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I would like to share with you a message from Kym Pine.  I asked her to address the concerns mentioned here on Tech Hui and she did. What she says here about legislators being open is true, her quick response to my request is a great example.  Here you go:


"Aloha TechHui members, I am writing to deeply apologize for any
offense we have caused you or your industry this legislative session.
I have whole heartily supported the tech industry for many years
including support Act 221 which allowed many of you to thrive in your
businesses.  I also support the many bills currently at the
legislature which will help you to continue to succeed.

The cybercrime bills that have been introduced this year came from
recommendations from law enforcement during a hearing on cyber crimes which occurred this last summer.  I can post the video from the hearing if this is needed.  I know that many would like to say that I
am getting back at a web designer as the reason behind all of these
bills, but this is simply not true.  It is true that my experience in
cyber crimes awakened me to the cybercrime issue and as a result I
have helped many victims get the help they need.  I have chosen to
allow law enforcement to handle my situation, and I know that in time,
my harasser will be in jail using our regular laws on the books now.

Please know that legislators welcome your input at the state capitol.
All bills are crafted by lawyers at the legislative reference bureau
and they are often written to be vague on the first draft so as to
give committee chairs flexibility to narrow the focus of the bill
based on testimony. One or two consultants from your industry advising us on various bills may not have the same opinion as another and that is why your opinion is so important.

HB2288 was a bill referred to the legislature by law enforcement who
are already working with companies that do save information to catch
serious cyber criminals.  During the committee hearing, the testimony
made it clear that this was not the solution, and I went up to the
chair and told him so and the bill did not make it out of committee.
As a result, of the hearing I have made important contacts with HiTech companies who now want to help victims of cyber crime and we will get together to see if we can do this without legislation.  This is a huge gain for cyber victims who for many years have asked for help and until now have not been listened to.

I encourage members to come to the capitol or call legislators that
may have introduced legislation that relates to your industry.  My
office is room 333 and my number is (808) 586-9730.  I will make it my personal priority to hear your concerns.  You will be surprised how
open legislators are to your ideas and how willing they are to amend
legislation to include your ideas.

I caution members however from attacking legislators personally for
introducing a bill.  90 percent of the time if you just talk to them
they will change or table a bill until the right solution is created
for a particular problem.  HB2288 is a great example.

Attacking legislators, especially well loved and highly popular
legislators like John Mizuno who wins by landslides and knows everyone in his district only makes other legislators want to support him more.  I especially worry that someone created a website in his name because now that will motivate our federal congressional delegation to make that a federal crime.

We need to lower the tone a bit and start talking about how your
industry and law enforcement can work together to help cyber crime
victims.  What has happened is that for some reason your industry has a reputation of only wanting things from the legislature and not
working with us on the things we need your help on.  Legislators have
given your industry $1 billion in tax credits which could have gone to
helping our homeless issue, paid for affordable housing, upgrades to
our schools etc.  We were highly criticized for doing this.

You could really be the heroes in all of this and I look forward to
seeing it work out that way.  You have so much to offer and I am
excited to have this dialogue with you.

Sincerely,
Rep. Kymberly Pine

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Comment by Daniela Stolfi on March 13, 2012 at 7:38pm

@Bernie The fact that you just admitted you are a stubborn know it all bastard somehow makes me happy.

Comment by Matt Bernie on March 13, 2012 at 7:24pm

Daniella I can see what you are trying to do but, honey, quit wasting your time.  You have worked with the people in this industry to know we are stubborn know it all bastards, when our minds get set we don't change them even if we are wrong. My ex-wife can attest to that.  Besides there are too many people making money from the system being just the way it is.  Including myself. 

I was really not going to get on here and participate in this nonsense, but I just couldn't resist addressing Eric Ryan.


Mr. Ryan, I find it very interesting that you have the nerve to come on here, talking smack to a group you essentially SCREWED.  This is ALL YOUR FAULT. I could care less about Kymberly Pine, I really can't stand her.  Even if there was any truth to your claims, you blew it by the way you handled it. I mean seriously man, what the hell are you doing?  Do you really think anyone is taking anything you are saying seriously?  Obviously not.  I took the time to read through your information.  You have a true gift for laying out information but none of it holds water. Your documents that are supposed to be SMOKING GUNS have things like letters from people telling you that you have already filed a complaint and referring you to another office? But worse yet, you have a way of so badly interpreting and distorting information.  Even your post here.  No one even called you despicable or a "Scofflaw".  You just make it up as you go along don't you?  All that website did was make me think what a crying shame. This wasted talent for spinning shit into gold.  You were born for marketing politicians.  But it is down the drain because of what?  An unpaid bill?  You losing a job?  I mean what is this really about?  And lay off the crusade dude, you were there all along documenting all this crap, if you were such a hero why did it only come out when you got fired?  

I am curious Eric how is business?  Your bills being paid?  Can't imagine anyone would hire you now. Jesus, just stop. You destroyed your reputation and ALL credibility for this?  Even if you win, you lose.  Your career is over.  You are going to have to move and change your name to even have any kind of future. I find it incredibly annoying yet fascinating that someone so smart could make such an epic mess of things.

Comment by Eric Ryan on February 22, 2012 at 9:50pm

Ms. Stolfi, whom I have never met, seems rather starstruck like a Justin Bieber fanatic as displayed by her willingness to be an unquestioning cheerleader for Rep. Pine-Ryglowski while attacking me in an astonishingly uninformed manner.  Rep. Pine-Ryglowski is NOT a victim of cyber-crime.  She, however, is perhaps the biggest cyber-criminal in all of Hawaii, having brazenly employed extortion and bribery through repeated illegal attempts to get City Councilman Tom Berg and me, his then chief of staff) to hire Pine's buddies and relatives.  WHAT?  You've never heard this information before?!?  Read for yourself the precise reasons WHY Kym Pine really is a crook and you'll know why Pine exploits the uninformed Stolfi types (whom, I believe, described me as "despicable" and a copyright scofflaw on this website) to think that Eric Ryan is merely a pissed off and still unpaid website designer who behaves unethically.  The truth, for those interested in learning it, is so much more interesting.  For starters, Ms. Pine is being investigated by the FBI for public corruption, including the aforementioned extortion and bribery, fully documented at www.KymPineIsACrook.com.  Read Pine's own e-mails threatening me and Berg unless she gets what she wants.  In short order, you'll come to your senses and realize that Pine's willingness to push bad legislation and her shamless playing footsies with prosecutors is designed to cover up her DEEP and highly documented involvement in cyber-threats, cyber-bullying, cyber-harassment, and cyber-crime.  The lady doth protest too much because she's up to her eyeballs in corruption.

Comment by Daniela Stolfi on February 21, 2012 at 3:57pm

@Karen, Yes I just realized that could have been read wrong.  What I meant was,  all the volunteer work I have done helping small businesses. Research referring to reviewing the cases where damage has been done.

I would never tell someone they need more experience, I am not that kind of person besides, I am not at a level that would justify a remark like that.  I respect everyone doing honest work at any level.

Comment by Karen Chun on February 21, 2012 at 3:38pm

Sorry Daniela.  I guess I misinterpreted what you meant when you said, "You spend some time doing what I do, then tell me I am over dramatizing. If you are going to come at me do some research. "

Comment by Daniela Stolfi on February 21, 2012 at 3:30pm

WHO said you need more experience?  I never said that.  Please don't put words in my mouth. You continue to twist and get facts wrong to pick a fight, which is why I wasn't responding to you earlier.

The question was if people have done DAMAGE as web designers, not specifically hacking.  The cases that were presented were the monetary losses and damage that occurred by a person selling services and it was NOT just from web designers, but businesses that have access to your computers or that use computers in a way that can affect your privacy or business.Period.

WHICH is why targeting only web designers was not the way to go. It didn't cover the entire problem.

Comment by Karen Chun on February 21, 2012 at 11:02am

Daniela - I have been a website designer since the internet was opened to the public (and even before that,  I used DARPA).  Prior to that I was a game programmer.  Prior to that I wrote the programs that were used in running a huge public utility.

I am the go-to guy when websites get hacked.  People come to me to fix-up their sites and clean their servers when they get hacked. And harden them to avoid (as much as possible) having it happen again.

So telling me I need more experience is not appropriate.

And I am telling YOU,  that never once have I seen a website hacked by a professional web designer - especially a web designer working in Hawai'i.  (Despite Rep Pine's claims, from all appearances her site was not hacked)

Hackers fall into 2 categories: 

1. Criminals trying to steal financial info and store illegal products on someone else's server.  In this situation neither Pine's IP tracking nor her make-web-designers-subject-to-felony-prosecution bills would have any effect whatsoever.  These guys are based in countries without much law enforcement.  And it is a simple matter for me to sleuth out the ip that hacked the site without any isp tracking needed.  It usually doesn't help because these guys are using pirate ip's in other countries - again making the ip-tracking in the U.S. and most particularly in Hawai'i useless.

2. Young punks doing Internet graffiti just for the hell of it.  Although I am willing to believe some of these could be based in the U.S., tracking their IPs isn't going to help catch them.  I can look at my error logs and determine their IPs myself.  And making Hawaii web designers eligible for felony prosecution isn't going to help because these guys, with the exception of Kym Pine's web designer, aren't IN Hawaii and aren't web designers.

Rep Pine's web designer isn't a threat to anyone but Rep Pine.  When you are a public figure, being made fun of comes with the territory.  I'm glad to hear the Rep Pine has withdrawn the make-web-designers-felons bill.  That's the first step in getting her dignity back.

Comment by Lance Furuyama on February 21, 2012 at 10:31am

Interesting thread.....although I could personally do without the soap opera bit.   :-)

Comment by Daniela Stolfi on February 21, 2012 at 9:31am

@Karen, I have read your posts, I am just not responding because I feel you are looking to argue and that is just unproductive.

Assuming that no one else has suffered any damage, is naive at best. Pine's is the only one that was made public. I donate so much time to helping businesses repair the damage so can't tell me no damage has been done.  You spend some time doing what I do, then tell me I am over dramatizing. If you are going to come at me do some research.  You show me proof that not one person in Hawaii has suffered at the hands of a web designer, I will show up on your door step with a box of fresh Leonards Malasadas and an apology.

As Daniel said, everyone needs to be open and positive here.  Why do you think Kym Pine hasn't come on here as she was planning to? Tech is trying to repair their reputation which is quite frankly one of the reasons I do things on my own. Who wants to sit here being attacked like this when we are all trying to accomplish the same goals.  I am a nice person and easy to get on with, if you can't get along with me, you have no hope of getting anywhere with anyone else.

I just posted that Kym agreed to shelf the bill.   All I had to do was write a letter that calmly presented well thought out and articulated concerns by myself and some of what was said here, and she listened.

So your attacks on me are unfair considering I took the time to come here, gather information and support your position.

You're Welcome.

Comment by Jon Brown on February 21, 2012 at 8:52am

@Daniela 

No, as I said I definitely think 99% of web developers have absolutely no effect on public safety and I don't think HB2762 has anything to do with public safety either.

I'm really confused where you think this could be a public safety issue.  Where is the public harm caused by the Rep. Pine is a crook site for example?  I know it personally harms her, but that's not a public safety issue by a long stretch of the imagination.   Where is the public harm in someone appropriating someone else's copyrighted material?  I see where the personal and financial harm exists, but how does that materially harm the person just walking down the street minding their own businesses.   

I'm really trying to take you seriously, because I think you are, but quoting stats like "Cybercrime cost an average of $3.8 million per organization per year and that was like 3 years ago" and trying to tie it to web developers in Hawaii is makes me discount everything you say.

Do you even know the background of that statistic?  It was a survey of 50 large and very large companies.  It's hardly representative of the entire industry as you seem to be trying to suggest.  Perhaps read Part 5 of the 2010 Ponemon Study On Cyber Crime to understand how flawed a connection this is: http://www.riskandinsurancechalkboard.com/uploads/file/Ponemon%20Study(1).pdf

Are you seriously suggesting that HB2762 would somehow protect CitiBank from getting hacked again? Do you think it would have any affect what so ever on that scale of criminal activity?

Karen has it right.  "First define a problem that needs to be solved".  The problem here is not unique to web developers, it's that case of every professional that a one grants access to personal information to whether that be a book keeper, house keeper, an employee or boss.   People steal identities, embezzle funds, defame characters all the time and the system is painfully slow to respond to these crimes.  People choose to trust the wrong people.   That is not a problem with web developers, it's a problem with society and law enforcements ability to respond to crime.  
I don't see anything wrong with developing and promoting an OPT-IN certification system / professional association for web developers in the state and then prompting the use of "certified professionals", especially if such a certification included specialities like server administration, e-commerce, etc...  I still however think that trying to broadly burden ALL web professionals without confusing and redundant additional copyright laws is a huge mistake.

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