The Definitive Post On Why SOPA And Protect IP Are Bad, Bad Ideas. There's been plenty of talk (and a ton of posts here on Techdirt) discussing both SOPA (originally E-PARASITE) and PROTECT IP (aka PIPA), but it seemed like it would be useful to create a single, "definitive" post to highlight why both of these bills are extremely problematic and won't do much (if anything) to deal with the issues they're supposed to deal with, but will have massive unintended consequences. I also think it's important to highlight how PIPA is almost as bad as SOPA. Tragically, because SOPA was so bad, some in the entertainment industry have seen it as an opportunity to present PIPA as a "compromise. " It is not. Both bills have tremendous problems, and they start with the fact that neither bill will help deal with the actual issues being raised.
That main issue, we're told over and over again, is "piracy" and specifically "rogue" websites. And, let's be clear: infringement is a problem. Thus, the real issue is that this is a business model problem. So... Facebook and Google join the Tea Party. Google, Facebook and other technology companies are aligning with the Tea Party to defeat copyright legislation championed by movie studios and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Tech companies are seen as the underdog in the lobbying battle over the Stop Online Piracy Act, which would allow the government or copyright holders to obtain court orders to force search engines and online advertising networks to cut ties with “rogue” websites using pirated material.
The measure is sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the powerful chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and is backed not only by the entertainment industry but also powerful interests like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and organized labor. The bill also has significant support from members of both parties on Smith’s panel and the Senate Judiciary Committee, which passed a companion bill earlier this year.
Silicon Valley has turned to traditional supporters in Congress like Rep. Tea Party favorite Rep. PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet. Blue Coat Acknowledges Syria Used Its Gear for Internet Censorship Amid Arab Spring. US cops tried to erase online evidence of brutality. Court Orders French Cop-Watching Site Blocked. Twitter Censoring ALL My Tweets & I'm NOT Alone. I am really disheartened. Is this happening to anyone else? It took awhile to catch on, but it's true.
None of my tweets show up in the hashtag, word, or @ streams. Twitter has a search feature I call Twearch. It works like any search engine. It's a great way to follow a topic, like OccupyWallStreet, for instance. Just Twearch #ows. MY TWEETS ARE BEING CENSORED/BLOCKED except in the "home" list. Even retweets of my tweets rarely show up. WarOnErrorDKos War on Error #donaldduck @donaldduck donaldduck 11 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete Oddly, this retweet just showed up. AMHateRadio AM:Hate Radio Inc. @ @WarOnErrorDKos @AIPAC @Netanyahu Note:Iran There's A Jewish Community Of About 25,000 Israelis Who Might Be Put In Danger By Any Operation So, kossack friends, will you see if your tweets are being censored/blocked by twitter, too? Thanks. Lcranston1939 Lamont Cranston @ @WarOnErrorDKos I was beginning to wonder about that.
This RETWEET made it through BetoMetroDos Robert A. Verisign wants power to shut sites down upon law enforcement request. In a request made on October 10 to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Verisign outlined a new “anti-abuse” policy that would allow the company to terminate, lock, or transfer any domain under its registration jurisdiction under a number of circumstances. And one of those circumstances listed was “requests of law enforcement.” The request, submitted through ICANN's Registry Services Evaluation Process on October 10, proposed a new malware scanning service for domains as well as a new Verisign Anti-Abuse Domain Use Policy.
In the request letter, Verisign stated that its policy would help the registrar align with requirements ICANN is placing on new generic top level domains. “All parts of the internet community are feeling the pressure to be more proactive in dealing with malicious activity,” Verisign explained. Aden Fine, senior attorney with the ACLU, said in an interview with Ars Technica that the "protest procedure" is cause for concern. Polytechnic Institute to Provide High-Performance Computing Research | AFCEA SIGNAL Scape.
Google Hands Wikileaks Volunteer's Gmail Data to U.S. Government. Gmail users got a hefty dose of reality today when it was revealed that Google may have handed over one user's private data to the U.S. government, who requested it without a search warrant. The contacts list and IP address data of Jacob Appelbaum, a WikiLeaks volunteer and developer for Tor was given to the U.S. government after they requested it requested by the U.S. government using a secret court order enabled by a controversial 1986 law called the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, according to the Wall Street Journal. The law allows the government to demand information from ISPs not only without a warrant, but without ever notifying the user. Sonic.net, a smaller ISP who was also asked to hand over data related Appelbaum, tried to challenge the order in court, but ultimately lost and was to give up the information.
It's not known if Google resisted the request, but both companies did try to ensure that Appelbaum could at least be made aware of the data retrieval. Sensor Stuff. Report: Wall Street fills debt-panel's coffers. Updated 2011-09-26 11:35 AM Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., listens during a Sept. 13 hearing of the so-called supercommittee charged with reducing the federal deficit. A new report shows Baucus has received more money from the financial sector than any other member of the committee. By Alex Wong, Getty Images The finance, real-estate and insurance sectors have pumped nearly $41 million into the campaign accounts of the 12 members of a so-called supercommittee that must decide whether to increase taxes on financial interests to help reduce the deficit, according to a report being released today by two liberal-leaning groups Sen. In addition, more than two dozen former aides to supercommittee members work as lobbyists for the financial sector, the report found.
The panel, formally known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, is tasked with finding ways to reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years and is a prime target of lobbying by special interests. See photos of: John Kerry. Anonymous Occupy Wall Street Call to Action. Acta-booklet. Silicon Valley Human Rights Conference. New rules with limited protection for Net Neutrality about to take effect. The new US rules on Net Neutrality, which the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved on 21 December 2010, were finally published in the Federal Register (the federal government’s official journal) on 23 September and will take effect on 20 November. Encouraging initiatives, but insufficient The FCC is reinforcing several Net Neutrality principles. It says, for example that it aims to “preserve the Internet as an open platform for innovation, investment, job creation, economic growth, competition, and free expression.”
Internet Service Providers will not be able to adjust charges to consumers according to bandwidth use and will have to be more transparent about their network management practices. Reporters Without Borders nonetheless thinks that the new rules suffer from several shortcomings. Bandwidth adaptable to needs of companies ISPs keep the right to increase the bandwidth available to companies that need it to send bandwidth-heavy content. Danger of overblocking. JPMorgan Twitter Deal Is Said to Value Startup at $4.5 Billion.
Lawmakers disagree on need for online privacy legislation - World Privacy Forum, U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, security, Scott Meyer, Regulation, privacy, Pete Olson, Pam Dixon, Microsoft, Michael Hintze, Marsha Blackburn, L. While representatives of the online advertising industry questioned whether new laws are needed to protect consumer privacy online, several U.S. lawmakers on Thursday called for new regulations targeting online tracking.
Members of the commerce subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee were split on whether Congress should pass new privacy legislation, including regulations limiting online tracking by websites and advertising networks. New legislation isn't needed because online advertising groups have created their own sets of rules that allow Web users to opt out of targeted advertising based on surfing habits, said Linda Woolley, executive vice president of the Direct Marketing Association, a trade group representing online advertisers.
Online companies can do a better job of protecting consumer privacy than the government can, she said during a subcommittee hearing on consumer attitudes about online privacy. Hayden Urges Congress to Let NSA Monitor Public Networks for Threats. Why Troy Davis Wasn't a Trending Topic: Progressive Email and Twitter Messages Censored in US and UK. Just Say 'No' to ACTA. Privacy Policy Last modified: November 11, 2011 This Privacy Policy is continually under review to ensure your privacy and security. This website, (the “Site”) is operated by Access (“We” or “Us”). We work hard to protect your privacy. We’re members too, and we treat your privacy as we do our own. We strongly believe that you have the right to control the use of your personal information and that your privacy must be respected. In this policy, "Access" refers to Access staff, board members, cooperating attorneys, interns, volunteers, and consultants, all of whom are bound by law or contract to keep information they receive as part of their assistance to Access confidential.
Collection of Information When you are on the Access website and are asked for personal information, you are sharing that information with Access alone, unless stated otherwise. Access does not sell, rent, or lease your personal data under any circumstances. Disclosure of Information Cookies. Facebook spurns privacy probe as 'routine audit' Battling Internet Censorship Must Evolve, Study Says.