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Since I don't quite get the point you're making here, I think I should specify that I was playing the role of someone who wants to start up a website on the sid

Since I don't quite get the point you're making here, I think I should specify that I was playing the role of someone who wants to start up a website on the side but isn't an expert on computers, networking, software development, or international privacy law. I know plenty of people with a get rich quick scheme to sell widgets, but who don't know the difference between WordPress and Microsoft Word. Expecting them to know that starting a website with a plug and play webserver could collect sensitive information on their behalf is pushing it a bit. Expecting them to know they have to comply with a law passed by a governing body they've never come within 1k miles of...

majewsky 9y ago
> I was playing the role of someone who wants to start up a website on the side but isn't an expert on computers, networking, software development, or international privacy law. If you're not an expert, you have to get one. Same reason why you cannot just go and plan a non-trivial building by yourself when you're not a architect or civil engineer.
- reificator 9y ago
  While I agree, if you're an American setting up a plug-and-play site with chocolate chip cookie recipes, that happens to collect data out of the box, where along the process are you going to realize that you even need to know anything about EU regulations? I've never hired a Wumbologist because I don't know what Wumbology is or where it applies.
- redblacktree 9y ago
  > > I was playing the role of someone who wants to start up a website on the side but isn't an expert on computers, networking, software development, or international privacy law. > If you're not an expert, you have to get one. Same reason why you cannot just go and plan a non-trivial building by yourself when you're not a architect or civil engineer. This attitude is really sad to me. It was and is one of the greatest things about the internet, that pretty much anyone anywhere could publish something. If you now need an "expert" to do that, we've lost something.
  - reificator 9y ago
    Unfortunately, copy/pasting a formatted comment on HN doesn't have enough newlines to quote the post properly. Anywhere you want one newline in your output, you have to use two.

majewsky 9y ago

> I was playing the role of someone who wants to start up a website on the side but isn't an expert on computers, networking, software development, or international privacy law. If you're not an expert, you have to get one. Same reason why you cannot just go and plan a non-trivial building by yourself when you're not a architect or civil engineer.

reificator 9y ago
While I agree, if you're an American setting up a plug-and-play site with chocolate chip cookie recipes, that happens to collect data out of the box, where along the process are you going to realize that you even need to know anything about EU regulations? I've never hired a Wumbologist because I don't know what Wumbology is or where it applies.
redblacktree 9y ago
> > I was playing the role of someone who wants to start up a website on the side but isn't an expert on computers, networking, software development, or international privacy law. > If you're not an expert, you have to get one. Same reason why you cannot just go and plan a non-trivial building by yourself when you're not a architect or civil engineer. This attitude is really sad to me. It was and is one of the greatest things about the internet, that pretty much anyone anywhere could publish something. If you now need an "expert" to do that, we've lost something.
- reificator 9y ago
  Unfortunately, copy/pasting a formatted comment on HN doesn't have enough newlines to quote the post properly. Anywhere you want one newline in your output, you have to use two.