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Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by edent on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @08:54AM (#20458870)
I agree with you. But I didn't make the Telegram policy - they did.

If you want to keep your username, the lesson here is to read the T&Cs and comply with them.

And, as I say several times in the blog post, I don't have the right to those combination of letters.

Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by Voloskaya on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @09:32AM (#20459240)
I love how you claim to feel guilty every time you take over an account, and yet continue to do it.

You may not have written the policies, but you can certainly choose when to enforce them. You waited only a week for Soundcloud, even when you knew it was ridiculously short. For linkedin you went and 'politely' asked the active owner to transfer, telling him to his face he didn't have to, and when he refused you still went to check if you could force it by using a ToS.

Don't hide behind the policies, you are making the calls.

Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by always4getpass on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @09:17AM (#20459073)
So you're suggesting that everybody should read the miles long terms for each website they subscribe to, otherwise they do not have a right to keep their username.

And I'm not sure that abusing an unethical system waives you from the morality of your actions.

The only lesson you're giving here is about you. But hey, any publicity is good publicity right? You're enforcing your 'brand' after all. \s

Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by driverdan on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @10:07AM (#20459615)
> So you're suggesting that everybody should read the miles long terms for each website they subscribe to

Absolutely. You should never agree to something you haven't read.

Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by always4getpass on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @11:18AM (#20460371)
Oh so I guess the fact that there are whole organizations[1] devoted to reading the absurdly enormous TOS means nothing, and studies[2] that suggest a major percentage isn't reading them are false.

I will not believe you if you state that you read the TOS for every site you register on, every program you install.

[1] https://tosdr.org/

[2] https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2757465

Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by mathattack on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @09:29AM (#20459206)
Wow. I hope you never end up in an argument with your bank (or mortgage holder or employer or anyone else) who abuses their superior knowledge of legal minutia that they forced on you.

It’s one thing to say “I’m raising a risk.” It’s another to blame the victim.

Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by edent on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @09:38AM (#20459310)
That's literally why I'm a member of a Trade Union - so that I have legal representation check my employment contracts before signing them. And why I have a lawyer check the paperwork when I buy a house.

These services should publicise their name dispute policies more openly. But, ultimately, they can enforce their private property rights on the usernames they control.

Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by ziddoap on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @09:53AM (#20459477)
You should perhaps teach a class in responsibility deflection. It's very impressive how you are able to do something that, while perhaps inline with T&C, is indisputably a dick move - and turn around and blame everyone else! Just own up to it dude. The companies have bad policies, and you were a bit of a dick, them's the breaks.
Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by mbrameld on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @09:35AM (#20459273)
At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, do we really need some company to publish T&Cs to tell us how to treat each other? Why can't we just be good because it's good?
Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by Rainymood on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @09:40AM (#20459331)
Be excellent to each other.
Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by aczerepinski on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @09:26AM (#20459172)
I'm sure there's some oddball lawyer out there who reads every T&C they're presented from start to finish, but for 99.9% of people, that would be an unreasonable burden.
Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by loco5niner on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @11:50AM (#20460761)
Just because it's policy, it doesn't mean you are not a jerk for doing it.
Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by 1011_1101 on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @09:27AM (#20459181)
So you would be ok with it, if lots of people would now start regularly claiming your known usernames on all possible platforms?
Re:How I got my username on nearly every site by appleflaxen on Wednesday July 17, 2019 @12:58PM (#20461545)
Are terms and conditions the only thing that keep you from being a raging sociopath? Just because the T&C say you can do something doesn't make it right.

If somebody did that to me, I would be really upset. Therefore, I am not going to do that to somebody else, even if the terms and conditions of the site allow it to happen.

You should listen to your conscience when you "feel guilty" about something.