I completely understand your position and yes, organizations blocking VPN traffic is some major bullshit.
Like apps that ask for your location when they can perfectly function without it. Don’t provide me with a “Never ask me again” checkbox? Fine, I’ll play this game every time. Stop working because now you demand location? A stupid game app? Uninstalled.
Specifically blacklisting a group of users because of the technology they use is, by definition, “targeting”, right? I mean, if not, what qualifies as “targeting” for you?
You may be right. I guess it’s a matter of semantics. But the way you described it sounded more nefarious. “I’ll target this group of VPN users because fuck them, I hope they all die in a tsunami!!!” when it’s more like “ugh, another VPN bot. The 9th this hour and I’m hungry. You know what - I’ll just block VPN altogether and go fix me a sandwich.” Maybe that’s just my perception.
But anyway - it’s Joe Blogger’s machine, at his home, for him to do whatever he likes. Some rando from the street knocks on the door and says “excuse me, do you mind if I send an e-mail from your computer?” Joe Blogger can perfectly say no, not even an excuse is owed.
You’d have a point if it was a business or a corporation. Some home machine? Out of billions? Why bother?
I guess we’re two pedantic folks. I enjoy these discussions. I sometimes gain some new knowledge out of them.
I surely hope so.
You’re putting words in my mouth. I didn’t say that. Targeting sounds like specifically doing it with an agenda.
What you’re saying the equivalent of being offended that you can’t bring guns inside someone’s private property because they don’t want to, period. “It is not ethical that you forbid me from exercising my constitutional rights of bearing arms in your house. How dare you not allowing me to put my AK-47 in your kitchen counter!”
Nope. I said that if someone doesn’t want to deal with VPN users because it’s more hassle than worth (e.g. bots), then so be it. Joe Blogger may get 20 visitors a month instead of 24. Oh the horror!
I am a huge advocate of privacy laws. But if Joe Blogger doesn’t allow me in his personal website, eh. I might try archive.org.
You chose to ignore OP’s point.
let’s stop pretending the law actually matters for the people in power.
Doesn’t Cloudflare cost money for DDoS protection?
You had me until the “ethically sound position” part.
You’re saying that Joe Blogger is acting unethically because he doesn’t allow VPN users to visit his site. C’mon, brother.
You’re not feeling included? Tough, man. Tough.
(Sarcasm…)
Using the models unethical… or fair game?
Edit: but I share the sentiment. I avoid using AI like the plague, but because of the environmental impact.
This is the first time I hear the term weaponizing in the way you describe it. I would have said “AI obliterated the chore of finding the right answer from SO” or something similar. To me, weaponizing means, using against a person or entity.
But regardless, thanks for explaining.
What do you mean by weaponizing?
Last time I tried to look up how to fenagle a dingle, Google showed me ads about how to friffle bahoonies for two pages, and finally out showed me the dingle fenagling algorithm in the ancient Expert Sex Change website.
Regex and other forms of complex pattern matching are way easier for a computer than a human.
I know what you meant by this, but I still chuckled. Humans are the ultimate pattern matching machines in the whole solar system.
Thank you for the context…!
Why does it make it complete?
Kagi searches are tied to your account.
I’d use it for entertainment. But I would never ever take it seriously. It’s like chatting with the so-called “NPCs” in immersive video games.
It would be amusing for about 2 solid minutes.
By the way, Mullvad rocks!