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Proving that someone has zero credibility takes a bit more than that. Hurt his credibility, perhaps, but saying that he has zero credibility is hyperbolic. And

Proving that someone has zero credibility takes a bit more than that. Hurt his credibility, perhaps, but saying that he has zero credibility is hyperbolic. And 'snooping' is only a gross mischaracterization if you believe the meaning of the word strictly excludes unintentional unauthorized access to data. Which I don't think it clearly does.

potatolicious 16y ago
You're right - he doesn't have zero credibility. As someone who has not read the blog before, and who did hear about the Google/WiFi thing before today, it made me want to close the tab out of disgust. That is a bit more than a little bit of hurt credibility, I think. For someone to rail against Google for their hypocrisy, it's a terrible shame that he has to bend and distort the facts to this degree to do so - and he ends up hurting his case more than he helps it. "Snooping" in any colloquial use implies intent. I'm pretty sure we can't get away from that, and perhaps I'm being less charitable than I should be, but I think this implication is exactly what the author was going for. After all, saying that Google actively intended to spy on WiFi users would be an outright lie, yet implications are okay?
- dieterrams 16y ago
  He might have, and given the context, he has a plausible motive. But it's worth considering that many news outlets have called what Google did 'snooping', as a Google search will reveal. (The CNET article he linked to actually calls it 'spying', which is arguably more insidious-sounding.) And I can't think of another word that succinctly captures the idea of accessing unauthorized data, intentionally or no. At any rate, the man is responding to what he believes was a gross mischaracterization of himself (the idea that he 'hates' Google). Out of anger and in haste, he may well have overreached. But one can overreach and not be without merit. On the basis of what is only plausibly a mischaracterization, one can't dismiss everything else a person says out of hand. There just isn't enough here to warrant this degree of outcry and dismissal.
  - ErrantX 16y ago
    > And I can't think of another word that succinctly captures the idea of accessing unauthorized data Definition of "To Snoop": To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen To secretly spy on or investigate, especially into the private personal life of others. I don't think that even slightly covers unintentional collection of data... If they did it intentionally: sure, snooping. Otherwise the word is basically designed to make it sound nefarious :)
    - dieterrams 16y ago
      I'm not an expert, but the first search result for 'snooping' on Google turns up this page: http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci1131831,00.html http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gc... It's got some obtrusive ads, so I'll just quote it all here: ---------- Snooping, in a security context, is unauthorized access to another person's or company's data. The practice is similar to eavesdropping but is not necessarily limited to gaining access to data during its transmission. Snooping can include casual observance of an e-mail that appears on another's computer screen or watching what someone else is typing. More sophisticated snooping uses software programs to remotely monitor activity on a computer or network device. Malicious hackers (crackers) frequently use snooping techniques and equipment such as keyloggers to monitor keystrokes, capture passwords and login information, and to intercept e-mail and other private communications and data transmissions. Corporations sometimes snoop on employees legitimately to monitor their use of business computers and track Internet usage; governments may snoop on individuals to collect information and avert crime and terrorism. Although snooping has a negative connotation in general, in computer technology snooping can refer to any program or utility that performs a monitoring function. For example, a snoop server is used to capture network traffic for analysis, and the snooping protocol monitors information on a computer bus to ensure efficient processing.

potatolicious 16y ago

You're right - he doesn't have zero credibility. As someone who has not read the blog before, and who did hear about the Google/WiFi thing before today, it made me want to close the tab out of disgust. That is a bit more than a little bit of hurt credibility, I think. For someone to rail against Google for their hypocrisy, it's a terrible shame that he has to bend and distort the facts to this degree to do so - and he ends up hurting his case more than he helps it. "Snooping" in any colloquial use implies intent. I'm pretty sure we can't get away from that, and perhaps I'm being less charitable than I should be, but I think this implication is exactly what the author was going for. After all, saying that Google actively intended to spy on WiFi users would be an outright lie, yet implications are okay?

dieterrams 16y ago
He might have, and given the context, he has a plausible motive. But it's worth considering that many news outlets have called what Google did 'snooping', as a Google search will reveal. (The CNET article he linked to actually calls it 'spying', which is arguably more insidious-sounding.) And I can't think of another word that succinctly captures the idea of accessing unauthorized data, intentionally or no. At any rate, the man is responding to what he believes was a gross mischaracterization of himself (the idea that he 'hates' Google). Out of anger and in haste, he may well have overreached. But one can overreach and not be without merit. On the basis of what is only plausibly a mischaracterization, one can't dismiss everything else a person says out of hand. There just isn't enough here to warrant this degree of outcry and dismissal.
- ErrantX 16y ago
  > And I can't think of another word that succinctly captures the idea of accessing unauthorized data Definition of "To Snoop": To be devious and cunning so as not to be seen To secretly spy on or investigate, especially into the private personal life of others. I don't think that even slightly covers unintentional collection of data... If they did it intentionally: sure, snooping. Otherwise the word is basically designed to make it sound nefarious :)
  - dieterrams 16y ago
    I'm not an expert, but the first search result for 'snooping' on Google turns up this page: http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gci1131831,00.html http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid14_gc... It's got some obtrusive ads, so I'll just quote it all here: ---------- Snooping, in a security context, is unauthorized access to another person's or company's data. The practice is similar to eavesdropping but is not necessarily limited to gaining access to data during its transmission. Snooping can include casual observance of an e-mail that appears on another's computer screen or watching what someone else is typing. More sophisticated snooping uses software programs to remotely monitor activity on a computer or network device. Malicious hackers (crackers) frequently use snooping techniques and equipment such as keyloggers to monitor keystrokes, capture passwords and login information, and to intercept e-mail and other private communications and data transmissions. Corporations sometimes snoop on employees legitimately to monitor their use of business computers and track Internet usage; governments may snoop on individuals to collect information and avert crime and terrorism. Although snooping has a negative connotation in general, in computer technology snooping can refer to any program or utility that performs a monitoring function. For example, a snoop server is used to capture network traffic for analysis, and the snooping protocol monitors information on a computer bus to ensure efficient processing.