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I don’t think they should be. Those people are pawns though, not curious hackers. The Us govt decides what countries we sanction, not me.

boomboomsubban 5y ago
The US cyber related sanctions do not seem to forbid educational resources from being accessed in North Korea, with a possible exception related to encryption. >Those people are pawns though, not curious hackers Anyone using the site for their government or private job would be then. Practicing for your employment does not mean you don't like your job.
- codezero 5y ago
  This is an interesting workaround. The people I found were definitely overly part of a university which would explain the potential reason this might be a good technicality.
  - boomboomsubban 5y ago
    It's not a workaround. There are economic sanctions and an arms embargo, not a total ban on interaction.
    - codezero 5y ago
      Given that these hackers are acting maliciously on behalf of a violent dictator, it’s a workaround.
      - boomboomsubban 5y ago
        I didn't realize you had tracked the people registering on the service and successfully tied them to malicious acts. Is their nationality really important at that point? Or are you just in favor of collective punishment against North Koreans, individual actions are irrelevant?
        codezero 5y ago
        I'm speaking about nation states, not individuals, I am disappointed with the state of affairs there, and wish there was more we could do to stop the oppression. I am not speaking in terms of a personal attack against oppressed North Koreans, and it's confusing that you appear to persist in turning this discussion into that. I want hackers to learn more, I am not personally responsible for whether or not it is legal for a North Korean citizen to use a service offered by a US entity, and I do not have a strong opinion about whether it's OK to regulate that, it's not my speciality. I was sharing an observation: people from North Korea are training their hacking skills using Hacker Rank. NK internet is strongly regulated, so those people must be using it for state sponsored purposes. Current trends for computing expertise in North Korea have been towards malicious acts by the government (not pointing fingers at individuals, I hope some of these NK hackers find a way to escape their oppression but I suspect they'll just be treated better than others so they'll continue to be oppressed next generation). Please let me know what you think I'm saying that implies I am in favor of collective punishment against North Koreans based on my statements here so I can more accurately respond to your concern. I'd also love to hear why you have such a strong point of view on this subject, it may add color to help me understand your statements.
        boomboomsubban 5y ago
        >I'm speaking about nation states, not individuals, Your comments start with "I noticed a lot of people" and continues talking about the individuals. >Please let me know what you think I'm saying that implies I am in favor of collective punishment against North Koreans based on my statements here The part where you say a ban would be useless as they'd just circumvent it seems like saying a blanket ban is justified. Or where you wondered why Hacker Rank let them use their platform at all. I will say, I'm less sure that Hacker Rank wouldn't violate the economic restrictions now, visiting the site makes it look a lot more like job recruitment than I thought it was. Beyond that, I'll paraphrase. For absolutely no reason, you assume that everyone using a computer in North Korea must be using it for hacking. Yet in the society you live in, can you name a single business that does not use some kind of software the tools at Hacker Rank helps improve? They have plenty of use for the training outside of criminal hacking, and you saying it's a "workaround" for them to access educational resources ignores this. >I'd also love to hear why you have such a strong point of view on this subject I hate how people treat North Koreans as either mindless tools of the state or pitiable oppressed masses. None of your comments have acted like any of the people signing up are real humans expressing complex desires in their admittedly somewhat shitty situation. Imagine how you would feel to wake up suddenly blocked from the service because they decided they don't like where you're from.

boomboomsubban 5y ago

The US cyber related sanctions do not seem to forbid educational resources from being accessed in North Korea, with a possible exception related to encryption. >Those people are pawns though, not curious hackers Anyone using the site for their government or private job would be then. Practicing for your employment does not mean you don't like your job.

codezero 5y ago
This is an interesting workaround. The people I found were definitely overly part of a university which would explain the potential reason this might be a good technicality.
- boomboomsubban 5y ago
  It's not a workaround. There are economic sanctions and an arms embargo, not a total ban on interaction.
  - codezero 5y ago
    Given that these hackers are acting maliciously on behalf of a violent dictator, it’s a workaround.
    - boomboomsubban 5y ago
      I didn't realize you had tracked the people registering on the service and successfully tied them to malicious acts. Is their nationality really important at that point? Or are you just in favor of collective punishment against North Koreans, individual actions are irrelevant?
      - codezero 5y ago
        I'm speaking about nation states, not individuals, I am disappointed with the state of affairs there, and wish there was more we could do to stop the oppression. I am not speaking in terms of a personal attack against oppressed North Koreans, and it's confusing that you appear to persist in turning this discussion into that. I want hackers to learn more, I am not personally responsible for whether or not it is legal for a North Korean citizen to use a service offered by a US entity, and I do not have a strong opinion about whether it's OK to regulate that, it's not my speciality. I was sharing an observation: people from North Korea are training their hacking skills using Hacker Rank. NK internet is strongly regulated, so those people must be using it for state sponsored purposes. Current trends for computing expertise in North Korea have been towards malicious acts by the government (not pointing fingers at individuals, I hope some of these NK hackers find a way to escape their oppression but I suspect they'll just be treated better than others so they'll continue to be oppressed next generation). Please let me know what you think I'm saying that implies I am in favor of collective punishment against North Koreans based on my statements here so I can more accurately respond to your concern. I'd also love to hear why you have such a strong point of view on this subject, it may add color to help me understand your statements.
        boomboomsubban 5y ago
        >I'm speaking about nation states, not individuals, Your comments start with "I noticed a lot of people" and continues talking about the individuals. >Please let me know what you think I'm saying that implies I am in favor of collective punishment against North Koreans based on my statements here The part where you say a ban would be useless as they'd just circumvent it seems like saying a blanket ban is justified. Or where you wondered why Hacker Rank let them use their platform at all. I will say, I'm less sure that Hacker Rank wouldn't violate the economic restrictions now, visiting the site makes it look a lot more like job recruitment than I thought it was. Beyond that, I'll paraphrase. For absolutely no reason, you assume that everyone using a computer in North Korea must be using it for hacking. Yet in the society you live in, can you name a single business that does not use some kind of software the tools at Hacker Rank helps improve? They have plenty of use for the training outside of criminal hacking, and you saying it's a "workaround" for them to access educational resources ignores this. >I'd also love to hear why you have such a strong point of view on this subject I hate how people treat North Koreans as either mindless tools of the state or pitiable oppressed masses. None of your comments have acted like any of the people signing up are real humans expressing complex desires in their admittedly somewhat shitty situation. Imagine how you would feel to wake up suddenly blocked from the service because they decided they don't like where you're from.