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Re:HTTPS on Stack Overflow: The End of a Long Road by jasonkostempski on Monday May 22, 2017 @04:50PM (#14396830)
Declaring "absurd nonsense" isn't an argument.
Re:HTTPS on Stack Overflow: The End of a Long Road by obstacle1 on Monday May 22, 2017 @05:17PM (#14397002)
In this case, the absurdity and nonsensical character of the 'spying' claim is fairly self-evident.

When a client voluntarily makes a request to a server, it presents a bunch of information for the server to see and consume. This information is not meant to be kept secret from the server. Among such pieces of information can be some about the characteristics of the user agent, including OS. It is disingenuous at best to call collecting such voluntarily-presented and clearly-transmitted data as "spying" on a user.

A basic requirement for spying is for a collecting party to be obtaining information that can be reasonably considered confidential or restricted. Details about the system from which you send a request are by definition of the protocol not confidential or restricted to the recipient of your request. It is not reasonable to expect a server to not look at or use information you present to it. Therefore, it isn't "spying" for the recipient to consume the information. The information might be used in ways some people(e.g., OP) don't like, but that does not make obtaining the information "spying".

Re:HTTPS on Stack Overflow: The End of a Long Road by jasonkostempski on Wednesday May 24, 2017 @11:45AM (#14410859)
I only posted this because it was the second time that day I saw "absurd nonsense" used as a comment with no additional content. It annoyed me enough the first time that it stuck out like a sore thumb the second time, then I noticed it was the same user and it was their last 2 comments.
Re:HTTPS on Stack Overflow: The End of a Long Road by cortesoft on Monday May 22, 2017 @05:43PM (#14397170)
You don't need an argument against absurd nonsense.
Re:HTTPS on Stack Overflow: The End of a Long Road by thaumasiotes on Monday May 22, 2017 @08:01PM (#14397812)
Better men than you have been beaten by absurd nonsense that shouldn't have needed to be argued against. ;)
Re:HTTPS on Stack Overflow: The End of a Long Road by SimbaOnSteroids on Monday May 22, 2017 @08:12PM (#14397854)
I recall a woman who recently had this experience as well.