Jack Yan (甄爵恩)So weird to see the glee with which #KimDotcomʼs extradition is being reported—people are treating him worse than pædophile Ron Brierley. Is it because heʼs an immigrant, or is it because of his weight?
Phil@jackyan I think it's his corruption? I'm just spitballing here though.
@paw In what way? (Genuine question—I know he faces fraud charges—do you mean those?)
Carl@jackyan @paw
He has a massive backstory of corrupt and criminal activity, occasionally resulting in imprisonment, going back years Jack... I first came across him in the late 90's and he was well known in infosec circles as being a charlatan and con-man extraordinaire even then.
You can certainly argue that some of the 'crimes' were victimless if you assume a corporation can't be a victim, but there is the embezzlement and insider trading etc. as well.
His money is not 'clean' by any means.
He has a massive backstory of corrupt and criminal activity, occasionally resulting in imprisonment, going back years Jack... I first came across him in the late 90's and he was well known in infosec circles as being a charlatan and con-man extraordinaire even then.
You can certainly argue that some of the 'crimes' were victimless if you assume a corporation can't be a victim, but there is the embezzlement and insider trading etc. as well.
His money is not 'clean' by any means.
@carl_klitscher @paw Speaking of Thiel, years ago, I started a hashtag #NeilNotThiel over on OnlyKlans, supporting Neil Gaiman living here and not the other bloke … yeah, that didn’t work out terribly well …
@carl_klitscher @paw Good context, thanks, Carl. I knew the guy had been to jail before in Germany, but not what he had been up to within infosec circles.
I don’t consider the copyright issue victimless, but a dawn raid for a copyright case remains unique, and a case of serious macho BS—with Hollywood calling the shots. I know there are fraud charges attached to it. However, my feelings on there haven’t shifted as a matter of law: I can’t see how he and various US Big Tech players differ.
I don’t consider the copyright issue victimless, but a dawn raid for a copyright case remains unique, and a case of serious macho BS—with Hollywood calling the shots. I know there are fraud charges attached to it. However, my feelings on there haven’t shifted as a matter of law: I can’t see how he and various US Big Tech players differ.
@carl_klitscher @paw I can understand the glee if this is decades in the making and karma has bitten him in the arse—that part is fair—but then Brierley is far from clean himself, did a lot of harm to businesses here, long before anyone found out he was into small kids. Feels kind of two-tier.
@jackyan @paw
Aye. As a 'free and democratic' society we pander to money more than we should.
To me Brierley, and others, made money by destroying things but in NZ at that time money was what what we aspired to... and lots of people lost their shirts because of it... (we also got John Key)...
But yeah, we still pander to TechBro billionaires as though they are gods. They're not. They've just worked out a way to fleece the general public legally. And we have local examples of that as well.
Aye. As a 'free and democratic' society we pander to money more than we should.
To me Brierley, and others, made money by destroying things but in NZ at that time money was what what we aspired to... and lots of people lost their shirts because of it... (we also got John Key)...
But yeah, we still pander to TechBro billionaires as though they are gods. They're not. They've just worked out a way to fleece the general public legally. And we have local examples of that as well.
@carl_klitscher @paw Agreed on all points, Carl—that was a decade of greed (not that subsequent ones weren’t, but the ’80s certainly unlocked a taste for it). I still remember that episode of Close-up where they showed the life of a currency trader—had no idea I was watching a future PM at the time.
I’ve been hit by bugs on big-name websites for years (as I am sure everyone has). It was obvious to me from the early days that tech bros made questionable (often unethical) decisions.
I’ve been hit by bugs on big-name websites for years (as I am sure everyone has). It was obvious to me from the early days that tech bros made questionable (often unethical) decisions.
Dan SeitzI think he is being unfairly treated to a degree, since in the end he's just a petty crook, but also he really is an incredible asshole.
I have heard stories about the guy and how he interacts with people that wreck any chances of sympathy for him. He's the kind of person who calls you an NPC and tips the waiter with his business card.
@Dseitz I know I’d rather be an asshole than a pædophile. I’m no fan of the guy, but he does seem to have drawn the short straw here.
64 mastodonz logistics co-op@jackyan what is the street value of those hollywood movies he allowed people to share with each other?
worthless: they could all be generated by ai now.
@64 Good point. Value aside, he is no different to YouTube. Sure, YouTube is better today at weeding out piracy, but not in 2012. They each responded to DMCA takedown notices the same way, too.
Rob Isaac@jackyan TIL about Ron Brierley.
zl2tod
@rmi I reckon this shows how one quite awful human being gets pretty fair reporting as to fly under the radar, and a loudmouthed crook hears applause as he is kicked out of his residence.
Mike Bartley
felix@jackyan the Nazi stuff probably doesn't help.
@felix True, pretty suss for a German guy to own a copy of Mein Kampf.
@jackyan yeah, that's probably the least of it. When he wanted to be a pop star, several of the musicians that he paid to work with him had some pretty horrific stories. I'm no fan of Holywood or corporate culture control (copyright), but that guy is a nazi who used his money to mess with an election. Won't miss him one bit.
@felix The Nazi stuff is gross and I donʼt doubt heʼs an arsehole, but I reckon we have it in for this guy way more than if he was born here:
Colin Craig and Bob Jones messed with elections, too, but we give them a pass. I know, theyʼre not Nazis, but Bob bankrolls the Taxpayersʼ Union and does more harm to our country.
Still, maybe karma finally caught up with Dotcom, who should never have been allowed in in the first place.
skuaIt's interesting reading this aspect of NZ culture, being as I am in the west of West NZ, even unto west of Parramatta.
The fucking rugby is basically owned by fucking Murdoch as far as I can tell and that's no problem?
But some German dickhead is being sent to be tortured in a fucking yank prison and that's ringin' folks bells?
Keep this up and too soon y'all be morally qualified to work in the #AustralianPublicService. Even the #AustralianFederalPolice.
@skua I hear you. The hypocrisy is really noticeable on this one. I get the guy was a crook and is a dick, and should have never been allowed to become a resident, yet some people are hating him over stuff others do as well, but get a pass for.
As an immigrant myself, and who has had some weird shit directed my way here, I have to call it out.
As to amoral cops there, um, yes, our huge apologies for sending you Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
Krupo
CrazyMyra@jackyan Probably both, and also possibly that Kim is an "international" figure. In these days of a (English language) news cycle dominated by US topics, people are often more drawn to express their opinions on subjects that have wider resonance, particularly on social media.
@OutOnTheMoors Very true. Even among NZ media, there seemed to be a sense they enjoyed kicking the guy while heʼs down. But as I learned tonight, he never really stopped being a crook, so maybe karma has finally caught up with him.
@jackyan I didn't know much about Brierley, so I looked up the Wikipedia entry. He's kiddie-fiddling scum, but apparently the big news angle is he had to give back his knighthood. The entry mentioned it enough 🙄
@OutOnTheMoors It was quite a big deal, as at one point it looked as though the government would have to take it off him. One of the chief beneficiaries of this countryʼs implosion into neoliberalism in the 1980s, so the Labour government of the day knighted him.