I recently posted search terms that led people to my blog.
I didn’t mention that “Fetlife Sydney University” or some iteration of it was there a few times. I didn’t mention it because, well, it’s not funny, but I thought I would provide a community service announcement about it, to help those people out, so here it is.
Many people put some version of the following text on their Fetlife profiles:
WARNING: Sydney University – You do not have permission from me to use any of my profile or pictures in any form or forum both current and future. If you have or do, it will be considered a violation of my privacy and will be subject to legal action. (I suggest the rest of you post this notice)
Not only is it useless, it makes you look stupid. Stop it!!
Seriously, Sydney University doesn’t give a rats arse about you or your Fetlife profile, they are not collecting your information, and really, even if we imagine for one second that they ARE, how would you ever know? And if you DID find out somehow (how, people, how?!) that they are using your information in their dodgy research (truly, they aren’t), and you chose to sue them (thereby outing yourself and spending a ton of money on international lawyers), you can bet your arse that they have a lot more money than you do and would not hesitate to use it once they stopped laughing.
It’s utterly ridiculous. All of it.
I suggest the following alternative*:
ATTENTION: I am employed by Sydney University. It is my job to collect your profile information for our study. At break time we laugh at your impotent threats of legal action.
At Sydney University, we take what we want!
* Unapologetically copied from Jefff‘s profile on Fetlife, I’m sure if he finds out he will waste no time in suing me!
26 comments
KNEEL BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF SIDNEY!
Arnaut Rosseau: “KNEEL BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF SIDNEY!”
You are SOOO going to be sued for bad spelling!!!
Ferns
*gigglensorts all the way home…
Hello Ferns,
This is not on the topic but i came across an example of Femdom porn on Fetlife and thought of you. You have in the past bemoaned the lack of sensual Femdom porn. The following link is one i thought was hot and given some of your writings on Femdon porn, i would be interested in your opinion.
http://www.xvideos.com/video476901/empress_cruel_strapon
Best,
robert
Sweets: “*gigglensorts all the way home…”
I LOVE gigglesnorts!! They are the sexycute.
Ferns
Indelible-Girl-Whom-I-Love, why strive for the whorizontal leading to thy demise? You want the Great Beyond which is vertical. Meet me in Heaven, miss gorgeous. We’ll have a tonnafun. Puh-Ray-Zah God bless you. Lookit ‘sexponential’ first and lemme wanna love you Beyond the Clouds, babe. I’m crazy??? Got that right, toots. Crazy about Heaven after this lifelong demise. Better than the other, hot place. And we cannot stay here.
robert: “The following link is one i thought was hot and given some of your writings on Femdon porn, i would be interested in your opinion.”
I am scared to look, because I fully expect it to be rubbish and “empress_cruel_strapon” does not fill me with confidence… If I hate it, I will not only hate it, but also be disappointed in an 'I expected this' kind of way… *sigh* Dilemma.
Ferns
Kold_Kadavr_flatliner: “[…stuff…]”
Thank you for your most interesting semi religious ranting… I look forward to more!
Ferns
Hilarious! This is almost enough to make me want to take a field trip to Sydney University if I am ever lucky enough to visit Australia. Maybe I'd take a somewhat kinky photo near its buildings and post it on FetLife. A girl can dream.
Stephanie: “Hilarious! This is almost enough to make me want to take a field trip to Sydney University if I am ever lucky enough to visit Australia. Maybe I'd take a somewhat kinky photo near its buildings and post it on FetLife.”
*laugh* Yes!! You could take photos of random people in front of the Sydney University sign and add captions pointing out that “these are the evil bastards who are stealing your profile information for their dastardly research!!!”
Ferns
Ferns,
I understand your hesitancy. You have expressed your dislike of how Femdom porn is portrayed.
I saw the video clip as something that is attempting to be in the ballpark of the emotions you convey. It is an attempt to add a sensuality and lust to the standard Femdom fare.
You can ignore it if you choose but what I would say is it may be of interest as an attempt at portraying some emotion. At worst it is a waste of 2 minutes of your time and a minor disappointment. I tried to watch other video clips by this woman and they were the kind of thing that I think you would expect. This one had a glimmer of sensuality.
robert
robert
robert: “I saw the video clip as something that is attempting to be in the ballpark of the emotions you convey. It is an attempt to add a sensuality and lust to the standard Femdom fare.”
I do appreciate your pointing it out to me on that basis, and I did go and look. I see your point, and agree there was an attempt to do something a little different from the norm and show a connection between the participants. I enjoyed that they gave it a go and a couple of moments came close to the mark for me.
I can give them credit for the attempt, but I didn't find it hot. I really didn't see any hint of her having any passion for him, for the act, she wasn't getting excited, getting pleasure, getting off…
But, at least there was half hearted kissing, and at least there was some believable reaction from him, so on the scale of 'crap femdom porn', it was less annoying than many others.
Despite being a harsh critic, I do appreciate you keeping an eye out for something that stands apart from the norm. Thank you for it.
Ferns
I always though this was a prank started by someone to see how many people would take it seriously and start posting it on their profiles.
*laugh* Yes, that absolutely crossed my mind too! And kudos to the originator if that’s the case!
I remember ages ago that there was an email being sent around that seriously warned people about a possible virus, but the email *was* the virus. I must have gotten it from well-meaning friends at least 20 times.
Ferns
With all due respect, in my opinion it is unwise to mock what you may or may not understand…from a legal perspective and from a tech perspective. I have learned this the less than hard way, and I am very fortunate for this. Sometimes it is about who you know and the individual circumstances.
Anyway, back to my point. I’m not saying anything about Sydney U, this goes for the Internet in general. It is all “in the ether” as some old engineers used to say… as in, on the wire… or in the air… whatever analogy you want to use…
To my knowledge, you do not own data when you put it online. Nonetheless, these disclaimers do send an important message, even if misdirected at one institution.
I make fun of Apple and Google, online. I also have friends that work there. When I make fun of them, about sometimes serious Information Security topics, it is never slander or libel or defamation. For good reason…they might sue. My favorite joke about twitter is “anything you say can and will be used against you”, because, well…it can! If someone can prove damages. And with unethical accountants and unethical lawyers it is easy to claim “brand damage” might be in the millions and millions…pffft….such corporate speak….then again, big universities act just as bad sometimes, too. I don’t know much about Sydney U, but uh….yeah. You can take my word for it. When someone cares, these little disclaimers, even if they don’t “hold up in court”, might hold up in court. It is important. Sometimes a lay-person’s intention(s) trumps the expert-ninja lawyer’s intention(s).
At its most basic:
Under the Berne copyright convention, which almost all major nations have signed:
* Every creative work is copyrighted the moment it is fixed in tangible form.
* No notice is necessary, though it helps legal cases.
* No registration is necessary, though it’s needed later to sue.
In addition, on a site like FL, users sign up under the TOU, which states that ” the copyright to all such Content shall remain with its original owner”.
If someone puts some sort of general copyright notice on their content, it’s at least a mindful addition. A specific one that relates to one particular university in the world doing nefarious research is nonsense and deserves to be mocked.
Ferns
I had some guy *INSIST* that that it was a valid legally binding notice and that Fetlife (or some users) had successfully used it in court. But when I said “Prove it or GTFO” he went with the “oh the records are sealed” line. *cough* bullshit *cough*
Yet he persisted that it had been used in court. /eyeroll
It’s so useless but I see it all OVER dating sites and forums. So lame.
I had some guy *INSIST* that that it was a valid legally binding notice and that Fetlife (or some users) had successfully used it in court.
*laughs and laughs* “Well, I knew a guy who knew a guy and his cousin’s hairdresser’s sister used it in court!!”
Totally lame!
Ferns
Wow. I am just very curious as to where the whole Sydney University thing REALLY REALLY first originated and how it came to be something so many of fetlife put on their profiles. But, i TOTALLY am w the whole HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF THEY DID USE YOUR STUFF? and what are people so afraid of “them” doing w this info?? ??? When I was a kid, in grade school, some kid would start pointing out the window in class just to see how many people would look.
Ha! I’m curious about it also. I vaguely remember reading some (rather dull) theory about some unethical research by an Australian university (not Sydney University though, if I recall), but obviously it wasn’t credible enough or interesting enough for me to lock it away.
*points out the window*
Heh.
Ferns
I use a variation of the “I am employed by Sydney University” message. I love it. Of course there is not even such a university as Sydney University. There IS, however, a University of Sydney. I love to poke fun at those who post that stupid disclaimer. As whomever (Alexander Hamilton?) said: “The masses are asses”
*laugh* Touche, Hamilton!
Ferns
I got this in an emal and immediately thought of this post
Coug
Involuntary Muscle Contraction
Professor Higgins at the University of Sydney was giving a lecture on ‘Involuntary Muscle contraction’ to the first year medical students.
This was not an exciting subject and the professor decided to lighten up the mood.
He pointed to a young woman in the front row and asked, ‘Do you know what your arsehole is doing while you’re having an orgasm?’
She immediately replied, ‘Probably golfing with his mates.’
It took 45 minutes to restore order in the lecture theatre.
*laugh* Ridiculously funny!
Ferns
Funny how little things change. You wrote this in 2011, and in 2014, it’s still going on. Even people who really ought to know better popst it, and then refuse to remove it, thinking that it provides some sort of nebulous protection.
I recently made my own attempt at putting this ridiculous “warning” to bed:
http://www.bondagediaries.info/2014/07/13/dear-fetlife-users-ditch-that-ridiculous-warning-already/
Will it work? Not likely, but at least it tries to convince people that their warning is ridiculous.
Ha! Good for you! And geez, wouldn’t you think it would have died already?
The thing for me personally is that it makes the individual who uses it look like a sheep that isn’t bright enough to put a moment’s thought into it before following the herd. I automatically think less of people if I see it on their profile. Possibly harsh, but still true.
Ferns