Since it seems that I have been shadow-banned (I can't see my new messages when disconnected), is this the other account who is suspected of sockpuppetry? Or have I been banned for other reason/it is a mistake on my part?
Not exactly. In the link case the application is the browser instead of the site and there are many browsers that you can select from, in the .net case however the .net itself is the application.
> if I link to an image, javascript file, or even an iframe to ycombinator.com, your browser will make a request to ycombinator.com most likely without you knowing.
True, which is why many people (including me) use something like umatrix with every 3rd party request disabled unless whitelisted. This should be the default to be honest.
> if ycombinator.com logs information on that request, is that okay?
You are willingly letting your traffic be logged by the original site that you connected to. Does it matter if another party (usually trusted by the first party) gets the logs as well?
> and your browser decides to prefetch the contents of that link?
Change browser or configure it properly. Who even thought that prefetching is a good idea?
Anyway, the one at fault at this specific case is your browser (and maybe you, considering how you selected to use that browser or didn't bother configuring it).
ycombinator.com is a site that you willingly send data to, it is not an application that you use locally.
I do agree however, we do not need more laws about that, we just need the people to start using software that respects its users and can be audited by anyone - free software.
> only on HN could we see child pornography being defended as a victimless crime.
No, not really. I have seen it being defended in multiple places over the years. Mostly places where there are many STEM people and can't bear the thought of certain numbers being illegal.
> First of all, no child should be exploited in that way. Period. Not up for debate.
Exploited in what way? Remember, even a 17 year old taking a picture to show it to his/hers gf/bf is considered CP in every country that I know of. Who is exploited in this case?
> Whether or not they feel victimised at the time by what has happened to them is irrelevant.
If they are a young child then I will agree. If they are a teen then no. I fail to see how this is relevant to the discussion however. We are not talking about the production of CP, we are talking about the consumption and distribution of it.
> So by viewing or obtaining CP, one is supporting and proliferating that material.
How did you deduce that from the previous sentence exactly? In any case, I fail to see how "by viewing or obtaining CP, one is supporting and proliferating that material".
> Here it is again 'CP isn't wrong'. Yes it is, I don't see how you can think it's not.
Viewing or distributing CP isn't wrong because nobody is harmed. I don't see how you can think that it is wrong.
> Every paedophile is a paedophile
Sure? Just like every straight person is straight. That being said not every paedophile is a rapist as neither is every straight person.
> it's a mental health problem
They said the same about homosexuality a while ago. Look what happened to Turing for example, a great mind put to death because he did things that even though they harmed nobody it offended some people in power who considered them gross.
> because frankly if you think being a paedophile is totally fine then you need to get help.
If you think that we should arrest people who have done no harm on another human being directly or indirectly then you are a monster and you should get help.
It's funny because I am pretty sure that these are also illegal in most western countries.
> these brave officers
What bravery did they commit? What heroic act did they commit? I fail to see how arresting people for a thoughtcrime is heroic. It is disgusting and slimy at best, especically if done in the shady - sting-operation way that this one was done.
> motherfucking-sickshitbag-fuckers
How can someone who has never raped a child but just views CP on an online forum be a "motherfucking-sickshitbag-fucker"? Who was the victim of this person?
Why do you feel the need to insult people who haven't done anything wrong?
>(although the police stated the pictures they used already exist else where).
I bet that this was probably also the case with most of the images in that forum.
> and protecting children from harms
How do you exactly "protect children from harms" by catching people that simply view CP?
What is the point of the redirects? If the user wants to use the https version he would directly go to that (either manually or by using something like httpseverywhere). Why force to user to use a specific one?