Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login
Kiwi Farms ruling sets "dubious" copyright precedent, expert warns (arstechnica.com)
8 points by thrwaway1234567 11 months ago | hide | past | favorite | 2 comments



I disagree with certain statements the article made. Null, the site's admin, didn't merely post the text and email conversation of the copyright claim, he also insults and mocks the person involved. Null also stated that "In this specific instance, I will waive whatever safe harbor protections I have and personally burden liability for posting it." and later in the conversation he invited Greer to sue him after he refuses to take down the copyrighted material.

It's also worth noting that users of the site apparently doxxed the lawyer involved in this case.

Null is probably acting in bad faith. He has outright said he was ok with users posting stolen financial information, such as Social Security Numbers and Credit cards. Source: https://archive.is/0fOcS . There are many examples of private financial information being posted on the site.

I would describe them as operating with a paper thin layer of "plausible" deniability. Officially you aren't allowed to harass or interact with the targets. But posting their home address, stolen passwords, phone numbers, and information about relatives is all allowed. Obviously, if they didn't want their targets harassed, they wouldn't post that. Kiwifarms, now banned, official twitter page said their goal was “exploitation of the mentally handicapped for amusement purposes”. ( Source: https://archive.is/jYp5p ).

But even the rule against interacting with "lolcows" (called "cowtipping") is haphazardly enforced. For example, one user had sex with a "lolcow" and posted photos. The admin explicitly said they would allow the content to remain up and did not ban the user: https://archive.is/zYnpK#35%


There's people on the other end of these posts. People who are surprisingly unable to fight, run, or even go up a steep hill without nearly having a stroke.

Maybe someone should challenge them to be a more physical kind of test case, if they want to turn the world into Forensic Files.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: