@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk cover
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

neil

@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk

Internet, telecoms, and tech lawyer. I run English law firm https://decoded.legal.

Linux / FOSS, legal stuff, and puns. Terrible puns.

He/him. Cishet, lucky husband.

#NoBot / #NoQuote / #NoSearch / #NoIndex / #NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoTheresNoLimit

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

JenJen , to random
@JenJen@mastodon.art avatar

Waking up to hear one of my friends has been "temporarily suspended" from twitch due to "sexual content" when they draw literal body horror.

Trying to do anything "challenging" on the internet is a fucking joke :artsits:

neil ,
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

@JenJen Your shop looks great to me, and not at all offputting.

But when I tried to add something to my basket as a test, it failed. And it failed on each item, saying that my basket is currently empty.

It may be just me, but it might be worth checking that it is working!

neil , to random
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It has a been a while since I have cycled that far, and wow am I stiff this evening.

neil , to random
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I always get EMF camp envy as it sounds like great fun, before remembering that I don’t like large crowds and I don’t really like camping either (and it is too far for a day trip for me).

Perhaps, one year…

neil , to random
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

I'd like to have more personal tech-related blogs in my RSS reader.

Do you have your own personal tech-related blog with an RSS feed? (Ideally one which gives full text.)

Are there tech-related blogs from other people that you enjoy?

Please do share their URLs with me (and everyone in the fediverse).

neil , to random
@neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

For those of you who don't know what Linux looks like on the desktop, here's what mine looks like before I load applications.

Basic Debian testing with GNOME.

Photo of a plain wood desk, on which there are two monitors on an arm, connected to a hub, which is connected to a ThinkPad on its own flying arm / tray. There is a keyboard and a mouse on the desktop, along with a jug of water and a glass. The monitors all display the Debian logo, with a dark mode theme. On top of the monitors there is a webcam, and a ring light. A pair of headphones is balanced on the pole for the laptop shelf.
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    • neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    If you toot your hot takes about the imminent general election in the UK with the hashtag or as a CW, people who don't wish to see it can easily filter it out.

    You chat as you wish, and their timelines are cleansed.

    Otherwise they'll probably just mute or block you :)

    neil , to random
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    “If you're not paying for it, you're the product, except that if you are paying for it, you’re potentially still the product, unless the software in question is Free software, in which case you’re probably not the product even if you are not paying for it, but you should be trying to pay for it anyway if you can to support the developers”.

    Simples.

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Well that is a first for me: someone has just knocked on the door...

    ... selling fish from a van.

    Not a subscription, or a website offering to sell me fish when I want fish, or even a regular scheduled thing, but a man, with a van, offering to sell me fish right now.

    How many people, in the middle of the work day, think "yes, what I really need right now is 500g cod?"

    neil , to random
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    Over the past couple of years, my position - not that it matters a jot - on quote toots in Mastodon has softened a bit.

    I think where I am at is:

    • people who are going to post links to other toots can and will do so. How each client formats that is up to each client.

    • but in terms of "quote toots" as a feature, it should be consent-centric. A user should be able to:

      • opt in to be quotable, for all their toots
      • opt in for specific toots
      • opt in only for people they follow
    neil , to random
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    According to UK paper Metro, the average salaries in the UK by age band are:

    • 18-21: £22,932
    • 22-29: £30,316
    • 30-39: £37,544
    • 40-49: £40,040
    • 50-59: £37,804
    • 60+: £33,852

    I’m very willing to accept that I am out of touch, but wow these are lower than I had anticipated (although I haven’t dug into the working underpinning them).

    https://metro.co.uk/2024/04/10/average-salary-uk-based-age-get-2-20616977/

    neil OP ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    @RolloTreadway Interesting!

    babe , to random
    @babe@glitterkitten.co.uk avatar

    It's international be kind to lawyers day.

    My kofi is http://ko-fi.com/doot 😘

    neil ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    @babe

    Bandwagon --->

    doot --->

    Impressed --->

    <--- Neil

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    More than 5,000 nail technicians across the UK are coming together to collectively raise their prices from Monday in what is being labelled "National Nail Price Increase Day”.

    It is not often that one hears of price fixing quite so clearly and in advance…

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cld404v6lkeo

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Today is Trans Day of Visibility.

    waves to all the wonderful trans and non-binary people* here, and especially those who cross my timeline now and again.

    I hope you will be visible and welcome not just today, but every day.

    • it is possible that, in trying to be inclusive, I’ve actually excluded some people who don’t fall within those words. I’m sorry :(
    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    A question, which I am currently pondering: when (if ever) is a business's website too basic?

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Highway Code, Rule 66, for cyclists:

    be considerate of other road users .... Let them know you are there when necessary, for example, by calling out or ringing your bell if you have one.

    Reality, for cyclists:

    be considerate of other road users .... Let them know you are there when necessary, for example, by using a foghorn mounted on your handlebars, as that's the only way they will hear you over their headphones. Still work on the basis that they have no idea that you are there.

    neil OP ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Basically, the bell on my Bromption is essentially pointless.

    I had a foghorn-esque electric "bell" on a previous bike, and it was... okay. It died after not much use.

    I reckon that I need an extendable pole, which I can use to gently tap people on the shoulder from, say, 10m away, so that, despite my bell and being lit up like a Christmas tree, they don't get surprised that I am there.

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Well here's a monstrosity that I haven't seen before.

    Who comes up with this kind of thing?!

    Who felt that "silver", "gold", and "platinum" were appropriately clear labels?

    What does the time mean? That they'll ask again in a month?

    We believe your data is your property and support your right to privacy and transparency. Select a Data Access Level and Duration to choose how we use and share your data. A row of icons, market "Silver", "Gold", and "Platinum". Then, a drop-down menu showing "1 month" Highest level of privacy. Data accessed for necessary basic operations only. Data shared with 3rd parties to ensure the site is secure and works on your device
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    • neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    People say that you don't become cooler with age.

    "You" might not.

    But I reckon that I have, but that's a pretty low bar.

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    The discussion about "Lemmy and the GDPR" is interesting.

    Some broad thoughts:

    1. Software does not need to (and, indeed, cannot) comply with the GDPR

    The GDPR imposes obligations on people, not software.

    There is no such thing as "GDPR-compliant software".

    Well-designed software may help a person in scope of the GDPR comply with it, in respect of their processing of personal data, sure.

    neil OP ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar
    1. The GDPR does not require someone developing software to ensure that someone else who runs it complies with the GDPR

    The GDPR bites on people who process personal data (in certain (specifically unspecific) situations).

    If someone is not processing personal data - if they are neither a controller nor a processor - then they do not have obligations under the GDPR.

    Developing software does not make someone subject to the GDPR.

    And there's no such thing as "GDPR-compliant software" anyway.

    neil OP ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar
    1. The onus is (mostly) on the controller

    If someone processes personal data in a way which brings them within the GDPR's scope as a controller, they need to find a way to comply, or else carry the resulting risks.

    There's no defence or justification of "the software I'm using to provide the service doesn't have feature [x]".

    People running a service using software are at greater risk that those merely developing the software because of this.

    neil OP ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar
    1. None of this means that "people" couldn't do better

    There's quite a lot of vitriol in the discussions I've seen, particularly around whether or not FOSS developers "must", or should, address this kind of thing.

    They're not about what the law (which law? applicable to whom?) demands, but around broader "musts" and "shoulds".

    That, IMHO, requires nuance.

    Plus, perhaps it's not just about the developers, and that people running services may too have some (non-legal) "musts" and "shoulds".

    neil OP ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    @thisismissem

    Yes, absolutely.

    I was trying to say that same thing with:

    Well-designed software may help a person in scope of the GDPR comply with it, in respect of their processing of personal data

    To my mind, this falls within one of the non-legal "shoulds" in my fourth post, as something likely to aid/encourage adoption.

    neil OP ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    @thisismissem

    Absolutely, there are definitely things which one could do, to improve the position for both someone operating these services, and for their users (and, frankly, whether the GDPR applies or not).

    I think the nuance comes in terms of expectations of who should, or must, do these things, and what happens if they do not. And, in terms of developers, I think there's more of an argument of software development ethics than about GDPR itself.

    For service providers, less nuanced, IMHO.

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    In a (closed) forum for lawyers, someone is seeking advice on becoming a "legal prompt engineer", and I am crying right now.

    neil OP ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Then again, I've seen people described - or perhaps describing themselves - as "legal influencers", so perhaps this isn't so much the start of a slippery slope, but rather mid-way down the steepest point of AstroGlide mountain.

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    I struggle with the notion that tech companies do not understand consent.

    IMHO, they do understand consent.

    They understand that seeking consent - freely-given, specific, informed consent - won't get them where they want to be.

    To my mind, that's not a misunderstanding of consent, but a determination to avoid consent.

    That's typically why one sees language of "choice" and "control" and "transparency" to describe an opt-out regime.

    They're not confused. It's by design.

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Many people: I can’t believe this computery thing has stopped working. It is so flaky.

    Me, and some other people: I can’t believe this computery thing ever worked at all. We are using hot sand, electrical pulses, and flashes of light, across thousands of kilometres of cabling and fibre to enable people on opposite sides of the earth to chat with each other in real time using tiny, relatively affordable, handheld screens. It is a sodding miracle that it works, let alone works 99.9% of the time!

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    I’ve needed to mute and block and filter more in the last couple of years than in the four years beforehand, which is a shame, and I rather rue the decline of the CW.

    Unfollowing, muting and blocking is self-care. Simple as that.

    Even for a single user instance, where I only see posts from people I follow, or things that they have boosted.

    https://neilzone.co.uk/2024/02/reflections-on-six-years-in-the-fediverse/

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Received from a mailing list, and it might appeal to some of you:

    Are you a FOSS project maintainer? If so, I need your help!

    I am trying to get a pulse on maintainer sentiment toward accepting code contributions that are created using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tools, such as GitHub Copilot.

    All responses are anonymous. Survey should take less than 2 minutes and will close on February 23.

    https://forms.office.com/r/JbLGMqw8GM

    popey , to random
    @popey@ubuntu.social avatar

    Poor planning on my part means my car battery wasn’t completely full this morning, and I need a decent charge in it. So popped to the local Instavolt, conveniently located for a quick McCafe breakfast ☕️🥔

    The display of a charger showing 71% state of charge.

    neil ,
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    @popey Does that say it cost £5 for (estimated) 20 miles?!

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    If you run a bridge which shares my posts with other social networks and sites, you agree to pay me £1000 for each instance of each post that you bridge.

    I’ve made it opt-out - just configure your system not to bridge my posts.

    It’s fine to have paying me as the default, you see, as you can opt out if you wish.

    Edit: I’ve had some feedback, and I’ll be considering supporting different ways for you to pay me.

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Hard drive shredders seem to start at around £15k.

    That’s, erm, quite a lot of money, even for a privacy-enhancing technology!

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    This petition on the UK’s gov.uk expires in a few days:

    I work in the sex industry and have been refused for 15 bank accounts because of the nature of my job even though it is completely legal and I am registered with HMRC. People should not be discriminated against because they work in the sex industry.

    I don’t think it will get enough for a response, sadly, and, worse, I suspect that the response would be “that’s a matter for each bank” anyway, being cynical.

    https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/641066

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    I am doing PREVENT training, and one of the signs of radicalisation is "spending more time online".

    Oh bugger.

    neil , to random
    @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk avatar

    Thinking about the Horizon (UK Post Office software/prosecution of postmasters and postmistresses) scandal, and are interested in the rebuttable presumption under English law that computers are "reliable"?

    I highly recommend reading Stephen Mason's chapter "The presumption that computers are ‘reliable’" in "Electronic Evidence and Electronic Signatures".

    s5.165 - "The Post Office Horizon scandal" - is of particular relevance.

    (Published as CC BY-NC-ND 4.0!)

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