It's not so much a condemnation of HN, but the way IP is in the US. The only website I want hosting my comments on Nintendo modding is my own.
The only thing this kind of censoring does is countering basic censor bots I think, and somehow making swear words publishable in the US.
Until I typed this, I guess...
I'm insisting because if you care about not being sued, the stars are not an adequate defense despite what you seem to believe it is, and false sense of security is dangerous.
Not that I think that what you wrote here is remotely likely to cause you troubles, but it won't protect you the day you actually document something illegal.
To rub it in:
> I'm covering my ass
No, not at all, and it's important that you realize this.
But you do you.
That modder who had to pay 2M sold drm circumvention kits for the Switch. That's a pretty clear case.
You pretending that saying "emulator" on a forum qualifies just makes you a extra special snowflake.
Says the person going out of their way to attack another person over a single-character asterisk substitution.
Seems fairly understandable to not want to piss off rabid lawyers, however remote the chances of angering them may be.