• 7 Posts
  • 238 Comments
Joined 3 years ago
cake
Cake day: June 2nd, 2023

help-circle










  • One time I was in a class where we had this beginner level web dev assignment, and we were writing HTML and CSS. We had to submit the assignment as a zip file.

    When you open the HTML from the zip file in Windows without unzipping it, it can’t access other files in the zip file, namely the CSS.

    The entire class failed the assignment because the teacher didn’t unzip the files first, and refused to entertain the idea they might have screwed up.








  • Nah it seems it doesn’t apply to physical devices (except general computing devices as mentioned elsewhere)

    (f) This title does not apply to any of the following:

    (1) A broadband internet access service, as defined in Section 3100.

    (2) A telecommunications service, as defined in Section 153 of Title 47 of the United States Code.

    (3) The delivery or use of a physical product.

    (3) seems to imply the OS that runs your switch or gas pump isn’t included. But I see nothing in the law that clarifies servers or any CLI only interface, or even any OS that doesn’t have accounts.

    Where do you quote “reasonable” from? The only part of the law with that word is referring to a different, already existing law (or the bit about reasonable technical limitations causing the wrong signals sent in the API).


  • Ok I did it, I read the full text of the law, and you’re right.

    The existence of Linux or anything not big tech and the broad range of options within seems to be ignored. Does a CLI only OS need to provide a GUI for its “accessible interface”?

    On a different note, I did see the last point here:

    (f) This title does not apply to any of the following:

    (1) A broadband internet access service, as defined in Section 3100.

    (2) A telecommunications service, as defined in Section 153 of Title 47 of the United States Code.

    (3) The delivery or use of a physical product.

    (3) seems to imply the OS that runs your microwave isn’t included.


  • I think the next bit from the article I didn’t quote explains that:

    “(2) Provide a developer who has requested a signal with respect to a particular user with a digital signal via a reasonably consistent real-time application programming interface that identifies, at a minimum, which of the following categories pertains to the user.” The categories are broken into four sections: users under 13 years of age, over 13 years of age under 16, at least 16 years of age and under 18, and “at least 18 years of age.”

    I think the idea is that you would say that under 16s can’t use social media. Then you’d enforce this not with the horrendous Australian strategy of having everyone IDed, but instead you would enforce it by having an API that websites and apps could use that would tell them the age of the user.

    So basically:

    • Parent sets up device for kid and sets their age.
    • Kid tries to download Facebook app
    • Gets denied because they are under age
    • Kid tries to go to facebook website instead
    • Website sends request to browser for user’s age, browser asks Windows (or whatever OS) for age and provides this age back to Facebook
    • Facebook denies access because user is under age

    Windows might already have parental controls within Windows, but it’s the ability for apps and websites to know the age (or in this case age range) that is the important part.

    I much prefer this than handing over ID.