An Anonymous Coward writes:Since the beginning of 2020 Netflix has been waging a war against its own users to prevent them from using proxy, VPN and unblocker technology to access Netflix content even though this action is legal in many countries. In Australia Netflix has reported "connection errors" to paying customers, advising them to "check their network" including to "restart their router" in order to "fix" a problem accessing Netflix. The issue is that there was no such problem. It was Netflix deliberately blocking paying customers from accessing the service they paid for. As of June 2020 Netflix shows a proper error message and redirects users to a page stating that using a proxy or VPN is disallowed. While Netflix can set the terms of service it can't deceive customers or act fraudulently. Netflix did not post information to its customers that it was blocking VPN, for example, it just cut the connection. This deceptive behaviour could see Netflix run afoul of the ACCC Non-delivery of products & services which states that It is illegal for a business to accept payment for products or services they do not intend to supply.What would you do if you were paying for a service and the vendor refused to provide the service and did not tell you why?Original SubmissionRead more of this story at SoylentNews.
darkfeline writes:As reported on LWN and Ars Technica, iXsystems — the company behind FreeNAS — is creating a new Debian/Linux distribution called TrueNAS SCALE.FreeNAS is coming to Linux
An Anonymous Coward writes:Just a few weeks ago, we had a story about how SpaceX released a docking simulator that lets anyone try to safely connect the crew capsule with the ISS. SpaceX had a history of not taking itself too seriously. The drone ships for landing the Falcon-9 boosters are named Just Read the Instructions and Of Course I Still Love You (from Iain M. Banks' Culture fictional universe)... knowing full-well the ships' names would be announced every time there was a landing attempt. Then came the names of the fairing recovery ships: Ms. Tree and Ms. Chief. And, of course, there was the time Elon Musk launched his bright red Tesla Roadster (and star man) on as the payload the inaugural launch of the Falcon Heavy.So, it should come as no surprise that an Anonymous Coward wrote in to tell us that SpaceX had been at it again; the docking simulator had an Easter Egg embedded in it! Here's a link to the simulator again:https://iss-sim.spacex.com/Apparently, if you do a 180 and pitch down you can see Elons' Roadster. Extra points if you bump it into the atmosphere for burn up. Is this for real? Who will be the first Soylentil to achieve and confirm these?Previously:
As promised, here's the round-table discussion post that I said on Wednesday was coming. We have a long history at SoylentNews of listening and responding to our community; I genuinely hope that never changes. I also recognize that I may have ruffled some feathers in the last few weeks with original content postings so here's the best place to get this all out.I am mindful of the community's support and goodwill; I don't want to squander any of it. Yes, there are times where my hand may be forced (e.g., DCMA takedowns). Still, I'm always a bit hesitant whenever I post on the main site for anything that isn't site update news or similar. I may be the de facto site leader, but I want my submissions to be treated like anyone else's — I want no favoritism. The editorial team does review my stories and signs off before they go live (unless it's an "emergency" situation such as the last time we blew up the site). However, as the saying goes, the buck stops with me.SoylentNews accepts original content. I'm also aware that I've probably submitted the most original content so far (See "Previously", below for some examples). I'm grateful for the community's apparent acceptance of my submissions and the positive responses to them. What I don't know is if there is an undercurrent of displeasure with these. Maybe everyone thinks these are all fine. Then again, maybe somebody has an issue with them. Rather than assume anything, let's get it all out in the open.What I want to cover in this round-table discussion is original content and having images in posts as well as topics such as yesterday's Live Show on Improving Your Security -- Wednesday June 3rd, 2020.So, contributors and commenters to SoylentNews, get that Reply button hot and let me hear your feedback. As usual, either a member of staff or I will respond to your comments below,73 de NCommanderPreviously:
RandomFactor writes:Beginning around June 1, A wave of eCh0raix/QNAPCrypt ransomware attacks has been observed targeting QNAP NAS devices. Vectors employed to compromise the devices are exploiting known vulnerabilities and brute-force attacks on weak passwords.
canopic jug writes:FiveThirtyEight is covering the efficacy of fact-checking and other methods to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Fact-checking, after the fact, is better than nothing, it turns out. There are some common factors in the times when it has been done successfully: