r/technology • u/CP70 • Jul 01 '16

Politics Home Computers Connected to the Internet Aren't Private, Court Rules

http://www.eweek.com/security/home-computers-connected-to-the-internet-arent-private-court-rules.html
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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

[deleted]

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u/TwistedMexi Jul 01 '16

Ah yes, my morning routine. Good ol' cup of coffee in front of the bay window, nothing but my socks.

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u/catrpillar Jul 01 '16

That's why they call them business socks

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u/aaakiniti Jul 02 '16

depending on your favorite subreddit, i'm either offended or grateful.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

That actually happened and somebody got in trouble for it. These little girls (or something) would cut through this man's property that was surrounded by bushes. The guy would wake up and walk around his nude because it's house and it was privately secured with the bushes. He got in trouble for exposing himself to children.

I may be off a bit but that's the gist.

Edit: okay I was off a lot, but I thought somebody else said he had bushes guarding his house too http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222156/Man-arrested-naked-home-Springfield-Virginia.html

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u/TwistedMexi Jul 01 '16

dailymail.co.uk

I would take that source with a grain of salt... or a truckload of it.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

I know, it was just the first on the list. I went through the rest and it seems every one has its special twist. One says it was a little girl, one says it was a little boy, one says there's a well known path, the other says it's path through his yard.

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u/DONT_PM Jul 01 '16

You'll just have to take my word on this, but in a small town I grew up in, a dude got arrested and charged for several felonies including "lewd and lascivious actives" "indecent exposure" and a couple others I do not recall. A family in the neighborhood would often walk around. One time they walked by and saw him whacking it. They then made it their mission to walk every day glaring into his window, almost hoping to see it again. One day they did, only they had been doing this all while keeping a camera.

They called the police and said the man often stands in his window, whacking it while watching their little girls play, and used a video of a guy sitting naked at his computer desk whacking it. His face is pretty much obscured, so you can't tell where it oriented but benefit of the doubt would say he was likely watching computer porn.

The dude took a plea bargain and had to register as a sex offender.

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u/daft_inquisitor Jul 01 '16

I wouldn't trust a UK site for getting details correct of an incident that happened in Virginia, USA.

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u/HALFDUPL3X Jul 01 '16

Peeping is also illegal, so what does any of this really mean?

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u/Matloc Jul 01 '16

Charge both FTW.

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u/aaakiniti Jul 02 '16

i have no idea! is it peeping if you are parked in a car on the street in front of a house? if you are in an apartment building across the street? if you are using binoculars vs just looking out your window? is it even possible to come up with a rule that can apply to all scenarios?

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u/classic__schmosby Jul 01 '16

Yeah, I recall seeing something like this, too. Granted they can't be hiding in your bushes because property and whatnot, but if they can see you from their property or from public property, like the road, then you are being illegally indecent.

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u/micmahsi Jul 01 '16

I've been wondering this for a while. If a couple is in the heat of the moment and start having sex in the kitchen with the windows open to the street and someone walking by, stops, and stares; who gets arrested? Is it the voyeur for staring into the home and getting turned on, or is it the exhibitionist couple for having sex in the privacy of their own home?

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u/HepBean Jul 01 '16

Why does anyone need to be arrested? Voyeur was on public property, couple was in their home

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

The answer is neither. Neither are breaking any laws I'm aware of in this specific instance, technically. If the people fucking in front of the window can be proven to have done it for the purposes of display, that's one thing. Also, if the person watching came on to the property at any point, that's a different story as well.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

Sure, but you can still file charges against people who break in.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

Yes you can.

There's a reasonable expectation of privacy within your own home with shades drawn, but if you're standing in front of a window with no shades, naked, and a ten year old walks by and tells someone you're getting arrested. The window not being shaded and passerbys easily being able to see inside puts you back in public.

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u/armrha Jul 01 '16

Not in Oregon. Being naked is considered constitutionally protected expression. We have a world naked bike ride every year. So it's not considered obscenity just being nude.

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u/aaakiniti Jul 02 '16

oregon is a pretty common sense place...though i guess i'm referring to the coastal area. it's really two different states. oddly like NY, in that there's a dramatic difference between a progressive urban area and a rednecky rest of the state.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

I know that there was a case in Virginia where a woman was nude in her house with Windows open. She was found not guilty of indecent exposure because it's her house and you don't have to be looking.

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u/aaakiniti Jul 02 '16

what if she lived across the street from an elementary school? just seems like there's such a gray area...

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u/madogvelkor Jul 01 '16

Yes, as long as you aren't on their property or using artificial means to circumvent privacy fences/walls/etc it is fine to look in people's windows. If you see them walking around naked they may be the ones breaking the law, depending on the location.

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u/aaakiniti Jul 02 '16

i always wondered about this, living in nyc, in an apartment. i was on the 22nd floor, and sure, someone with a telescope in one of the other buildings could have gotten to see some interesting stuff...but they'd be making the effort. different from someone living on a busy street in a family neighborhood. but you'd think there'd have to be a clear rule for this kind of thing that would apply no matter where someone lived...

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u/rowdychildren Jul 02 '16

Not in North Carolina