<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Hacker News: donaltroddyn</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=donaltroddyn</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 06:52:55 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=donaltroddyn" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "Kill The Cookie Banner"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>>  I suspect they are, and the choice of leaving things misconfigured is deliberate.<p>That honestly doesn't fit our data or my experience. In our scanning, about 60% of the misconfigured sites had a CMP with blocking active but one or two tags bypassing consent controls<p>Generally those misconfigurations aren't valuable to the business. We don't see for example lots of ad targeting and conversion tracking firing without consent on an otherwise compliant site.<p>What we do see is things like sites with CMPs generally working, but one or two analytics events tags firing because consent wasn't properly added to a trigger, or embedded Youtube cookies set without consent, or unexpected data from a URL or query param being accidentally ingested by tracking, or devs adding performance monitoring or observability tools to applications without realising the compliance implications<p>There's not much business logic in paying for a CMP, blocking your own ad stack, but then letting three analytics events pass through<p>> FWIW, this was a problem long before LLMs were a thing, and it didn't get worse with LLMs.<p>This isn't supported by our experience. In the last 18 months, we've seen a big increase in ungated tracking that we catch in CI (albeit with overall much higher velocity in general). LLMs will happily add non-compliant tracking to sites, often following defaults that might be acceptable in the US but not EU. If you push back, they'll also happily implement compliant tracking, but it's definitely not the natural default you can rely on<p>But your comment left me curious, so I just ran an experiment via Codex -p (gpt-5.6-sol) and Opus 5 via Bedrock<p>Codex returned the vendor quickstart on 5 of 5 neutral prompts. It gated properly when told the company is Irish, with full Consent Mode v2 defaults denied, GA4 only mounting after consent, with a reject button<p>So models can produce compliant/non-compliant code based on the context you give them, which reflects what we've seen in industry<p>Our business is giving devs and increasingly LLMs efficient tests to check the tracking they add is as expected for the EU and then providing signed evidence packs that prove that behaviour at a given time</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:43:05 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49072199</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49072199</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49072199</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "Kill The Cookie Banner"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I think you're right that many (most?) CMPs are broken, though usually not deliberately. Most try to gate analytics and ad tracking on consent, just often misconfigured. The common exception is companies that deliberately hide Reject All, which is not complaint<p>My company scanned 209 European regulated sites in June, and roughly 7 in 10 had tracking that wasn't correctly gated by consent. It's rarely indifference, though. DPOs in the EU hold too much weight for that. It's usually a tag added that was never wired into the CMP or something added by a dev or LLM without going through proper review<p>Full disclosure: I run <a href="https://consentmark.com" rel="nofollow">https://consentmark.com</a>, which measures what tags actually fire under each consent state to create evidence packs companies can show regulators</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 21:10:52 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49062431</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49062431</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49062431</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "An open-source stethoscope that costs between $2.5 and $5 to produce"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>They can become a lot more expensive than $100, but the difference between a Littman Cardiology and the $15 EMT student stethoscope is night and day.<p>> Currently, the stethoscope resulting from this project functions as well as the market gold standard, the Littmann Cardiology III<p>If this is true, it's a major achievement.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:06:18 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47951263</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47951263</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47951263</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "MODNet: Is a Green Screen Necessary for Real-Time Human Matting?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Part of it is that webcams are nearly impossible to buy since the pandemic arose, but apart from that, webcam image quality is terrible - even expensive webcams in the price range of ~100's of Euro.<p>A recent iPhone will wipe the floor with any webcam I've come across, short of an SLR or mirrorless camera.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 28 Nov 2020 16:56:59 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25238679</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25238679</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25238679</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "Victoria follows South Australia and imposes electric car road tax"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>It also is in Ireland, but there are valid reasons, such as as replacing an ECU or dash cluster.<p>Unless auto manufacturers are required to fit much more secure odometers, I can't see them in their current incarnation used as the basis for a tax.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2020 20:56:06 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25172696</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25172696</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25172696</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "Victoria follows South Australia and imposes electric car road tax"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I was being slightly facetious in referencing tyre size, although people regularly have to adjust speedo/odometers by 10% or more when fitting large tyres on off-roaders.<p>Odometers can have their values changed at will, at least in ICE vehicles, often for valid reasons.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2020 19:20:25 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25172027</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25172027</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25172027</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "Victoria follows South Australia and imposes electric car road tax"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I don't think Odometers are reliable enough, especially as the basis for a tax. You'd certainly see an increase in average tyre size!</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2020 18:51:04 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25171788</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25171788</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25171788</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "Victoria follows South Australia and imposes electric car road tax"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>How do you track the number of Kms driven? Is it possible to do so while maintaining the privacy of individuals?</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2020 18:41:29 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25171709</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25171709</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25171709</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "The first open-source ventilator tested on human patients"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Only five US States don't have Sales Tax, and most counties and cities have their own, too.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2020 00:14:51 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25106371</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25106371</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25106371</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "Pimp My Microwave"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Similarly, in Ireland where we run 230VAC single phase, three phase 400VAC allows up to 22kW to be delivered, which is about to become extremely useful as we migrate to electric transportation.<p>Also, on safety, I don't know the statistics, but subjectively, electricity feels much more dangerous in the US because of the plug and socket design.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2020 13:02:50 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25100852</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25100852</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25100852</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "Pimp My Microwave"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>And more safely, as there is no possibility of superheating the water.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 15 Nov 2020 12:27:28 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25100653</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25100653</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25100653</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "British Airways Flight 5390"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>And the famine was the big hunger (an Gorta Mór).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 14 Nov 2020 12:51:41 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25092016</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25092016</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25092016</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "British Airways Flight 5390"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Interesting. In Ireland, they're referred to as RTCs (collisions), although still referred to as accidents in law. Never come across RTI before.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 14 Nov 2020 12:48:58 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25092004</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25092004</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25092004</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "The Most Surveilled Cities in the World"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2020 19:55:45 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24900578</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24900578</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24900578</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "The Most Surveilled Cities in the World"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2020 19:25:51 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24900179</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24900179</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24900179</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "Simple Opt Out – Links to opt out of data sharing by companies"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>The GDPR does not allow the processing of personal data at all without out a legal basis, and the prevention of unlawful data processing does not require that you submit any identifying details at all!<p>A company may verify the identify of a person making a deletion request for data processed under a valid legal basis, which seems unlikely to be the case here.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2020 15:52:11 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24672804</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24672804</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24672804</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "I sold my side-project for $30k"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>The OP is the founder of BetaList.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:38:06 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24340291</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24340291</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24340291</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "An Update on MDN Web Docs"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Have you found a way to donate? All the links on that page are dead for me.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2020 22:57:00 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24239759</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24239759</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24239759</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "USPS Files Patent for a Blockchain-Based Voting System"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>> I just think the above argument was made from a fundamental misunderstanding of blockchain technology.<p>Which misunderstanding of blockchains/merkle trees do you believe has caused the argument above to be incorrect?<p>The system as described in the patent provides no protection that I can see against voter coercion, and in some embodiments, allows a voter to verify that their vote has been counted as cast, which is significantly more ripe for abuse than in-person or even postal voting.<p>I did read your other comments in this thread, but it seems to me that you have a fundamental misunderstanding of blockchain technology and the problems that it can solve. Your proposed right-to-vote token solution is worse in every way than paper ballots cast in-person at polling stations with private areas, counted by hand in publicly observable  count centres.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2020 20:21:08 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24180921</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24180921</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24180921</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by donaltroddyn in "USPS Files Patent for a Blockchain-Based Voting System"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>It's certainly not a ridiculous argument. Anonymity is a cornerstone of fair voting systems, and any system that allows votes to be deanonymised increases the risk of coercion.<p>The same type of risk applies to postal voting, although with less severity, as with postal voting there is only one opportunity to check the coerced vote. Blockchain based votes can be checked after the fact.<p>Still, for this reason, postal voting is rare, and most countries that allow it do so only for citizens living abroad or who cannot travel to a polling station die to injury or illness.<p>Countries like the UK and Australia that allow any eligible voter to do so by mail are rare.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2020 09:41:33 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24176475</link><dc:creator>donaltroddyn</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24176475</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24176475</guid></item></channel></rss>