Peppermint
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SOPA is evil. Help the internet!
- Thread starter Jill Hives
- Start date
MisterNi
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They're likely unfounded fears. The only people who have to worry about SOPA are the Pirates as they risk being prosecuted by content creators if SOPA is enacted and seeing as how I don't pirate anymore, I really couldn't care less about them.
muir
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This isn't about intellectual property rights this is a way for the power elite to control the internet
The internet is having too big an effect on the population who the power elite feels is now getting restless. Occupy movements and the Tea Party have got the elite worried that the public can spontaneously organise and offer resistance. They are now feeling very threatened by the internet.
As it says at the bottom of the newspaper article Deathjam posted, the bill will likely be amended and passed through in a different form. There is also the Protect IP act on the cards as well. This situation isn't over:
Art Brodsky, director for Public Knowledge, a Washington-based public interest group that has campaigned against Sopa, said: "You can't view this bill in isolation; it's part of a continuum. They will try to muddle through with something." http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/16/sopa-shelved-obama-piracy-legislation
I think they have pragmatically withdrawn the SOPA bill knowing that it would provoke the internet using public. They will instead have to go away, have a re-think make alterations and try and fly it in under the radar
Stay vigilant!
The internet is having too big an effect on the population who the power elite feels is now getting restless. Occupy movements and the Tea Party have got the elite worried that the public can spontaneously organise and offer resistance. They are now feeling very threatened by the internet.
As it says at the bottom of the newspaper article Deathjam posted, the bill will likely be amended and passed through in a different form. There is also the Protect IP act on the cards as well. This situation isn't over:
Art Brodsky, director for Public Knowledge, a Washington-based public interest group that has campaigned against Sopa, said: "You can't view this bill in isolation; it's part of a continuum. They will try to muddle through with something." http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/16/sopa-shelved-obama-piracy-legislation
I think they have pragmatically withdrawn the SOPA bill knowing that it would provoke the internet using public. They will instead have to go away, have a re-think make alterations and try and fly it in under the radar
Stay vigilant!
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I just received a notice from moveon.org stating they would shut down tomorrow on the 18th.
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Let's face it....the internet is the only resource we - the serfs - have for finding the potential truth about what's really happening out in the world. We could end up being like China and other countries who try to limit knowledge to the masses. This bill - or any other like it - is a continuing effort to keep us isolated - divided - and conquered.
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Let's face it....the internet is the only resource we - the serfs - have for finding the potential truth about what's really happening out in the world. We could end up being like China and other countries who try to limit knowledge to the masses. This bill - or any other like it - is a continuing effort to keep us isolated - divided - and conquered.
muir
Banned
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Wikipedia blackout in protest against SOPA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more
SOPA and PIPA - Learn more
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
< Wikipedia:SOPA initiative
Jump to: navigation, search
Why is Wikipedia blacked-out? Wikipedia is protesting against SOPA and PIPA by blacking out the English Wikipedia for 24 hours, beginning at midnight January 18, Eastern Time. Readers who come to English Wikipedia during the blackout will not be able to read the encyclopedia. Instead, you will see messages intended to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA, encouraging you to share your views with your representatives, and with each other on social media. What are SOPA and PIPA? SOPA and PIPA represent two bills in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate respectively.
SOPA is short for the "Stop Online Piracy Act," and PIPA is an acronym for the "Protect IP Act." ("IP" stands for "intellectual property.") In short, these bills are efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites, but, in our opinion, they do so in a way that actually infringes free expression while harming the Internet. Detailed information about these bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act articles on Wikipedia, which are available during the blackout. GovTrack lets you follow both bills through the legislative process: SOPA on this page, and PIPA on this one.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the public interest in the digital realm, has summarized why these bills are simply unacceptable in a world that values an open, secure, and free Internet. Why is the blackout happening? Wikipedians have chosen to black out the English Wikipedia for the first time ever, because we are concerned that SOPA and PIPA will severely inhibit people's access to online information. This is not a problem that will solely affect people in the United States: it will affect everyone around the world. Why? SOPA and PIPA are badly drafted legislation that won't be effective at their stated goal (to stop copyright infringement), and will cause serious damage to the free and open Internet. They put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend themselves.
Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines. And, SOPA and PIPA build a framework for future restrictions and suppression. Does this mean that Wikipedia itself is violating copyright laws, or hosting pirated content? No, not at all. Some supporters of SOPA and PIPA characterize everyone who opposes them as cavalier about copyright, but that is not accurate. Wikipedians are knowledgeable about copyright and vigilant in protecting against violations: Wikipedians spend thousands of hours every week reviewing and removing infringing content. We are careful about it because our mission is to share knowledge freely. To that end, all Wikipedians release their contributions under a free license, and all the material we offer is freely licensed. Free licenses are incompatible with copyright infringement, and so infringement is not tolerated.
Isn't SOPA dead? Wasn't the bill shelved, and didn't the White House declare that it won't sign anything that resembles the current bill? No, neither SOPA nor PIPA is dead. On January 17th, SOPA's sponsor said the bill will be discussed in early February. There are signs PIPA may be debated on the Senate floor next week. Moreover, SOPA and PIPA are just indicators of a much broader problem. In many jurisdictions around the world, we're seeing the development of legislation that prioritizes overly-broad copyright enforcement laws, laws promoted by power players, over the preservation of individual civil liberties.
How could SOPA and PIPA hurt Wikipedia? SOPA and PIPA are a threat to Wikipedia in many ways. For example, in its current form, SOPA would require Wikipedia to actively monitor every site we link to, to ensure it doesn't host infringing content. Any link to an infringing site could put us in jeopardy of being forced offline. I live in the United States. What's the best way for me to help? The most effective action you can take is to call your representatives and tell them you oppose SOPA and PIPA, and any similar legislation. Type your zipcode in the locator box to find your representatives' contact information. Text-based communication is okay, but phone calls have the most impact.
I don't live in the United States. How can I help? Contact your local State Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or similar branch of government. Tell them you oppose SOPA and PIPA, and any similar legislation. SOPA and PIPA will affect sites outside of the United States, and actions to sites inside the United States (like Wikipedia) will also affect non-American readers -- like you. Calling your own government will also let them know you don't want them to create their own bad anti-Internet legislation. Is it still possible to access Wikipedia in any way? Yes. During the blackout, Wikipedia is accessible on mobile devices and smart phones. You can also view Wikipedia normally by disabling JavaScript in your browser, as explained on this Technical FAQ page.
Our purpose here isn't to make it completely impossible for people to read Wikipedia, and it's okay for you to circumvent the blackout. We just want to make sure you see our message. I keep hearing that this is a fight between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Is that true? No. Some people are characterizing it that way, probably in an effort to imply all the participants are motivated by commercial self-interest. But it's obviously not that simple. The proof of that is Wikipedia's involvement. Wikipedia has no financial self-interest at play here: we do not benefit from copyright infringement, nor are we trying to monetize traffic or sell ads. We are protesting to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA solely because we think they will hurt the Internet, and your ability to access information online. We are doing this for you, because we're on your side. In carrying out this protest, is Wikipedia abandoning neutrality? We hope you continue to trust Wikipedia to be a neutral information source.
We are staging this blackout because (as Wikimedia Foundation Trustee Kat Walsh said recently), although Wikipedia’s articles are neutral, its existence is not. For over a decade, Wikipedians have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Wikipedia is a tremendously useful resource, and its existence depends upon a free, open and uncensored Internet. SOPA and PIPA (and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States) will hurt you, because they will make it impossible for sites you enjoy, and benefit from, to continue to exist. That's why we're doing this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more
SOPA and PIPA - Learn more
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
< Wikipedia:SOPA initiative
Jump to: navigation, search
Why is Wikipedia blacked-out? Wikipedia is protesting against SOPA and PIPA by blacking out the English Wikipedia for 24 hours, beginning at midnight January 18, Eastern Time. Readers who come to English Wikipedia during the blackout will not be able to read the encyclopedia. Instead, you will see messages intended to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA, encouraging you to share your views with your representatives, and with each other on social media. What are SOPA and PIPA? SOPA and PIPA represent two bills in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate respectively.
SOPA is short for the "Stop Online Piracy Act," and PIPA is an acronym for the "Protect IP Act." ("IP" stands for "intellectual property.") In short, these bills are efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites, but, in our opinion, they do so in a way that actually infringes free expression while harming the Internet. Detailed information about these bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act articles on Wikipedia, which are available during the blackout. GovTrack lets you follow both bills through the legislative process: SOPA on this page, and PIPA on this one.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for the public interest in the digital realm, has summarized why these bills are simply unacceptable in a world that values an open, secure, and free Internet. Why is the blackout happening? Wikipedians have chosen to black out the English Wikipedia for the first time ever, because we are concerned that SOPA and PIPA will severely inhibit people's access to online information. This is not a problem that will solely affect people in the United States: it will affect everyone around the world. Why? SOPA and PIPA are badly drafted legislation that won't be effective at their stated goal (to stop copyright infringement), and will cause serious damage to the free and open Internet. They put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won't have sufficient resources to defend themselves.
Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn't being infringed. Foreign sites will be blacklisted, which means they won't show up in major search engines. And, SOPA and PIPA build a framework for future restrictions and suppression. Does this mean that Wikipedia itself is violating copyright laws, or hosting pirated content? No, not at all. Some supporters of SOPA and PIPA characterize everyone who opposes them as cavalier about copyright, but that is not accurate. Wikipedians are knowledgeable about copyright and vigilant in protecting against violations: Wikipedians spend thousands of hours every week reviewing and removing infringing content. We are careful about it because our mission is to share knowledge freely. To that end, all Wikipedians release their contributions under a free license, and all the material we offer is freely licensed. Free licenses are incompatible with copyright infringement, and so infringement is not tolerated.
Isn't SOPA dead? Wasn't the bill shelved, and didn't the White House declare that it won't sign anything that resembles the current bill? No, neither SOPA nor PIPA is dead. On January 17th, SOPA's sponsor said the bill will be discussed in early February. There are signs PIPA may be debated on the Senate floor next week. Moreover, SOPA and PIPA are just indicators of a much broader problem. In many jurisdictions around the world, we're seeing the development of legislation that prioritizes overly-broad copyright enforcement laws, laws promoted by power players, over the preservation of individual civil liberties.
How could SOPA and PIPA hurt Wikipedia? SOPA and PIPA are a threat to Wikipedia in many ways. For example, in its current form, SOPA would require Wikipedia to actively monitor every site we link to, to ensure it doesn't host infringing content. Any link to an infringing site could put us in jeopardy of being forced offline. I live in the United States. What's the best way for me to help? The most effective action you can take is to call your representatives and tell them you oppose SOPA and PIPA, and any similar legislation. Type your zipcode in the locator box to find your representatives' contact information. Text-based communication is okay, but phone calls have the most impact.
I don't live in the United States. How can I help? Contact your local State Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or similar branch of government. Tell them you oppose SOPA and PIPA, and any similar legislation. SOPA and PIPA will affect sites outside of the United States, and actions to sites inside the United States (like Wikipedia) will also affect non-American readers -- like you. Calling your own government will also let them know you don't want them to create their own bad anti-Internet legislation. Is it still possible to access Wikipedia in any way? Yes. During the blackout, Wikipedia is accessible on mobile devices and smart phones. You can also view Wikipedia normally by disabling JavaScript in your browser, as explained on this Technical FAQ page.
Our purpose here isn't to make it completely impossible for people to read Wikipedia, and it's okay for you to circumvent the blackout. We just want to make sure you see our message. I keep hearing that this is a fight between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Is that true? No. Some people are characterizing it that way, probably in an effort to imply all the participants are motivated by commercial self-interest. But it's obviously not that simple. The proof of that is Wikipedia's involvement. Wikipedia has no financial self-interest at play here: we do not benefit from copyright infringement, nor are we trying to monetize traffic or sell ads. We are protesting to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA solely because we think they will hurt the Internet, and your ability to access information online. We are doing this for you, because we're on your side. In carrying out this protest, is Wikipedia abandoning neutrality? We hope you continue to trust Wikipedia to be a neutral information source.
We are staging this blackout because (as Wikimedia Foundation Trustee Kat Walsh said recently), although Wikipedia’s articles are neutral, its existence is not. For over a decade, Wikipedians have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Wikipedia is a tremendously useful resource, and its existence depends upon a free, open and uncensored Internet. SOPA and PIPA (and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States) will hurt you, because they will make it impossible for sites you enjoy, and benefit from, to continue to exist. That's why we're doing this.
detectivepope
Permanent Fixture
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This is why I hate America and always have. A culture of fucking with peoples ideas and freedom while saying its for freedom.
Sorry need to rant, this SOPA thing could only be devised in such a backward place. Sorry if you have to deal with idiots if you are from there.
Sorry need to rant, this SOPA thing could only be devised in such a backward place. Sorry if you have to deal with idiots if you are from there.
Lerxst
Well-known member
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I received that same reply from my Congressman. Here's whats wrong with the bill.
I have a video up on Youtube. There are two things a casual viewer might notice about it.
1 - There's a 25 second clip in the beginning that is an audio recording of speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Its use falls well within the "Fair Use" laws since it's under 30 seconds and I claim no commercial gains, but a person without full knowledge of those laws might cry "copyright infringement!"
2 - I use a song in that video that I legally obtained the copyright for. I have it saved as an electronic document in my email directly from the artist's representative. There is no way for me to display this document alongside the video, all I can do is put in the credits that the song is used legally. Unfortunately, since the proof is on my end, someone can come along and claim I don't have permission to use the song.
With SOPA and PIPA, not only would my video be in danger of being shut down without notice given to me, but Youtube as a whole would also be subject to those same repercussions. On top of that, my ISP would then be held responsible for my use of their bandwidth in uploading that video.
Meanwhile, I was well within my legal rights to post that video and I had all the documentation needed, but I never had a chance to so much as argue my case. I was essentially guilty until proven innocent. As a result, everyone now risks being "policed" by these individual sites, their ISP and the search engines that link to them all.
It's like the Salem witch hunts where all someone had to do is look at someone sideways and risk being accused of witchcraft. Only now, we've changed the labels to "Piracy" and "Pirates".
Search engines are going to have to monitor their results to disable any results that link to "questionable" sites. Domain hosts are going to have to monitor and disable any sites that get complaints. Web sites themselves are going to have to restrict who can post what, where, for what reasons, or else get accused of "piracy". ISP's are going to monitor YOUR activity to make sure YOU personally, don't do anything questionable - if they suspect you are, consider yourself offline.
Even a forum like this isn't safe. Think about how many people post here. All one person has to do is link a picture, video or file that another person finds "questionable" and INFJ Forums will be nothing but an error screen from that point on.
Are you starting to get the picture now?
muir
Banned
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Newspaper article
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/jan/18/sopa-pipa-consumption-only-internet
There are many reasons to dislike Sopa and Pipa, the pair of internet censorship bills working their way through the US Congress. They are (another) example of the influence of corporate money on American politics: US media firms have cumulatively donated tens of millions of dollars to the bills' authors. They are (another) example of representatives refusal to represent the public: they tried to rush the bills through at the end of last year, with no public consultation. And the proposed technical solution
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/jan/18/sopa-pipa-consumption-only-internet
There are many reasons to dislike Sopa and Pipa, the pair of internet censorship bills working their way through the US Congress. They are (another) example of the influence of corporate money on American politics: US media firms have cumulatively donated tens of millions of dollars to the bills' authors. They are (another) example of representatives refusal to represent the public: they tried to rush the bills through at the end of last year, with no public consultation. And the proposed technical solution
sopa has bugger all to do with piracy, and everything to do with control.
for example if they put a dns block on the pirate bay, you can still access it via it ip
They already have anti-piracy laws, if they where that bothered about it, they should be concentrating more on enforcing those better.
actually this whole blog post is a good read(looked at in a technical way)
http://blog.reddit.com/2012/01/technical-examination-of-sopa-and.html
for example if they put a dns block on the pirate bay, you can still access it via it ip
They already have anti-piracy laws, if they where that bothered about it, they should be concentrating more on enforcing those better.
actually this whole blog post is a good read(looked at in a technical way)
http://blog.reddit.com/2012/01/technical-examination-of-sopa-and.html
uuu
Donor
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I oppose SOPA, but I'm peeved at how websites are "blacking out." They purport to be engaged in an Gandhian "action through non-action" protest, but the best way to get me to appreciate the internet would be to let me access it as normal. Gandhi's statement is often misinterpreted. He didn't sit silently, and he definitely didn't do nothing at all. He was extremely vocal and active. The non-action he spoke of seems primarily to refer to violence - which isn't even in question when we are talking about this technological infrastructure.
All it takes is a small banner in the corner to remind me of how much you hate the government.
Also, if SOPA is passed - which I seriously doubt will happen, given how much people love pirated music and porn - it would likely be hard to enforce. Collectively, the masses of internet users have more knowledge about technology than the government, and they would figure out a way to keep their internet running.
As a personal aside, I wouldn't really care if it was passed and fully enforced. All I use the internet for is communication with other people, and I think that would be allowed to continue, albeit with certain changes.
They could even take it one step further, and start scanning my emails for terrorism threats and illegal activity. I don't care. I have nothing to hide.
SOPA was first posted on the House of Representatives' website in October. Why has it taken this long for discussion to start?
If you wish to discuss the bills, please cite their actual texts, which can be found here:
HR 3612 "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) from the House of Representatives' website.
http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/112 HR 3261.pdf
S.968 "Protect IP Act of 2011" (PIPA) from the Library of Congress.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s968is/pdf/BILLS-112s968is.pdf
It severely diminishes your credibility to reference blog posts, blackout pages, and YouTube videos when official, legal documents exist.
All it takes is a small banner in the corner to remind me of how much you hate the government.
Also, if SOPA is passed - which I seriously doubt will happen, given how much people love pirated music and porn - it would likely be hard to enforce. Collectively, the masses of internet users have more knowledge about technology than the government, and they would figure out a way to keep their internet running.
As a personal aside, I wouldn't really care if it was passed and fully enforced. All I use the internet for is communication with other people, and I think that would be allowed to continue, albeit with certain changes.
They could even take it one step further, and start scanning my emails for terrorism threats and illegal activity. I don't care. I have nothing to hide.
SOPA was first posted on the House of Representatives' website in October. Why has it taken this long for discussion to start?
If you wish to discuss the bills, please cite their actual texts, which can be found here:
HR 3612 "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA) from the House of Representatives' website.
http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/112 HR 3261.pdf
S.968 "Protect IP Act of 2011" (PIPA) from the Library of Congress.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s968is/pdf/BILLS-112s968is.pdf
It severely diminishes your credibility to reference blog posts, blackout pages, and YouTube videos when official, legal documents exist.
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Why the fuck would pirates be worried about SOPA? They're already illegal. The one thing SOPA an PIPA will fail to even dent is piracy.
InvisibleJim
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SOPA and PIPA are the latest in a trend to attempt to maintain IP/Copyright beyond the legitimate lifespan.
10 Years of ownership is much more rational and sensible; instead the bodies who 'own'? the material are not the authors and are fast pushing for 100 years of copyright.
These are also attempts by the major media companies to stop innovating and providing the content at its true worth.
The reason piracy became prevalant is that the cost of reproducing the content has fell to virtually Zero and the pirates service is better than said companies which requires owning discs, etc..
Steam, a bastion against piracy works by providing a better service than pirates which people then are willing to pay for.
10 Years of ownership is much more rational and sensible; instead the bodies who 'own'? the material are not the authors and are fast pushing for 100 years of copyright.
These are also attempts by the major media companies to stop innovating and providing the content at its true worth.
The reason piracy became prevalant is that the cost of reproducing the content has fell to virtually Zero and the pirates service is better than said companies which requires owning discs, etc..
Steam, a bastion against piracy works by providing a better service than pirates which people then are willing to pay for.
Indeed, I read itunes song sales hit over 10 billion songs sold as well. Seems companies just need to figure out how to use the medium and capitalize on advertising revenue.
MisterNi
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I see this as a case of seriously misplaced priorities. Do the three of you know the same hooting and hollering was made when the Patriot Act was enacted? That law has real ramifications to your civil liberties and freedom and not just taking away your right to post copyrighted music on Youtube. In any event, SOPA and PIPA aren't going to pass seeing as how President Obama already unequivocally stated that he would veto the bill if it came across his desk. So at best this fuss is a big hoopla about nothing. 
Lerxst
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I see this as a case of seriously misplaced priorities. Do the three of you know the same hooting and hollering was made when the Patriot Act was enacted? That law has real ramifications to your civil liberties and freedom and not just taking away your right to post copyrighted music on Youtube. In any event, SOPA and PIPA aren't going to pass seeing as how President Obama already unequivocally stated that he would veto the bill if it came across his desk. So at best this fuss is a big hoopla about nothing.
Because Obama runs for re-election in November. If he doesn't win and was the only obstacle in the way of this bill, I'd say we'd be saying hello to SOPA and PIPA again in 2013. The Patriot Act, for instance, passed when there was only one party in charge of Washington.
muir
Banned
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- INFJ
I see this as a case of seriously misplaced priorities. Do the three of you know the same hooting and hollering was made when the Patriot Act was enacted? That law has real ramifications to your civil liberties and freedom and not just taking away your right to post copyrighted music on Youtube. In any event, SOPA and PIPA aren't going to pass seeing as how President Obama already unequivocally stated that he would veto the bill if it came across his desk. So at best this fuss is a big hoopla about nothing.
No it is not a big hoopla over nothing it is a fight over access to information
Obama said he would veto the NDAA but then when the time came he signed it through having amended it to include US citizens; i wouldn't trust anything the politicians say, they are professional liars
But you are right about the Patriot Act, that should never have been allowed to pass in the first place let alone be re-signed off recently
Many people love the internet and will fight to protect that before they will fight to prevent the slow creeping creation of a surveilance society.....it shouldn't be that way, but at the moment it probably is; however more and more people will wake up to the fact that the government is gradually turning the US into a giant police state
muir
Banned
- MBTI
- INFJ
If you're 'peeved' about the blackout then it worked!
The aim of the blackout was to get people to sit up and take notice. If there had been normal service many people would have just carried on as per usual without giving it a second thought.
Concerning whether or not you cared about if the government had total access to everything you write a la 1984, you should be concerned.
Lets say for example you decided you wanted to campaign against government cutbacks for sick kids. The government could under NDAA brand you as a 'terrorist' who is working against the state and lock you up without trial
The whole point about us having rights and freedoms is that they act as a safeguard against the abuses of power by the government.
The government is incrementally taking away those rights and freedoms and one day you will wake up living in a totalitarian state where you work all day, have totally limited access to the internet, have no rights, cameras will watch you every moment of your day and if you ever speak out to question the system you will dissapear into the torture chambers (room 101)
The US government is currently taking a leaf straight out of the Nazi instruction manual on how to control a population
Whether you have something to 'hide' or not will depend entirely on what the government deem acceptable for you to do