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Comment by Timon3

3 days ago

So your solution is to ban the sale of any kind of knife. Sucks that people can't really cook at home anymore, but do we have to make it trivially easy for murderers?

> So your solution is to ban the sale of any kind of knife.

If you give a toddler a butcher's knife to play with and they get hurt, you'll likely get in trouble for child endangerment.

Using my car requires it be registered, pass my state's safety standards, and that I possess a valid license and follow a wide variety of rules.

Maybe a certain level of protection is, at times, acceptable?

  • Those are very different scenarios because your "protection" is the threat of consequences. You can freely buy and use knives, you can drive your own car, but you can only use your phone to do what Apple approves of? Sure, banning knives, replacing cars with public transport, and locking down all computers should be safer in theory... but murderers will still murder and scammers will still scam.

    Social engineering is the weakest link even if your grandma is doing all her banking on Windows XP.

    • > You can freely buy and use knives…

      No, not necessarily. Quite a few countries have restrictions on knives, including some parts of the US - a switchblade will get you in trouble in NYC.

      > you can drive your own car

      Only in approved ways!

      Hell, you'll get in trouble if your gasoline is the wrong color.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_dye#Fuel_dye_in_North_Ame...

      "Detection of red-dyed fuel in the fuel system of an on-road vehicle will incur substantial penalties."

      > murderers will still murder and scammers will still scam

      Do we not take steps to try and reduce murder?

      3 replies →

  • > If you give a toddler a butcher's knife to play with and they get hurt, you'll likely get in trouble for child endangerment.

    Right but granny is not a child, she is kind of the opposite of a child.

    You're essentially saying we should child proof the entire world, right. Appeal to the lowest common denominator and DO NOT offer back doors. But that's a plainly ridiculous notion and everyone knows it. This argument only works on smartphones right now because it's the status-quo. As soon as you extend it to literally any other domain, it immediately crumbles and falls between your fingers.

    Yes, there IS a certain level of protection that is acceptable at all times. But that level is absolutely not "maximum protection, no other options sorry". Which is what Apple is trying to do. This really is "no sale of knives" type stuff. That sounds ridiculous, right? Because it is, and we let Apple get away with murder.

    • > Right but granny is not a child, she is kind of the opposite of a child.

      The failure modes are often quite similar - cognitive/motor issues and lack of experience with the tools offered.

      > Appeal to the lowest common denominator and DO NOT offer back doors.

      Back doors accessible by scammers are bad for the same reasons back doors accessible by governments are.

      > This really is "no sale of knives" type stuff. That sounds ridiculous, right? Because it is, and we let Apple get away with murder.

      Apple's more like a shop that declines to sell knives. There are other shops that will sell you one.

      8 replies →