SOPA/PIPA/Internet Censorship/Internet Privacy

[Luca Fox]

http://americancensorship.org/

Always with the threatening our freedom on the internet.

[Geo_&_Bio]

I'm not worried about it. They say the bill CAN pass, but in reality, any bill can pass. I highly doubt it WILL pass.

[Kinuki]

What, the 1% want to flip the bird at the democratic process again?

You wish, rich [censored]. You may have more power than the Prez, but never more than the people!

[Nightfury]

Yarr.

On a more serious note, these things come and go. They're going to keep trying, and keep failing to censor the internet. I doubt that anyone would be able to deal with the public outcry if one of these bills did go through.

[Scytalle]

The content providers have all been trying to do this for a while. Many laws have actually been passed over that past 10-15 years that would have severely crippled the way we all use the internet. Georgia passed a law that would have made it a crime to post anywhere on the internet under a false name. The CDA, COPA, CIPA, and other such attempts have all passed through congress but none of them has ever been enforced. In every case, the courts issued an injunction and then proceeded to find the law unconstitutional, and it wasn't even close. (Ironically, the courts found all parts of the CDA (a bill designed to restrict free speech on the internet) unconstitutional except for section 230 which grants ISPs immunity from being sued for things posted on their sites by their users, perhaps the single most important reason that the internet is as free as it is today).

They've said over an over again that the internet falls under the highest protection the first amendment offers us. It is baffling that congress continues to try, as they've never once been successful. In another 15-20 years the generation that has grown up with the internet will be in power, and we won't have to deal with this crap anymore. I can't wait.

[Wynni]

The internet VASTLY reduces the media's power to influence public opinion, the 'weaselcrats' ability to control what we find out when, and other such annoying things people who love power hate. Yes, they're going to keep trying, and no, we won't see an end to it anytime soon, because the people trying to pass the bill have power, and want more power over what you and I know and can find out.

Then there's the money issue (copyright piracy what?)....which means it doubly won't go away.

[Scytalle]

The internet VASTLY reduces the media's power to influence public opinion, the 'weaselcrats' ability to control what we find out when, and other such annoying things people who love power hate. Yes, they're going to keep trying, and no, we won't see an end to it anytime soon, because the people trying to pass the bill have power, and want more power over what you and I know and can find out.

Then there's the money issue (copyright piracy what?)....which means it doubly won't go away.

Well, when the internet is old enough to the point that pretty much everyone is used to it (and has been for much of if not all of their lives), then I can't imagine that it would ever be possible to reign in the internet. Free speech issues notwithstanding. It'd be like trying to cut tv back down to 10 channels, it would just never happen.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not against trying to stop piracy, because I don't think there is a person out there who will argue that the creator of an original work doesn't deserve monetary compensation from that work. Otherwise, there is no longer an incentive to create. (Though, don't get me started on our traditional copyright laws. What is it now, life of the author + 500 years?) However, the way the vast majority of the legislation is set up goes completely beyond just dealing with copyright and infringes heavily on our free speech rights. Thankfully, the courts have said that in order for any law on this subject to be constitutional, it has to employ the least restrictive means to do so, without violating any other rights in the process.

It's just too bad that the content industries (especially the music industry and to a lesser extent the video game industry) are so slow to react to the changing times. They cling to their old business model that cannot function in a digital environment. They sue thousands of college students to "make an example of them" when studies have shown that all it does is decrease the public's opinion of the industry as a whole. The stupidest thing the music industry ever did was to shut down napster imo. They could have bought that sucker out and remained in control. Much like youtube, it may not have been profitable at first, but it had the audience, and google eventually found a way to make the business model work for them.

Unfortunately they continue try to use encrypted files and drm as a way to prop up their falling market share, which only enrages the public more, and then proceed to sue any innovation not under their control into the ground (Take MP3.com as the primary example. Was it technically violating copyright law? Yes, it was as they hosted tracks on their servers, but it went out of its way to ensure that every single track was paid for and legally owned by the user before giving them access). Television has it right. They recognize that the vast majority of their income is from advertising, which is something they can still profit off of in cyberspace. Companies like Hulu and Netflix are the future.

[Silver Seren]

Signed. M************* signed.

And i'm going to get everyone I know to sign this as well.

[bigro]

What Scytalle said advertising has and always will be the future of the internet. Heck, it's what the internet is NOW.

No amount of "oh bother good chaps *jingles moneybag* the internet seems to be attempting to sample our fine goods without any form of return on our parts, better go and crank up the old automobile so we can go pester our fine governmental establishment to see if they can solve this kerfuffle" will ever change this.



Besides, I'd be more worried about real pirates (lol, Somalia)

[Sean De Retro]

Even if it doesn’t get passed I still signed it just to be sure.

[the red soldier]

I hope it doesn't pass. A lot of people on the web has been growing awareness to this as of late and I hope you chaps south of the canadian border manages to stop it, probably hit it with a shovel for good measure.

[Insomniac]

Doug Walker is my hero.

[the red soldier]

Doug Walker is my hero.

On an unrelated note, that's from whom I first heard of the protect IP Act.

[Silver Seren]

Read this, please.

Yeah, if this is how the Judiciary Committee is going to play things and how they seem to do things in general, we really need to fire them and get a better, actually neutral, Committee, and not a partisan one.

[Silver Seren]

The following is about SOPA:

Be a HERO and Help STOP SOPA Now!! I'll tell you How! This Video that Must Be SHARED!

You really, really NEED to watch that video. It shows that the ones distributing the downloading software like BitTorrent, Limewire, and Kazaa and encouraging the download of MP3s was ACTUALLY Time-Warner, Disney and all of the other companies that are now leading the charge of SOPA to ban the downloading of MP3s.

We need to spread this Youtube video EVERYWHERE! And let everyone know what's going on here.

In other news, after watching that video, I am once again in a mood where I hate America and think it's one of the worst countries in the world. This mood seems to be happening more often lately.

For stories that are discussed in that video, here are some news links so you too can be disheartened about the downward spiral our country (and other countries) are going in.

Jammie Thomas-Rasset receives third judgment, fined $1.5m
Better to be a murderer or child abductor than pirate music files

British student faces extradition to US over copyright infringement


Edit: CBS Hit With Major Lawsuit for Contributing to Piracy

Edit 2: Anyone want some illegal MP3s direct courtesy of CNET/CBS-Viacom? Here you go:
http://web.archive.org/web/200108021111 ... op.list.18