'success' or not.

Lots of people don't want to live in a city.

For me, living in a city is a horrible existence. So living in the unspoilt countryside a car is pretty useful to get around.

A car is freedom. Do you really want to be completely dependent and beholden to some public transport system?

I'm pretty sure most of us learnt to program outside of school, and off our own backs. Isn't that the best way?

School is there to show kids how to teach themselves anything they want to learn. Not to spoonfeed them specific skills they may or may not want to have.

I'd agree. But in this case, the claim from GCHQ etc is that they have acted fully within the law.

The guardian just loves anti-government stories, bashing anyone in power.

Look at the "expenses scandal". The Guardian was all over it! Publishing pointless details of how an MP claimed £5 for a taxi to a restaurant.

The inquiry into the "expenses scandal" cost more to the tax payer than the entire amount of expenses given to MPs! What the hell was the point of that then?!

It would be good if people recognised how biased The Guardian is. It has an agenda, and searches out the stories which will further it.

Well, agree to disagree. It would be a far worse place to live where newspapers are allowed to break laws "in the interest of public interest".

I trust my government to do the right thing. I don't think we have an awful problem in the UK with corrupt greedy government abusing its power in the main.

No. It's totally different.

This is not about censorship. Newspapers can say what the hell they want. Unless they obtained that information via illegal means - which The Guardian did.

They are absolutely the same as the phone hacking papers.

Just think about your proposition for ten seconds.

You're suggesting that the entire government is corrupt, and covering up 'something bad'?

There are endless systems of checks, balances, and disclosure within our government.

Sorry, I don't buy the conspiracy theories, endless theoretical debates about what the government "could" do with data it has. It's moot.

Yes I do believe that, and it's what the heads of GCHQ MI5 etc told the government when they were asked that question.

So you'd be fine with someone stealing data the government holds on your, say your medical records, and publishing them on the front page would you?

Maybe your last few tax returns. May as well publish those as well!

How about state secrets on any weak parts of military defences?

Yes I have moral reasoning. It's stolen information.

I know this will be unpopular here, but personally, I would like to see the Guardian prosecuted for its reckless reporting of stolen information in the same way that phone hacking was dealt with.

You can't just steal documents from governments and publish them without any consequences.

If your government is doing something bad, then it should be dealt with legally, and via the established checks and balances. Newspapers shouldn't be above the law.

You can be anti-apartheid, whilst also disagreeing that a good solution is to start bombing shopping malls and railway stations.

His torrorist organization bombed many civilian targets, such as railway stations. He also cheated on his first wife, and was a member of the communist party.

I'll judge him on that.

edit: Downvote this if you like, but the above are facts. Rather than the liberal whitewash that the media in the west prefers.

I would. The only use case I can see for it is if you're adopted and so don't know family history. Other than that, it can only lead to bad things.

It always amuses me how some people absolutely believe that being gay is 'preprogrammed into their DNA', but refuse to accept that there is any difference between the sexes.

Wait until you've had a son and daughter, then come back and report what massive differences in behaviour there was right from birth.

Woah there. Even when a child is 1 or 2, they start to exhibit the traits that show what they want. Way before they have any peer group, before they can be advertised at etc etc.

Girls want to care for things, communicate, etc, and boys want to blow stuff up or build stuff. It's preprogrammed into our DNA.

The problem is, most people aren't trained doctors. They will have no idea how to interpret the results. They will likely go waste their own doctors time worrying about everything. 23andme is preying on some peoples fears, and turning them into hypercondriacs.

The absolute vast majority of people will die from heart disease or cancer. What is the point of paying money to find that out?

Obviously there's also the privacy aspect as well - trusting your DNA to some private company who wants to make profit.

If you have a symptom, or family history of some disease, go see a doctor. That's kinda what they're there for. And they train for years in order that they can interpret results correctly.

If you're going to market something that can allegedly test and diagnose illnesses, it sure as hell should be tested and regulated.

I hope 23andme is shutdown.

I think it's also funny that some people are under the delusion that sites like this and reddit, are actually controlled by the 'voters', and that everyone has the same power.

They're not. They're controlled by editors who will place items where they want to.

For me, the worst part of hacker news is the silent banning if you are critical of any YC funded startup. Censorship is ugly, but it happens routinely.

The hoops are also confusing (at least to me). It gives you a few options, but doesn't tell you which option you should choose if you want to keep things the way they currently are...

I think the takeaway here is stop worrying about your health at such a silly level. Live a good healthy lifestyle, free from stress, smoking, have a balanced diet, plenty of exercise.

If you go in search of a "diagnosis", you'll get one. Everyone will.

23 and me is an awful thing to do IMHO. It preys on people and turns them into hypercondriacs (For a fee).

What country are you in? In the UK bank transfers happen within a couple of minutes.

You can login to your bank, transfer money to someone elses bank, they'll login, and see the money.

I guess I just trust hardware far more than software in general.

Since Lib Dems won't win the next election, and will likely have their share of the vote severely reduced, I'm not sure anyone is really looking...

So as there have been instances of an OTA update "bricking" phones, there will likely at some point be an OTA to cars which causes mass crashes and casualties. It's just a question of when...

Yet more movement of freedom and power from individuals to corporations.