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Friday, January 13, 2012

«Stop SOPA and PIPA!»

STOP SOPA

If SOPA should pass, I will be forced to take down this blog and indeed, the entire website. It will also mean free speech will have officially died in the United States, and the golden age of the internet will be over.

I wish this was just over-sensationalist doom-saying. I really do. However, these bills SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) are so overreaching and broad that none will be unaffected. It shifts the burden of proof to the accused, with no penalty for false claims.

This means if any US government or corporate organization wants to censor someone on the internet, they can claim copyright on a portion of their media and get it all removed... Even if they don't actually own the copyright! The content will be taken down, and it will be the burden of the accused to go through the lengthy and expensive process of proving their innocence. It doesn't stop there, even external sites that were found to be linking to the "copyrighted" media can be issued court orders to shut down.

This extends beyond US borders, too. Any foreign sites accused of infringing will be blocked by the newly formed Great Firewall of "New China" (America). Like it or not, many of the world's largest internet companies are based in the United States.

All this to stop online "piracy" which is against the law anyway. We've already seen laws are not going to stop piracy.

7 comments:

  1. It's like when they try to ban "texting while driving" when "reckless driving" is already illegal.

    ReplyDelete
  2. @ Vid: Except there would be a section already under "reckless driving" specifically outlawing texting (see DMCA).

    No, SOPA would be the equivalent of everyone in the car losing their driver's license if the passenger in the back seat was accused of texting. Guilty until proven innocent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And having your car impounded at the owners expense. Not to mention paying court fines even though the passenger wasn't doing anything dangerous. :P


      Next 10 years they will have cameras in and on your car (standard issued) to monitor your speed and facial image *for aggressive driving* which then will be sent to the nearest police station so they can issue you a summons in the mail for speeding.

      Then that will get rid of the rent-a-cops and all the atheists who hate Christians will be in heaven.

      Delete
  3. Dammit, this is the second time you've convinced me of something! lol The first being the space program should be kept. That's a pretty rare thing, especially for on the internet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looking at the text of PIPA, it does appear to be a lawyers full employment act.


    http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s112-968

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bet you're glad you moved from Alaska now, huh? (regarding La Nina weather patterns)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, they've been getting more snow than usual in Ketchikan.

      Delete

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