Guest PaulOBrien Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 There's something going on that is threatening the very future of the Internet that we all known and love, and it's called SOPA / PIPA. You can learn more about SOPA / PIPA in the video below courtesy of sopablackout.org, but in a nutshell (also courtesy of sopablackout)... The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA, H.R. 3261) and its dangerous twin Senate bill The Protect IP Act (PIPA, S. 968) are on the surface bills that attempt to curb online piracy. Sadly, the proposed way they go about doing this would devastate the online economy and the overall freedom of the web. It would particularly affect sites with heavy user generated content. Sites like Youtube, Reddit, Twitter, MoDaCo and others may cease to exist in their current form if SOPA / PIPA is passed. Under current DMCA law, if a user uploads a copyrighted movie to sites like Youtube, the site isn't held accountable so long as they provide a way to report user infringement. The user who uploaded the movie is held accountable for their actions, not the site. PIPA would change that - it would place the blame on the site itself, and would also provide a way for copyright holders to seize the site's domain in extreme circumstances. The Electronic Frontier Foundation laid out four excellent points as to why the bills are not only dangerous, but are also not effective for what they are trying to accomplish: The blacklist bills are expensive. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that PIPA alone would cost the taxpayers at least $47 million over 5 years, and could cost the private sector many times more. Those costs would be carried mostly by the tech industry, hampering growth and innovation.The blacklist bills silence legitimate speech. Rightsholders, ISPs, or the government could shut down sites with accusations of infringement, and without real due process.The blacklist bills are bad for the architecture of the Internet. But don't take our word for it: see the open letters that dozens of the Internet's concerned creators have submitted to Congress about the impact the bills would have on the security of the web.The blacklist bills won't stop online piracy. The tools these bills would grant rightsholders are like chainsaws in an operating room: they do a lot of damage, and they aren't very effective in the first place. The filtering methods might dissuade casual users, but they would be trivial for dedicated and technically savvy users to circumvent. Your voice is important, you can have a say, particularly if you are a citizen of the United States. Visit this page at the EFF to learn how to contact your representative to register your opposition. Thanks, Paul [Edit: Why SOPA is dangerous makes for scary reading.] PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo. This item was promoted to the News page - click here to view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShak Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Totally agree with you Paul. This is more ominous than we think... Hope these bills do not get passed as they are unconstitutional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hzf Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 I am not from U.S. but absolutely supporting ALL parties against this act... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest weeo Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Damn brother! Some serious stuff here. +1 to TheShak & hzf :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mureta Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 I am not a U.S. citizen but each must be responsible for their actions and not punish others. mureta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yogimax Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 +1 to this as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Davidoff59 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Crazy to think that this isn't for the good of the people but for the good of private corporations. No politician will ever do us minnows any favours, its all in favour of big money men and the rest of you, the majority can go stuff yourselves. Sick, truly sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iKrautDroid Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Like this will stop warez... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mark Dearlove Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Nice to see that support is waning for these bills now. Several of the original sponsors have withdrawn their support: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16623831 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Looby Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 China here we come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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