• Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they

    From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Friday, September 04, 2026 13:44:27
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-04, Jon Ribbens wrote:

    On 2026-09-04, Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-09-03 10:09, Lawrence D?Oliveiro wrote:
    On Thu, 3 Sep 2026 16:30:15 +0930, Maria Sophia wrote:
    Those scripts proved I could collect a list of every single access
    point in Apple's database, just as researchers Eric Rye and Dave
    Levin did, using a simple perl script which proved the results of
    their paper, and which went further to prove that my own
    hidden-broadcast SSIDs were in that database.

    I don?t understand what you?re complaining about, exactly. Your wi-fi
    network broadcasts its existence to all and sundry, and yet you feel
    upset when somebody collects that information and passes it on.

    I guess it is because the SSID is terminated in _nomap, which is
    documented as a flag to Apple and others to not store this SSID in their
    maps. But Apple is/was mapping them all the same.

    I got the impression they were claiming that their SSID was hidden,
    which makes it irrelevant as to whether it has "_nomap" at the end
    of it, but that Apple had somehow discovered and logged it nonetheless.
    It seems highly implausible.

    Perhaps unless an Apple device was used to connect to it?

    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Saturday, September 05, 2026 11:01:06
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-05, Nick Charles wrote:

    On Sep 4, 2026 at 8:34:25?PM EDT, "Jon Ribbens" <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> wrote:

    On 2026-09-05, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:
    Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
    This is about privacy.
    Not security.

    This is about the *perception* of privacy. Like telling people they
    don't have to worry about closing their curtains, they just need to
    close their eyes -- if they can›t see the people outside looking in,
    then those looking in can't see them!

    Hi Lawrence,

    I say with all respect that your statement is too wrong to accept as is. >>> What you just said, I've heard a thousand times before, from many people. >>>
    And yet, it's no different than what I've heard by asking the guy next to >>> me at the gas pump since the 1960's why he puts premium in a Honda Civic. >>>
    For over five decades, people have been parroting what someone told them. >>> None of them actually understand a word that they're obviously parroting. >>>
    Same here...

    Again, I respect you for your technical acumen which is greater'n mine.
    But I can't tell if you know privacy differences between these situations: >>> a. iPhone owner happens to walk by my house
    b. Android owner happens to walk by my house

    Do you know the difference in terms of what happens, or not, with respect >>> to my unique AP BSSID & GPS location (both of which are exactly my house)? >>>
    I do.
    A. So does Apple.
    B. So does Mozilla. And Google.

    Mozilla respects a hidden access point broadcast (i.e., it's set to null). >>> So does Google (surprisingly).
    i. But not Apple.
    ii. And yet, Apple loudly & vociferously proclaims to care about privacy. >>>
    That's the part that is the most hurtful.
    Apple brazenly lies, with a huge "what me?" seemingly innocent smile.

    Yet, Apple immediately removed my BSSID/GPS from their WPS database.
    Because they know what I know about the lack of privacy in that
    regard.

    This in itself is an issue, if you have to file a request to remove the
    ID, that gives them another datapoint on that WLAN.

    It may well be I'm the only one in the world who is honored so by Apple. >>> But that's not my point as I care about everyone's privacy. Not just mine. >>>
    Another question for you, Lawrence, again, because I respect your acumen. >>>
    Do you know the difference between these two situations:
    a. iPhone owner happens to walk by my house & it uploads my BSSID/GPS? >>> b. Android owner happens to walk by my house & it uploads my BSSID/GPS? >>>
    What happens then?
    Do you know?

    I do.
    Anyone who can't answer those queries, can't possibly understand the issue. >>
    Do you have any intention of letting anyone else know what the issue is?

    There is no issue. This person is a known Apple Troll whose only goal in life
    is to "make Apple look bad".

    In today's episode, he is convinced that the SSID on a router can track you. So if you sell your old router AND the person who bought it does not change the SSID, he thinks that proves that you have moved and now live at the current address where the router is.

    Hm, yes? If the identifier is constant and is tied to a location you're
    in frequently, like where you live, it can be used to track that.

    And then there are people who do things like hotspots on phones to use
    their mobile data connection, or even portable mobile data modems with a
    WLAN AP.

    Of COURSE, the person who bought it is going to change the SSID. Or may even keep the factory default because OF COURSE you are going to reset the router to factory defaults when you sell it. AND what if you setup your NEW router with the same SSID that you had on the old one? What happens now? Do I now live in 2 places at once?

    Hahaha...

    Yes, of course. You must live in that town named Theory. Like someone
    else said recently in another group, a lot of stuff works in theory.[1]

    [1] <eaqdS.8235$bZ8b.6617@fx01.iad>

    If anything, it's a coin toss, don't underestimate willingness to avoid
    having more work.

    Either way, there is No Problem.

    And what if I change the SSID of my router weekly? Have 4 different people come thru my address each month?

    This whole thing is beyond absurd AND is typical of the BS this troll posts. Apple did not change ANYTHING "at his request". Apple only removed his SSID from their DB to get him to STFU and go away.

    And you're doing an excellent work of conforming to the legendary figure
    of the "Apple fanboy". You're attacking remarks in a way that really
    looks like you're taking offense to somebody saying Apple did something
    wrong.

    One would think that, ever since Steve Jobs pushed hard his bad UI ideas
    and ruined smartphone interaction for many, that people would have
    gotten used to Apple making bad decisions...

    He will reply with more gibberish and hand waving, claiming I don't understand
    "the issue". That is his standard M.O.

    Look, I'm not saying the topic couldn't have been better explained, with
    less spaghetti-looking detours and more explicit statements. That it could.

    The last time I replied to a topic this moron started, he was asking "What music playing apps do you use on iOS/iPadOS that are (1) free and (2) continue
    to play when the screen shuts off". He did not even know that the included music playing app on iOS/iPadOS does both AND he did not even know what it was
    called. Not to mention that click-wheel iPods from 2005 were doing
    this also.

    Maybe that was why they asked? Are you seriously shaming somebody for
    asking a question?

    In short, he knows NOTHING about Apple, iOS, iPhones or anything else even vaguely related to Apple. Look at his previous "PSA" on how to transfer files
    from Windows to an iPad. He jumps thru multiple hoops by installing software on both the Windows PC and the iPad. He does not know that the INCLUDED Files App on iOS/iPadOS can connect to Windows PCs. And Macs and Linux. And can transfer files in both directions.

    Those two are not the same, one thing is to do a transfer from a Windows
    or Linux system, another thing is to initiate the transfer from the
    mobile device.

    Again, all in his goal of making Apple "look bad". But he so fucking stupid that he does not realize that it is only himself who looks bad.

    There's quite the irony here.


    But you should also learn not to shame people for asking questions or
    not knowing things. That's just not acceptable.

    Also see e.g. <https://xkcd.com/1053/>.

    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, September 06, 2026 01:06:44
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-05, Maria Sophia wrote:

    Nuno Silva wrote:
    Look, I'm not saying the topic couldn't have been better explained, with
    less spaghetti-looking detours and more explicit statements. That it could.

    I will respond to you only *after* you read the paper...
    *Surveilling the Masses with Wi-Fi-Based Positioning Systems*
    <https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14975>

    You will have to wait, then. It was added to my to-read list, but
    there's no telling when will I have time for that.

    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Chris@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, September 06, 2026 07:55:35
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:
    Chris wrote:
    I don't remember whether you addressed this ... how does someone who
    hasn't visited your address (i.e they already know where you live)
    discover what the BSSID of your router is?

    Apparently it's a complete invasion of privacy in the same way google maps >> having actual pictures of his house and the phone book having his name,
    address *and* phone number isn't.

    Hi Andy and Chris,

    I'm going to give you an example of how absurd your attempt at ridiculing
    the documented situation is, using your own analogies, by way of impact.

    Lol. The above is not an analogy.

    Your questions are good ones, but it's getting tiresome to answer them over and over and over and over and over and over again, so please think first.

    The reason why people ask the same questions is because you never answer
    them. Blaming others for your own limitations isn't going to change that.

    The question is the wrong question, as it's kind of like asking what's so dangerous about everyone in the world having your social security number.

    That's nothing like the same. Your SSN is specific to you as a person, is
    not information you broadcast, and should be collected securely.

    i.e. the opposite of a router MAC address.

    I reiterate, why is publicly available information like photos of your
    house and your name, address and phone number *not* an invasion of privacy?
    Or, worse, trackable information like your car's number plate?


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Frank Slootweg@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, September 06, 2026 18:10:58
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> wrote:
    [...]

    Hm, yes? If the identifier is constant and is tied to a location you're
    in frequently, like where you live, it can be used to track that.

    As others have mentioned, this all has been 'discussed' umpteen times
    Sofar, this thread is not bringing any new information, viewpoints,
    <whatever>.

    A summary of the previous times:

    At best, a home router's BSSID is tied to a *household*, *not* to a
    *person*, which is 'Arlen''s 'privacy concern'.

    'Arlen' has a wife. What is the BSSID's location 'tracking'? 'Arlen'?
    His wife? His dog?

    Case in point: I'm sometimes 18000km away from the location of my
    router. Quite a bit of a (location) tracking error, don't you think?

    My advice/request: Let it rest. The rest of us would appreciate not
    seeing the same non-arguments over and over again.

    [...]

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, September 06, 2026 20:27:13
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-06 20:10, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> wrote:
    [...]

    Hm, yes? If the identifier is constant and is tied to a location you're
    in frequently, like where you live, it can be used to track that.

    As others have mentioned, this all has been 'discussed' umpteen times Sofar, this thread is not bringing any new information, viewpoints, <whatever>.

    A summary of the previous times:

    At best, a home router's BSSID is tied to a *household*, *not* to a *person*, which is 'Arlen''s 'privacy concern'.

    'Arlen' has a wife. What is the BSSID's location 'tracking'? 'Arlen'?
    His wife? His dog?

    Case in point: I'm sometimes 18000km away from the location of my
    router. Quite a bit of a (location) tracking error, don't you think?

    My advice/request: Let it rest. The rest of us would appreciate not
    seeing the same non-arguments over and over again.

    [...]

    The new information, in not a clear form, is that Arlen got Apple to do "something". What, is not clear, but I guess they simple removed his
    router from the list, so that he stops complaining to his neighbour (the
    one that works for Apple or has high contacts at Apple).

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Monday, September 07, 2026 13:52:49
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-07 02:31, Maria Sophia wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote:
    My advice/request: Let it rest. The rest of us would appreciate not
    seeing the same non-arguments over and over again.

    [...]

    The new information, in not a clear form...

    Hi Carlos,

    <exasperated-sarcasm> because of the ignorance exhibited by some posters...

    Let's ignore, for the moment, how *desperate* Franklin Slootweg is to troll

    That is OT and not in evidence.
    I only see a single post of him in this thread, in the Android group. I
    don't see why you can be that angry at him.

    ...

    But you can, can't you.
    HINT: *Simply L@@K at the SUBJECT of this thread for the hidden answer...*

    It is good Usenet manners to explain the SUBJECT in the body.


    Isn't it amazing how well we hid from Frank what's new in the SUBJECT line!

    </exasperated-sarcasm> due to the ungodly ignorance being exhibited here...


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Monday, September 07, 2026 19:11:37
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-07, Maria Sophia wrote:

    Not a single person who trolled this thread shows any understanding of
    it.

    The gist of it is that any person you regard as not having understood it
    is "trolling" by your book. So this is almost tautological.

    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Monday, September 07, 2026 21:29:55
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-07 20:11, Nuno Silva wrote:
    On 2026-09-07, Maria Sophia wrote:

    Not a single person who trolled this thread shows any understanding of
    it.

    The gist of it is that any person you regard as not having understood it
    is "trolling" by your book. So this is almost tautological.


    Correct...

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 00:46:55
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-07, Keith Thompson wrote:

    Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> writes:
    [...]
    Then you have the trolls like Keith Thompson claiming that running python
    on Windows to prove what Apple & Android devices do by default with respect >> to Wi-Fi protocols has absolutely nothing to do with running python on
    windows to prove how Apple & Google devices differ from how they handle
    Wi-Fi metadata.

    WTF?
    [...]

    That is, of course, not at all what I wrote.

    I'll give you the benefit of the doubt by assuming that you actually understood my point, which is that you are writing multiple long
    posts on comp.lang.python with no content about programming in
    Python, and that that's inappropriate. Assuming that you're
    intelligent enough to understand that, I can only conclude that
    you are deliberately lying about me.

    (On the other hand, if you actually believe what you wrote above,
    that raises more serious concerns about your veracity.)

    The fact that you would lie about something so easily verifiable
    does not fill me with confidence that you're being truthful about
    whatever issue you're talking about with respect to Apple and Wi-Fi.
    It's obviously something that you consider very important, so you
    might consider not behaving in a manner that will piss off reasonable
    people and lead them to question your honesty.

    I lack both the background and the interest to directly verify or
    refute your claims. For all I know, everything you've been saying
    might be perfectly accurate. But because of the reputation you've constructed for yourself here, I can't be sure of that.

    I once thought like you did and still gave them the benefit of
    doubt. (Check the "How does whatsapp work?" thread (subjects changed
    halfway several times, rooted at [1]) on comp.mobile.android.) Then they attacked you and Frank in this fashion.

    [1] <n1ua9ltc3losq5kj0lfkh8lim4t3bp4npf@4ax.com>

    In the end, they destroyed any value their words could have had. In the
    past few hours there was another post with nice words to somebody else,
    but those words mean nothing, for all it takes is a small bit flip
    somewhere and you're suddenly a "troll" to them.

    I urge everyone participating in this thread to *at least* drop comp.lang.python from the "Newsgroups:" header line, even if Maria
    adds it back. (I've left it in place for this followup, since I'm
    discussing topicality in comp.lang.python.)

    Yeah, indeed. But which groups are you reading, of the remaining ones?

    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 01:50:14
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy


    Removing comp.lang.python on the petition from them.

    On 2026-09-08 00:28, Chris wrote:
    Jon Ribbens <jon+usenet@unequivocal.eu> wrote:
    On 2026-09-06, Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-09-06 17:37, Jon Ribbens wrote:
    1. Apple are storing the location of "hidden" WiFi Access Points.
    (My opinion: low priority.)

    Only Apple?

    I think that is what Maria is saying, and I have no information to the
    contrary.

    Allegedly: Apple are adhering to this exclusion, but are not also
    excluding BSSIDs which are not broadcasting any SSID at all (i.e.
    "hidden" networks). Other organisations (e.g. Google) do exclude such
    "hidden" networks.

    And if it is hidden they would not see if the SSID ends in _nomap.

    But is there a consensus that hidden SSIDs should not be listed? In
    writing? Maybe there is such a consensus now.

    To me it's fairly intuitive that if someone has taken the unusual step
    of explicitly marking their network as "hidden", then its location
    should not be included in these databases - especially given the fact
    that the "_nomap" SSID method doesn't work for "hidden" networks.

    I guess the challenge here is how can they know not to add the MAC address
    if the SSID with the "_nomap" request invisible.

    The thing is, the single thing of hiding the SSID marks the intention
    that this AP should not be mapped.

    Maybe there is not a paper that says this, but google and Mozilla are
    doing so. Apple was not doing it, and apparently they wrote now in their documentation that they not doing it. ie, they wrote that they will
    record hidden sites.



    Related: What did Arlen (aka Maria) achieve? That Apple agreed to
    remove all hidden and _nomap entries, or that they removed only his
    entry?

    My impression is that as a result of Maria's communications with them,
    Apple updated their documentation to note that "hidden" networks are
    still listed in their database, and removed Maria's own BSSID(s) from
    the database.

    That's purely a correlation. It could be a coincidence. And is there any evidence that the documentation did change? We only have his say so.



    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 08:58:10
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08 01:46, Nuno Silva wrote:
    On 2026-09-07, Keith Thompson wrote:

    Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> writes:
    [...]
    Then you have the trolls like Keith Thompson claiming that running python >>> on Windows to prove what Apple & Android devices do by default with respect >>> to Wi-Fi protocols has absolutely nothing to do with running python on
    windows to prove how Apple & Google devices differ from how they handle
    Wi-Fi metadata.

    WTF?
    [...]

    That is, of course, not at all what I wrote.

    I'll give you the benefit of the doubt by assuming that you actually
    understood my point, which is that you are writing multiple long
    posts on comp.lang.python with no content about programming in
    Python, and that that's inappropriate. Assuming that you're
    intelligent enough to understand that, I can only conclude that
    you are deliberately lying about me.

    (On the other hand, if you actually believe what you wrote above,
    that raises more serious concerns about your veracity.)

    The fact that you would lie about something so easily verifiable
    does not fill me with confidence that you're being truthful about
    whatever issue you're talking about with respect to Apple and Wi-Fi.
    It's obviously something that you consider very important, so you
    might consider not behaving in a manner that will piss off reasonable
    people and lead them to question your honesty.

    I lack both the background and the interest to directly verify or
    refute your claims. For all I know, everything you've been saying
    might be perfectly accurate. But because of the reputation you've
    constructed for yourself here, I can't be sure of that.

    I once thought like you did and still gave them the benefit of
    doubt. (Check the "How does whatsapp work?" thread (subjects changed
    halfway several times, rooted at [1]) on comp.mobile.android.) Then they attacked you and Frank in this fashion.

    [1] <n1ua9ltc3losq5kj0lfkh8lim4t3bp4npf@4ax.com>

    In the end, they destroyed any value their words could have had. In the
    past few hours there was another post with nice words to somebody else,
    but those words mean nothing, for all it takes is a small bit flip
    somewhere and you're suddenly a "troll" to them.

    Him. It is only one person doing this.


    I urge everyone participating in this thread to *at least* drop
    comp.lang.python from the "Newsgroups:" header line, even if Maria
    adds it back. (I've left it in place for this followup, since I'm
    discussing topicality in comp.lang.python.)

    Yeah, indeed. But which groups are you reading, of the remaining ones?



    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Chris@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 07:10:57
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:
    Chris wrote:
    Or, worse, trackable information like your car's number plate?

    Hi Chris,
    I get it you are desperate to defend Apple to the death, no matter what... But that analogy of the car license plate in a Flock system is absurd.

    It's notable to everyone here that you are consistently and obstinately not answering the core question. Why is the collection of public information
    that does not relate to an individual a privacy risk?

    The Flock issue is off topic here so the only thing I'll say is that this a consequence of lack of American's trust in government. That leaves the door open to commercial companies to collect data and sell it to government
    agencies with little to no oversight.

    In the UK we have the ANPR system which does the same thing, but is run by
    and for the law enforcement agencies. It's use is controlled and regulated. There are no issues.

    For anyone to claim that, means they didn't read the paper.
    *Surveilling the Masses with Wi-Fi-Based Positioning Systems*
    <https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14975>

    Once you read that paper,

    I have and have understood it better than you.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Chris@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 07:24:22
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:
    Chris wrote:
    My impression is that as a result of Maria's communications with them,
    Apple updated their documentation to note that "hidden" networks are
    still listed in their database, and removed Maria's own BSSID(s) from
    the database.

    That's purely a correlation. It could be a coincidence. And is there any
    evidence that the documentation did change? We only have his say so.

    Removing all but alt.internet.wireless from the f'up

    If you can't even set follow-ups correctly how can we trust any of your technical assertions? [Narrator: We can't. He has all the traits of a
    troll. Although, he has stopped nymshifting]

    <all but the android and iphone ngs removed >

    First off, we discussed this in December, in gory detail, and we covered EXACTLY what the Apple documentation said, and we discussed EXACTLY that I went to a my next-door neighbor, who is an executive at Apple to get it corrected, and we discussed, THEN, that it wasn't documented, for God's
    sake.

    The story of the Apple exec is just hearsay.

    Moreso, as we know now, it's corrected.
    <https://support.apple.com/en-ie/102515>

    Evidence? Someone with your technical skill and "highly educated" should be able to demonstrate it beyond having to rely on other people's memory.

    You are claiming that you are the reason it changed. Again simply hearsay.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Chris@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 07:39:35
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

    Nobody, in my decades on Usnent, has ever found a fact I've claimed to be a fact, ever to be wrong, and if, perchance, I make a typo or a forgetful
    faux pas, everyone knows I admit to it immediately, as what matters is only the facts that remain in the Usenet record for generations to read later.

    <hollow laughter> you regularly make this claim and have to be reminded
    each time that neither are you never wrong - such a claim is absurd in the extreme - and that you almost never admit to any errors. What you do do -
    as patently evidenced here - is attack, deflect, lie and deny.

    As an aside, usenet is not the source of truth you think it is. It is no
    longer indexed anywhere and finding anything historical is difficult.
    Archives are constantly being deleted or moved.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 09:48:58
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08 05:38, Maria Sophia wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote:
    Keith Thompson argues that your post is off topic in comp.lang.python,
    because you are not discussing python code. You simply posted a link
    that contains a reference to a Python program and said you run it. You
    are not discussing the code itself or making any question about it.

    And he is right, IMNSHO.

    People can't understand what the issue is if they don't understand the breadcrumb trail from your router access point to my Win10 python runs.

    They just can't.
    Their stone-age knowledge of networking doesn't prepare them for it.

    Keith didn't understand that you have to run the python code that was
    pointed to in the very first post, Carlos, which Jon found easily.

    He did understand it very well.

    He retorts that you are not asking questions about the code or saying
    anything about the code itself, thus your post is off topic in the
    python group. And you are ignoring this.

    The remainder of your post is irrelevant, as it doesn't consider his issue.


    Thus removing the python group on their request from this post.


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 09:54:18
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08 06:38, Maria Sophia wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote:
    The point we are saying is not what you claim it to be. It is not about
    Apple storing and publishing BSSIDs of hidden SSIDs. This is bad
    behaviour by them. Ok. But our point is that you gain nothing by making
    your AP hidden in the first place.

    Hi Carlos,

    I disagree.

    The answer to *this* question, will tell you why what you said is wrong:

    Q: Will Google's WPS database contain a BSSID:GPS pair for an access point
    whose SSID broadcast is set to hidden (i.e., empty or null)?
    A: Please answer "yes", or "no".

    I know the answer to that question.
    You clearly do not.

    I do, as a matter of fact.


    Once you know the answer to that question, you'll see why what you said,
    is dead wrong.

    I could ask the same question of the Mozilla MLS, but it's now defunct,
    but they document this (and we published that documentation elsewhere).

    Only Apple ignores the clear privacy intent of setting a hidden SSID.
    Nobody else.

    Just Apple. (to our knowledge)


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 09:58:35
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08 09:10, Chris wrote:
    Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:
    Chris wrote:
    Or, worse, trackable information like your car's number plate?

    Hi Chris,
    I get it you are desperate to defend Apple to the death, no matter what... >> But that analogy of the car license plate in a Flock system is absurd.

    It's notable to everyone here that you are consistently and obstinately not answering the core question. Why is the collection of public information
    that does not relate to an individual a privacy risk?

    The Flock issue is off topic here so the only thing I'll say is that this a consequence of lack of American's trust in government. That leaves the door open to commercial companies to collect data and sell it to government agencies with little to no oversight.

    And the lack of data protection laws like the GDPR in Europe.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation


    In the UK we have the ANPR system which does the same thing, but is run by and for the law enforcement agencies. It's use is controlled and regulated. There are no issues.

    For anyone to claim that, means they didn't read the paper.
    *Surveilling the Masses with Wi-Fi-Based Positioning Systems*
    <https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14975>

    Once you read that paper,

    I have and have understood it better than you.



    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 10:04:37
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08 07:07, Maria Sophia wrote:
    R.Wieser wrote:
    I don't remember whether you addressed this ... how does someone
    who hasn't visited your address (i.e they already know where you live)
    discover what the BSSID of your router is?

    What you mention there has been explained to him in the thread here

    [Tutorial: Query the Apple database with Python for your access point BSSID] >> <10h1qmr$2alo$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>

    First, let's address Andy's point because Andy didn't read the paper,
    so Andy thinks it's about individuals, and not about the masses.
    *Surveilling the Masses with Wi-Fi-Based Positioning Systems*
    <https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.14975>

    Arlen, in this long post of yours you did not address the point R.Wieser
    made.

    Ok, suppose I run the scripts, and have in my power the BSSIDs and SSIDs
    of the entire world. I still do not know which one is yours, Arlen. I
    can not track you.


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 09:57:22
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08, Maria Sophia wrote:

    Carlos E.R. wrote:
    On 2026-09-07 20:11, Nuno Silva wrote:
    On 2026-09-07, Maria Sophia wrote:

    Not a single person who trolled this thread shows any understanding of >>>> it.

    The gist of it is that any person you regard as not having understood it >>> is "trolling" by your book. So this is almost tautological.


    Correct...

    Please don't even bother to read this unless you're NUNO SILVA.
    (it's about his disgusting propensity to troll without ever adding
    value)

    I don't have an issue at all if you want to change names, as far as
    you're not misleading people, but please don't go pick names that are
    already in use. I see you've posted a bunch of posts referring to you as
    "Nuno Silva", but of course that's not exactly a name that's not in
    use. Please stick to Maria or Arlen or Whatever. Or pick something new.

    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 10:09:06
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08, Maria Sophia wrote:

    Carlos E.R. wrote:
    Keith Thompson argues that your post is off topic in comp.lang.python,
    because you are not discussing python code. You simply posted a link
    that contains a reference to a Python program and said you run it. You
    are not discussing the code itself or making any question about it.

    And he is right, IMNSHO.

    People can't understand what the issue is if they don't understand the breadcrumb trail from your router access point to my Win10 python runs.

    They just can't.
    Their stone-age knowledge of networking doesn't prepare them for it.

    Keith didn't understand that you have to run the python code that was
    pointed to in the very first post, Carlos, which Jon found easily.

    There being some python code in itself is not a reason to crosspost to comp.lang.python, at least not beyond the initial post.

    The instant I read the paper, I found and ran the Python code on Win10.
    Why can Jon and I do it, but Keith complains he can't read the paper?

    BTW, Keith can whine all he wants that Python code isn't python code.
    But it's clear he's just whining about something he didn't even read.

    Newsgroups aren't a MIME-Type for linked resources. Even if you disagree
    with his assessment, at least you could just understand it, instead of
    trying to frame that as something else.

    More to the point, I don't bring the paintings on my wall with me when I >>> move, but that doesn't mean that nobody brings their paintings with them. >>>

    I did not say "nobody". That's you reading what is not in what I said.

    Jesus Christ, Carlos. Have you never once taken a course in basic
    logic?

    That, coming from you, is rich. In the past few days you've shown you
    either know nothing of logic or you just make use of it when it supports
    what you're saying, but you throw it away the second it is inconvenient.

    Are you perchance in politics?

    Because you don't own a red car, you claim (in effect) red cars can't
    exist. Your entire rebuttal consist of that? WTF? It's ridiculous.

    For some odd reason, your claim that because you do it one way, that you think that refutes the fact that BILLIONS of people do it differently.

    Yet you call everybody who puts contacts on an android system contact
    store "rude". But maybe others are very careful with what applications
    they run on the system?

    I wouldn't mind if you made that preposterous argument only once, as I'd
    only need to point out your nonsensical bizarre point of view only once.

    But you've been foisting that grotesque farcical rebuttal on us since we started investigating this issue, oh, since way back in December 2026.

    Ooh, somebody got a DMC-12! :-P

    [...]
    The fact you get your access point from the ISP, while true, is an absurd >>> way of your attempt to refute the facts proposed in this respected paper. >>
    I don't refute anything, except that you can only track a minority of
    users worldwide.

    Clearly you did not read the paper. Read it Carlos.
    [...]
    Do not respond until you've shown you read the paper, please.

    And the others are the ones who aren't adults.

    If someone hasn't read the paper, they can't possibly understand the
    issue.

    Basic logic again. It's perfectly possible peoplee can understand the
    issue without reading the paper. So in the *same post* you're chastising
    others for "not knowing" basic logic, and you fail at the same.

    I love the smell of hypocrisy in the morning...

    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 10:18:11
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

    On 2026-09-08 01:46, Nuno Silva wrote:
    [...]
    In the end, they destroyed any value their words could have had. In the
    past few hours there was another post with nice words to somebody else,
    but those words mean nothing, for all it takes is a small bit flip
    somewhere and you're suddenly a "troll" to them.

    Him. It is only one person doing this.

    (That was singular they, I do not care what their gender is, other than
    using the appropriate wording. Given that seems to be a female name and
    people are referring using "he" and Arlen did seem to me like a male
    name, I just erred on the side of caution and went with they/them.)

    (But nevermind me, I'm apparently just trolling.)
    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 12:02:15
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08 11:18, Nuno Silva wrote:
    On 2026-09-08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

    On 2026-09-08 01:46, Nuno Silva wrote:
    [...]
    In the end, they destroyed any value their words could have had. In the
    past few hours there was another post with nice words to somebody else,
    but those words mean nothing, for all it takes is a small bit flip
    somewhere and you're suddenly a "troll" to them.

    Him. It is only one person doing this.

    (That was singular they, I do not care what their gender is, other than
    using the appropriate wording. Given that seems to be a female name and people are referring using "he" and Arlen did seem to me like a male
    name, I just erred on the side of caution and went with they/them.)

    (But nevermind me, I'm apparently just trolling.)

    It is an 80 year he. We refer to him as Arlen, as that was a long lived
    alias he used. Currently he is going as Maria, and uses a domain that
    does exist but is not his own. I strongly dislike posing as a woman,
    thus I never refer to him as Maria.

    He claims to change names for security, thwart machine trackers or
    something I forgot (some organization tracking him?). But of course it
    serves to evade kill files, and for this reason alone he can be
    considered a troll.

    Sometimes he has used more than one name in the same thread. Or
    different alias in a new group.


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From R.Wieser@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 13:03:43
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Carlos,

    Ok, suppose I run the scripts, and have in my power the BSSIDs and SSIDs
    of the entire world.

    And thats another of Arlens problems : You can't just retrieve records from that database.

    You could plug your own BSSID into the database and get a number of other, near BSSIDs which you than also query (rinse and repeat), hoping to spread
    it like a water-ripple, any kind of "dead space" stops that ripple.

    IOW, if there is any distance between the town you're in and the next town over you won't see that one in your results. And as good-old 'Murrica has a LOT of "dead space" (neighbours lliving miles apart) the chance that Arlens "the entire world" is nothing more than *very* wishfull thinking.

    I had intended, in that other thread, to put that forward to Arlen. But
    seeing that he could not even grasp that the translation from a persons name to that persons (routers) BSSID was already wrought with problems I thought better of it.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 13:38:13
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08 13:03, R.Wieser wrote:
    Carlos,

    Ok, suppose I run the scripts, and have in my power the BSSIDs and SSIDs
    of the entire world.

    And thats another of Arlens problems : You can't just retrieve records from that database.

    You could plug your own BSSID into the database and get a number of other, near BSSIDs which you than also query (rinse and repeat), hoping to spread
    it like a water-ripple, any kind of "dead space" stops that ripple.

    IOW, if there is any distance between the town you're in and the next town over you won't see that one in your results. And as good-old 'Murrica has a LOT of "dead space" (neighbours lliving miles apart) the chance that Arlens "the entire world" is nothing more than *very* wishfull thinking.

    Aha. Right.


    I had intended, in that other thread, to put that forward to Arlen. But seeing that he could not even grasp that the translation from a persons name to that persons (routers) BSSID was already wrought with problems I thought better of it.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser




    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From AJL@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 17:56:25
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Carlos E.R. wrote:

    He is not a man that discovers his true self is feminine and changes his >name. I would respect that.

    Or one could just use initials and make folks guess...sweetie... ;)



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 20:03:23
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08 19:56, AJL wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote:

    He is not a man that discovers his true self is feminine and changes
    his name. I would respect that.

    Or one could just use initials and make folks guess...sweetie... ;)



    X-D

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Chris@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 08, 2026 21:26:32
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-09-08 09:10, Chris wrote:
    Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:
    Chris wrote:
    Or, worse, trackable information like your car's number plate?

    Hi Chris,
    I get it you are desperate to defend Apple to the death, no matter what... >>> But that analogy of the car license plate in a Flock system is absurd.

    It's notable to everyone here that you are consistently and obstinately not >> answering the core question. Why is the collection of public information
    that does not relate to an individual a privacy risk?

    The Flock issue is off topic here so the only thing I'll say is that this a >> consequence of lack of American's trust in government. That leaves the door >> open to commercial companies to collect data and sell it to government
    agencies with little to no oversight.

    And the lack of data protection laws like the GDPR in Europe.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation

    Yup. Plus, automatic penalties for breaches. No court cases required. The
    UK's ICO regulator has the authority to fine up to 4% of *global* revenues!

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Wednesday, September 09, 2026 11:11:21
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-08, Carlos E.R. wrote:

    On 2026-09-08 17:47, Lane W wrote:
    Why do you call him/her Arlen if his/her preferred name is Maria?
    Are you from the 70s?

    Because he is not Maria.

    He is a nameshifter, he changes his name eventually. We have known him
    for a long time as Arlen in the past, so that's the name we stick to,
    not the name he uses at the current time.

    I strongly dislike that he is using a woman's name, so I refuse to
    call him by that.

    He is not a man that discovers his true self is feminine and changes
    his name. I would respect that.

    Ok.

    I personally don't give it much attention, again as far as this isn't
    being used for "killfile evasion" or to mislead.

    IMHO one of the great things of media like USENET and IRC networks is
    that you can interact without thinking too much about identity, name, appearance. There's some sort of identification, and that's enough to
    tell who is who in a conversation.

    There can be schemes to enforce some level of identification
    (identifying accounts or posting hosts in netnews, identd on IRC), but
    even these only require an identity, it doesn't have to be an "official"
    one, so to speak.

    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, September 10, 2026 09:38:01
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-10 04:46, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
    On Tue, 8 Sep 2026 22:18:02 +0400, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

    ...

    Well, that's a problem. I'm getting old (78 currently), tired and
    lazy. Debating the finer points of some technology eventually turns
    into an endless time burn. Your endless discussion with "Carlos E.R."
    is a good example. Carlos seems to baiting you with less than
    brilliant one-line comments, which usually results literary effluvia
    from you. All that does is waste everyone's time. Yours is wasted
    because you write more than anyone is willing to read. My time is
    wasted, but I just don't have the time to read the entire thread. I
    suspect the typical Usenet reader thinks in a similar manner.

    Baiting! Interesting idea, but no, I have no such intention. Not
    knowingly, at least.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Frank Slootweg@3:633/10 to All on Thursday, September 10, 2026 10:21:45
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-09-10 04:46, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
    On Tue, 8 Sep 2026 22:18:02 +0400, Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

    ...

    Well, that's a problem. I'm getting old (78 currently), tired and
    lazy. Debating the finer points of some technology eventually turns
    into an endless time burn. Your endless discussion with "Carlos E.R."
    is a good example. Carlos seems to baiting you with less than
    brilliant one-line comments, which usually results literary effluvia
    from you. All that does is waste everyone's time. Yours is wasted
    because you write more than anyone is willing to read. My time is
    wasted, but I just don't have the time to read the entire thread. I suspect the typical Usenet reader thinks in a similar manner.

    Baiting! Interesting idea, but no, I have no such intention. Not
    knowingly, at least.

    Agreed. (You) Refusing to get engaged in his sprees of insults, misrepresentations, lies, etc., is in *no* way 'baiting'. Quite the
    opposite. Any and all baiting is purely on 'Arlen''s side.

    That said, (obviously) no ill feelings at all towards Jeff.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Chris@3:633/10 to All on Friday, September 11, 2026 07:45:38
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-09-10 04:46, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
    On Tue, 8 Sep 2026 22:18:02 +0400, Maria Sophia
    <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

    ...

    Well, that's a problem. I'm getting old (78 currently), tired and
    lazy. Debating the finer points of some technology eventually turns
    into an endless time burn. Your endless discussion with "Carlos E.R."
    is a good example. Carlos seems to baiting you with less than
    brilliant one-line comments, which usually results literary effluvia
    from you. All that does is waste everyone's time. Yours is wasted
    because you write more than anyone is willing to read. My time is
    wasted, but I just don't have the time to read the entire thread. I
    suspect the typical Usenet reader thinks in a similar manner.

    Baiting! Interesting idea, but no, I have no such intention. Not
    knowingly, at least.

    Agreed. (You) Refusing to get engaged in his sprees of insults, misrepresentations, lies, etc., is in *no* way 'baiting'. Quite the
    opposite. Any and all baiting is purely on 'Arlen''s side.

    That said, (obviously) no ill feelings at all towards Jeff.

    I concur. Although, the curt responses from Carlos are a symptom of being vilified for days by Arlen.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Jeff Liebermann@3:633/10 to All on Friday, September 11, 2026 09:49:25
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:45:38 -0000 (UTC), Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-09-10 04:46, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
    On Tue, 8 Sep 2026 22:18:02 +0400, Maria Sophia
    <mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

    ...

    Well, that's a problem. I'm getting old (78 currently), tired and
    lazy. Debating the finer points of some technology eventually turns
    into an endless time burn. Your endless discussion with "Carlos E.R." >>>> is a good example. Carlos seems to baiting you with less than
    brilliant one-line comments, which usually results literary effluvia
    from you. All that does is waste everyone's time. Yours is wasted
    because you write more than anyone is willing to read. My time is
    wasted, but I just don't have the time to read the entire thread. I
    suspect the typical Usenet reader thinks in a similar manner.

    Baiting! Interesting idea, but no, I have no such intention. Not
    knowingly, at least.

    Agreed. (You) Refusing to get engaged in his sprees of insults,
    misrepresentations, lies, etc., is in *no* way 'baiting'. Quite the
    opposite. Any and all baiting is purely on 'Arlen''s side.

    That said, (obviously) no ill feelings at all towards Jeff.

    I concur. Although, the curt responses from Carlos are a symptom of being >vilified for days by Arlen.

    Good point. I didn't read the entire thread. All I saw was long and repetitive comments by Arlen and short, one-line replies by Carlos. I interpreted the short replies as an attempt to extend the discussion
    without adding anything of value. I also tend to ignore one-line
    replies because they tend to contain little or nothing of value.
    Whether this was intentional trolling by Carlos, or frustration
    dealing with Alren, is unknown.

    I have a simple solution to the problem. When I'm involved in a
    discussion that has devolved into on-line comments (which incidentally
    seems to be the fashion with text-messaging style comments), I just
    stop adding my fuel to the fire. Similarly, when the argument has
    reached an impasse, I also stop as further repetition will serve no
    useful purpose. When the discussion inevitably changes topic, I
    immediately question my continued involvement. Basically, if I don't
    think it's worth reading, I won't write anything. Those are a big
    part of why I avoid posting comments in newsgroups and forums.

    Gone to help a friend with his camper resurrection project.


    --
    Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
    PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
    Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272 AE6KS 831-336-2558


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From R.Wieser@3:633/10 to All on Friday, September 11, 2026 19:29:55
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    Jeff,

    I also tend to ignore one-line replies because they tend to contain
    little or nothing of value.
    Whether this was intentional trolling by Carlos, or frustration
    dealing with Alren, is unknown.

    You already said it yourself :

    All I saw was long and repetitive comments by Arlen

    Arlen is well know for ignoring everything he doesn't want to hear, and keep reposting his own "truths" - even if they have been shown to be wrong.

    And as you probably have noticed by now, everyone who does not agree with
    him is either dumb, or a troll.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Carlos E.R.@3:633/10 to All on Friday, September 11, 2026 20:26:41
    Subject: Re: Apple changed their documentation at my request but it proves they don't care about privacy

    On 2026-09-11 19:29, R.Wieser wrote:
    Jeff,

    I also tend to ignore one-line replies because they tend to contain
    little or nothing of value.
    Whether this was intentional trolling by Carlos, or frustration
    dealing with Alren, is unknown.

    You already said it yourself :

    All I saw was long and repetitive comments by Arlen

    Arlen is well know for ignoring everything he doesn't want to hear, and keep reposting his own "truths" - even if they have been shown to be wrong.

    And as you probably have noticed by now, everyone who does not agree with
    him is either dumb, or a troll.

    The reasons I typically reply with a short text are usually:

    * After reading the post, I have an unanswered question. I don't need
    to reply to it all, specially if it is a repeat and doesn't address the question that I made perhaps on a previous post, so I insist on the
    question. I don't say more because I want focus.

    * I don't accept some stated fact as a fact, and just say so and
    ignore the rest of the text as superfluous.

    * The other person is insulting long and wide. I stop reading and
    ignore the rest of the post.


    In this long thread, I stopped answering to de escalate.


    I would ask Jeff Liebermann to please read the entire thread before
    forming an opinion about me. Or, if you do not want all that work, just
    read the posts by, for example, Keith Thompson, and Arlen answers, then conclude if Keith is a troll as Arlen says. I do not want to explain
    anything, to not influence you.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.
    ES??, EU??;

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)