US Internet Censorship - SOPA - PIPA

[Zephyr]

Just wondering what you guys think about our two new bills trying to be passed down here in the states.

For those who don't know, SOPA or Stop Online Piracy Act, is simply a bill aimed to block sites, through DNS, of sites accused of offering downloads of copyrighted materials. It's mainly aimed for international sites in which our justice system has no jurisdiction over it since it's in another country. Basically blowing up the roads to prevent people from going to the site. Of course it's endorsed by the entertainment industry.

PIPA, or Protect Intellectual Property Act, is a similar bill but would allow the US government to fully take down a "rogue" website on foreign soil. Pretty much SOPA needs to be passed in order to make PIPA easier to pass.

Normally congress is on holiday leave right now, but they are taking a special vote/hearing on Wednesday, which is out of the norm. since they don't seem to do anything anyway.

Sucks because if this passes, maybe Canada will follow a similar way, France already has something and I believe Australia has a three strikes law against downloading. But it seems like these bills are trying to solve a problem through the wrong means. Censoring the Internet essentially breaks the concept of the Internet. Wikipedia is threatening a blackout to stop SOPA, and many tech companies are against the bill, but it seems like **this comment has been seized by the department of Homeland Security**

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/1...l-now-block-it

[-relk-]

[Redlyne_mr2]

The US already censors it's internet, Bill or no Bill.

I was down in Cali over the summer and I was looking for some streaming websites to watch a movie. In Canada a huge amount of results come up, in the US nothing comes up at all.

[dandia89]

america invades countries to liberate them. takes liberties from americans at the same time.

[FraserB]

Originally posted by dandia89
america invades countries to liberate them. takes liberties from americans at the same time.

This needs a Scumbag Steve picture lol.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by dandia89
america invades countries to liberate them. takes liberties from americans at the same time.

QFT. Censoring FTL!

[LollerBrader]

Originally posted by dandia89
america invades countries to liberate them. takes liberties from americans at the same time.

I wish I knew who made the following observation;

The more that nations wage war outside of their borders, they more oppressive they become to their own population.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Masked Bandit]

I understand the idea behind SOPA but it's a damn slippery slope.

[Zephyr]

Originally posted by Masked Bandit
I understand the idea behind SOPA but it's a damn slippery slope.

It just seems like a terrible idea. Lets say someone post a torrent link on here, which there are, and the bill passes, then me, the token American, will no longer have access to Beyond.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Zephyr


It just seems like a terrible idea. Lets say someone post a torrent link on here, which there are, and the bill passes, then me, the token American, will no longer have access to Beyond.

Yeah, it's the end of the internet and it will all go down in about 2 days. I don't doubt that it will pass. They try to do it right around when everyone is busy with Christmas and this is under the radar of most people.

America is getting scary this year. Indefinite detention without trial, internet censorship. I know we need to compete against China but we don't have to copy them.

[FraserB]

I can't find the Beyond betting thread, but I'd be willing to throw up $20 that it doesn't pass. Extra $10 to me if the nays get more than 65%, extra $10 to you if the yeas get more than 65%.

[Merritt]

Meh. As long as good sites exist...

[Zephyr]

Originally posted by FraserB
I can't find the Beyond betting thread, but I'd be willing to throw up $20 that it doesn't pass. Extra $10 to me if the nays get more than 65%, extra $10 to you if the yeas get more than 65%.

The NDAA bill passed, it gives the military rights to detain people that are suspected of criminal activity for an indefinite amount of time, skipping due process or rights to a lawyer.

So SOPA passing seems possible. But I do hope you're right, I really don't want to see this passing.

Youtube would be nonexistent if this passes, or half of Google would be censored.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by Zephyr
Youtube would be nonexistent if this passes, or half of Google would be censored.

Which half? The GOO, or the GLE?

[Zephyr]

Originally posted by codetrap


Which half? The GOO, or the GLE?

I see what you did there.

[broken_legs]

As I understand it, the whole idea behind SOPA is that a website only needs to be accused and have a judge sign off on it to be censored.

IE - No trial, no chance to remove the content. IE someone (an anonymous user) posts a link to censored material on beyond in some obscure thread that no one reads, and they take down the entire beyond.ca site based on accusations with no proof, no fair trial, no chance to argue against the charge


This will be abused

[FraserB]

Originally posted by broken_legs


This will be abused

Of course it will be.

Some agency doesn't like the content of a certain site and all of a sudden "an annonymous user" posts a bunch of torrent links and the site is removed. All dissenting material included.

All the websites discussing the sprice of nickle and the amount used better watch out.

/Zenops

[mark4091]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
How do these guys think this makes them any better than countries such as China when it comes to internet censorship?

Censorship is Censorship, no matter how you try to justify it.

The lack of accountability has lead to a false sense of power in the US government. They get to do any dumb shit thing they want and feel right in doing so.

[Godfuader]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
How do these guys think this makes them any better than countries such as China when it comes to internet censorship?

Censorship is Censorship, no matter how you try to justify it.

Cuz when we do it, we are protecting our people. When they do it, they are oppressing their people.

All the government needs to do is to fabricate another story, of Wallah Wallah bin Muhammad from Oklahoma, using torrents to download bomb making instructions. BAM, torrents are threatening our Freedom!!