Signal to leave Sweden if backdoor law passes

Re:Signal to leave Sweden if backdoor law passes by throwaway28409 on Tuesday February 25, 2025 @09:29AM (#43172291)

Note that I said "can", not "legally can". You can destroy currency, alter passport, reproduce copyrighted images if you want to. There may be legal consequences but you can. You can also stab a person with a knife you own, even if you will be punished for it. I'm not talking about rights, but capabilities.

You can't make your phone lie to an app developer about its location, rooted status, etc. You can't make your HP printer print with unsanctioned ink. Therefore, you do not own them.

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Re:Signal to leave Sweden if backdoor law passes by lxgr on Tuesday February 25, 2025 @09:41AM (#43172451)

I also can't make a pen and a sheet of paper contain a proof showing whether P is equal to NP. Does that mean I don't own them either?

Now you could of course say that the difference is somebody having intentionally designed an object in a way that makes it capable of withholding some functionality from me but not others, and I'd agree.

But all in all, I just don't think "property rights" is the right lens to think about computing devices.

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Re:Signal to leave Sweden if backdoor law passes by detourdog on Tuesday February 25, 2025 @09:47AM (#43172517)

You can also not use a service. I think anonymity is a better measure than the ability to lie for co-operative systems.

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