[HN Gopher] I had to take down my course-swapping site or be exp...
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I had to take down my course-swapping site or be expelled
Author : jdkaim
Score : 49 points
Date : 2025-01-08 21:27 UTC (1 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.linkedin.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.linkedin.com)
| craftman210 wrote:
| Wow!
| silexia wrote:
| UW alum here, my alma mater is a disappointment.
| craftman210 wrote:
| Yeah I'm glad I didn't go there.
| pockmarked19 wrote:
| That's just how colleges are. I once reported to my alma mater
| that a somewhat obscure (but obviously public) link seemed to
| trigger the download of a zip of student details for no
| discernible reason (I think it was a WIP site), and they
| immediately threatened to call the FBI on me. I just sort of
| laughed it off, but I decided that was the last time I was going
| to initiate any sort of contact with them if I didn't absolutely
| have to.
|
| Which is the policy I followed when I found that they had stored
| one of their LDAP admin passwords in a world readable file on the
| CS servers.
| theturtletalks wrote:
| Wasn't a government agency rendering citizen SSNs client-side
| and when someone discovered it, they went after them? Wouldn't
| be surprised if the anti-DRM part of the DMCA is used to
| persecute these non-crimes.
| NBJack wrote:
| Reminds me of the time _my_ university made headlines!...for
| attempting to regulate wifi.
|
| https://m.slashdot.org/story/49515
| jdkaim wrote:
| Update: I immediately took down my class project site after
| receiving yesterday's ultimatum. I still don't think the simple
| demo site violated the letter or spirit of the registration
| rules, but I took it down because I always want to operate in
| good faith.
|
| They followed up today to thank me for doing it, but also
| indicated that they were putting a hold on my account anyway. As
| a result, I am not going to be able to register for my final
| quarter and have been de facto expelled at the end of this
| quarter.
|
| Unless, that is, I agree to work on a comparable solution for the
| university focused on solving the underlying problem I was
| building HuskySwap for. They would presumably own the IP and were
| clear that I wouldn't be compensated. But it was implied that
| they would then remove the hold, allowing me to graduate.
|
| I really love UW and have had a wonderful time here. But this is
| so demoralizing.
| NBJack wrote:
| You may want to consult with a lawyer. This is starting to
| sound like extortion.
| widforss wrote:
| What? You didn't even do anything? This is extortion.
| cglace wrote:
| This sounds like they are trying to extort you.
| theturtletalks wrote:
| This is a huge story and if it goes viral, it could put a lot
| of heat on UW. Write a detailed post on your LinkedIn, Twitter,
| anywhere that could get the attention of media. Better yet,
| link your post here and I'd gladly help spread the word. What
| UW is doing is extortion especially for their fuck-up. Be
| polite in your post and just write down the facts.
| crystaln wrote:
| When I read your initial post I figured it was knee jerk
| reaction, and like many no's was only the start of the
| conversation.
|
| Now it sounds like you've got some sociopaths on the line. I
| would gather information and fish them to get very specific
| about their request and threat, then kindly turn it around on
| them. Be prepared to go above their heads all the way to the
| board if necessary.
| flaminHotSpeedo wrote:
| I don't understand - what could they possibly expel you for?
| ryandrake wrote:
| Why would the school admin go nuclear over a request to integrate
| with the registration system, a system that is clearly intended
| to be used by applications:
|
| > "The Student Web Service gives your application access to
| information in the Student database such as course data,
| registration data, section data, person data, and term data
| (general academic data)."
|
| It doesn't make any sense. Was there something left out of the
| story? Do they offer this web service as a honeypot to find and
| expel ambitious software developers?
| widforss wrote:
| Everybody knows you have to be a drop-out to become successful
| in tech. This is basically their way of identifying potential
| entrepreneurs and helping them to drop out.
| protocolture wrote:
| Yeah universities are horrific for ethics.
|
| I had a lecturer log in and leak the grades for my entire year,
| including my own, so his students could choose the best partners
| for final project.
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(page generated 2025-01-08 23:00 UTC)