Guy steals iPhone, forgets to turn of Photo Stream. Owner posts to Facebook
facebook.com
facebook.com
He could be 100% guilty, or imagine the possibility he is softhearted and could have bought it off some scammer who tricked him and said they were in desperate need of cash, etc.
I hope she gets her phone back and I understand the anger but this approach doesn't really solve the problem.
What to Submit
On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity.
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I find this sort of post interesting because it demonstrates some of the unintended consequences of new technology. We've seen a handful of interesting methods used to recover stolen devices. We've seen a handful of frightening methods used to attack, harass, or exploit someone. These are interesting trends.
Not everything on HN has to be about startups. (This isn't "Startup news"). HN just is about things that are interesting to hackers.
Seeing that technology is helping to bring a stolen device back to someone is interesting to hackers.
The world is a cruel place, indeed.
I think you overestimate both the reach and the net effect of this. There are still employers who don't google people before they hire, who will never see this. And there are plenty of people who disclose criminal convictions to potential employers and still manage to get hired.
"Basically ruined his life" is a stretch.
But I guess yes to some extend it's a stretch. I was just feeling bad for how it might affect his future prospects for work. I think a little more mercy for criminals is a good thing.
Norway has a really good criminal justice system that works wonders.
Accused of something? The arrest and pending charges show up in all background checks until the charges are dropped or you are acquitted and even then the police have the discretion to decide whether or not to remove them from your record. If you are a professional, this is a death sentence to your career that needs to be handled with incredible care.
TL;DR there is no support for the innocent in the justice system either.
Can this be fixed?