tagged w/ Representative Lamar S. Smith
-
Congress is calling SOPA a way to prevent online infringement and piracy. However, those committed to free speech rights and creative innovation know that this is nothing more than an attempt to compromise Internet security, free speech and creative license. As currently drafted the legislation would grant the government and other parties unprecedented power to force ISPs and search engines to redirect or block users' attempts to reach certain websites. This in turn would threaten the security and reliability of the Internet as a whole in creating other third party servers besides severely limiting free speech. And under SOPA's provisions ISPs would also be pressured to monitor user activities.
YouTube Video on how PROTECT IP / SOPA Act Breaks the Internet http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HGEUhCfQ464
House Bill - H.R.3261 - Stop Online Piracy Act (aka SOPA) http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3261/show
Senate Bill - S.968 - PROTECT IP Act of 2011 (aka PIPA)
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/show
All in all this is a direct attempt to limit free exchange of ideas on the Internet, the truly last bastion of freedom we have. Therefore, in response to the SOPA black out day scheduled for January 18 to coincide with witness testimony in Washington DC, we were hoping members of Current would also become involved in a site wide showing of solidarity for Internet freedom against SOPA.
Therefore, we are asking those interested in participating on January 18 to respond in this thread with the following responses: "Boycotting" or "Post about SOPA" to let us know how you intend to participate. We are also urging everyone to list this in all their groups and to come on January 18 to vote up all SOPA posts. Now we cannot force or limit anyone from posting on other topics, but to make a showing where the majority of articles on the front of the Community page would address this important topic with the responses reading "Stop SOPA" would send a message that we who use the Internet are serious about preserving its freedom.
Senate will vote on the Internet censorship on Tuesday, January 24th. You can find where your Members of Congress Stand on SOPA and PIPA http://projects.propublica.org/sopa/.
Click http://my.americancensorship.org/ to see what is happening in your state.
Please then participate on January 18 and respond in this thread so we have an idea of how many people here will participate in this show of web wide solidarity for freedom.
Thank you,
MotherForTruth / JanforGoreCongress is calling SOPA a way to prevent online infringement and piracy. However,... more
-
-
The widespread Internet blackout Wednesday, in which sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit went dark to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), seems to have influenced members of the U.S. Congress.
PIPA co-sponsor Florida Sen. Marco Rubio pulled his name from the bill Wednesday and SOPA co-sponsor Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle pulled his name Tuesday.
Rubio communicated his withdrawal via a Facebook post, titled “A Better Way to Fight the Online Theft of American Ideas and Jobs,” in which he argues congress should avoid rushing to pass the bill that could have unintended consequences.
“As a senator from Florida, a state with a large presence of artists, creators and businesses connected to the creation of intellectual property, I have a strong interest in stopping online piracy that costs Florida jobs.
However, we must do this while simultaneously promoting an open, dynamic Internet environment that is ripe for innovation and promotes new technologies.”
The Florida Senator encouraged his co-sponsor Nevada Sen. Harry Reid to follow his lead and abandon the bill in order to “take more time to address the concerns raised by all sides, and come up with new legislation that addresses Internet piracy while protecting free and open access to the Internet.”
SEE ALSO: Why SOPA Is Dangerous
Following the PIPA co-sponsor’s withdrawal, Texas Sen. John Cornyn followed suit, posting a statement of abandonment on Facebook Wednesday morning. Similarly, a spokesperson for Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry said the Congressman is unable to support SOPA as it’s written and plans to withdraw his support as well, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
We will update this story throughout the day should more members of congress change their course.
Do you think the widespread website blackouts, such as Wikipedia’s, are to credit for the bills’ supporter drain?The widespread Internet blackout Wednesday, in which sites such as Wikipedia and... more
-
-
PROTECT-IP is a bill that has been introduced in the Senate and the House and is moving quickly through Congress. It gives the government and corporations the ability to censor the net, in the name of protecting “creativity”. The law would let the government or corporations censor entire sites; they just have to convince a judge that the site is “dedicated to copyright infringement.” The government has already wrongly shut down sites without any recourse to the site owner. Under this bill, sharing a video with anything copyrighted in it, or what sites like Youtube and Twitter do, would be considered illegal behavior according to this bill.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill would cost us $47 million tax dollars a year. That’s for a fix that won’t work, disrupts the internet, stifles innovation, shuts out diverse voices, and censors the internet. This bill is bad for creativity and does not protect your rights.
This piece includes a video about SOPA.
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/stop-sopa-protect-your-online-rights/PROTECT-IP is a bill that has been introduced in the Senate and the House and is... more
-
-
By Josh Sternberg current.com contributor
UPDATE, 11:15 p.m. ET: There’s a little less than an hour to go until the sites protesting SOPA and PIPA come back to us here’s what’s happened since our last update.
A whole bunch of senators and representatives changed their positions and came out opposing the current iteration of the SOPA and PIPA legislation. The Daily Beast reports:
Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO), Mark Rubio (R-FL), and Jerry Moran (R-KS), also cosponsors of PIPA, posted their withdrawals to either Facebook or Twitter today as well. Additionally Senators Jeff Markey (D-OR) and Allen West (R-FL) condemned the bill on Twitter. Not to be outdone, Representatives Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Mike Honda (D-CA) blacked out their websites in support.
Buzzfeed culled together “the 50 best statements by members of Congress against SOPA/PIPA.”By Josh Sternberg current.com contributor
UPDATE, 11:15 p.m. ET:... more
-
-
ctv
-
added this
-
1 year ago
- |
-
Today, we're looking at the current.com community's response and reaction to the Stop Online Piracy Act and the fact that the bill is dead -- at least for now:
Stop Internet Privacy Act Dead on Arrival, Obama Succumbs to PressureSubmitted by massanova
Amid significant pressure from tens of thousands of internet users and major web behemoths like Google, Facebook, and Reddit, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is, in its current form, Dead on Arrival:
Misguided efforts to combat online privacy have been threatening to stifle innovation, suppress free speech, and even, in some cases, undermine national security. As of yesterday, though, there’s a lot less to worry about.
The first sign that the bills’ prospects were dwindling came Friday, when SOPA sponsors agreed to drop a key provision that would have required service providers to block access to international sites accused of piracy.
The community remains hesitant to the adminstration's actions:
nardo1224: "I will believe it when i see Obama go on national TV and announce that SOPA is dead the same way he announced the murder of Osama Bin Ladin!"
ThirdSection: "Well, let's not break out the streamers and noisemakers just yet, it's still to be seen whether Obama will follow through on his veto threat."
unimatrix0: "This is good news, SOPA and Protect IP Act are both horrible, terrible, etc. However, the headline is partisan and misleading. Obama did not succumb to pressure - Obama never supported or proposed SOPA or the Protect IP Act. The Obama administration simply did the right thing by informing congress that they oppose any legislation that would hinder free exchange on the Internet."
Wikipedia, Reddit To Shut Down Sites Wednesday To Protest Proposed Stop Online Piracy ActSubmitted by letsliveinpeace
Along with Reddit, Wikipedia announced plans to "go dark" on Wednesday in opposition to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and the Protect IP Act (PIPA).
Chief technology officials in the Obama administration have expressed concern about any "legislation that ... undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet." But the bill's main backers, Hollywood movie studios and music publishers, want to stop the theft of their creative content and the bills have widespread bipartisan support. A vote on SOPA is on hold in the House now, as the Senate is still scheduled vote on PIPA next Tuesday.
Current Community protests SOPA/PIPA -- Are you in?Submitted by MotherforTruth
In advance of the announcement that the bill was being shelved indefinitely, current.com community members MotherforTruth and JanforGore put out a call for protest. Although SOPA is apparently off the table, Protect IP (or, PIPA) is still up for consdieration in the Senate:
All in all this is a direct attempt to limit free exchange of ideas on the Internet, the truly last bastion of freedom we have. Therefore, in response to the SOPA black out day scheduled for January 18 to coincide with witness testimony in Washington DC, we were hoping members of Current would also become involved in a site wide showing of solidarity for Internet freedom against SOPA.
Therefore, we are asking those interested in participating on January 18 to respond in this thread with the following responses: "Boycotting" or "Post about SOPA" to let us know how you intend to participate. We are also urging everyone to list this in all their groups and to come on January 18 to vote up all SOPA posts. Now we cannot force or limit anyone from posting on other topics, but to make a showing where the majority of articles on the front of the Community page would address this important topic with the responses reading "Stop SOPA" would send a message that we who use the Internet are serious about preserving its freedom.
Senate will vote on the Internet censorship on Tuesday, January 24th. You can find where your Members of Congress Stand on SOPA and PIPA http://projects.propublica.org/sopa/.
Join the discussion -- or head over to the Community page for more popular stories from the community.
Today, we're looking at the current.com community's response and reaction... more
-
-
BE SURE TO GOOGLE BOMB THIS STORY OR RANK IT UP.
Many of your major websites will be blacking out or striking for 12 hours some will be on strike for 24 hours, some search engines will censor websites to show the effect of the new bill if it was passed. Me being in the Music Industry i feel its going to effect A LOT of websites that are independent and also "content fetching sites" that deal with music, videos, photos or anything else media wise.
January 18th, 2012 is the largest online protest in history, to stop the internet censorship bills, SOPA & PIPA. Join in by blacking out your site and urging everyone you can reach to contact Congress now.
For more Details Visit...
http://sopastrike.com/#how-to-strike
Or Visit.
http://americancensorship.org
Chicago Music Promotions has already added the code into the site for automated shut down and we are on board as a major music industry portal for independent and unsigned bands in the midwest and chicago region.
http://www.chicagomusicpromotions.com
IF you do not have a website just do not use the internet for the 18th also on the link above you can sign the petition for your congress person or district ward.
Here is the Video as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HGEUhCfQ464BE SURE TO GOOGLE BOMB THIS STORY OR RANK IT UP.
Many of your major websites will... more
-
-
The media's blackout of the House's Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate's Protect IP Act (PIPA) started from Day 1, but you've been talking about it for months. Follow this thread throughout the day as we'll continue to round up the SOPA/PIPA conversation in the Current.com community, as well as Twitter.
Today marks a blackout on the part of several websites, including Wikipedia and Reddit, who are going dark to protest both bills.
To get started, here's a look from our partners at Crimson Hexagon at where the most social-network chatter about SOPA/PIPA has been happening (click on the graphic to see a larger version):
The media's blackout of the House's Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the... more
-
-
Click on the link and sign the petition.
-
-
-
Is President Obama's word that he will veto SOPA and PIPA as good as his word that he would veto the NDAA?Is President Obama's word that he will veto SOPA and PIPA as good as his word... more
-
-
I stand with the participants of this video against SOPA/PIPA.
I AM FOR A FREE AND OPEN INTERNET.
DO you hear us, Congress?
Stand together today as a community and as a country and oppose PIPA and demand SOPA be left dead and not in a coma. Our freedom of expression, creativity and free speech are being threatened by those with the power and money to shut the Internet down to protect their own profits.
The Internet is the peoples' agora. KEEP IT FREE!
I will only be posting about PIPA today and voting all posts about it UP.
Please vote this up!I stand with the participants of this video against SOPA/PIPA.
I AM FOR A FREE AND... more
-
-
Stop Online Piracy Act
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261, is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by House Judiciary Committee Chair Representative Lamar S. Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. The bill, if made law, would expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.[2] Presented to the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act.[3]
The originally proposed bill would allow the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. Depending on who makes the request, the court order could include barring online advertising networks and payment facilitators from doing business with the allegedly infringing website, barring search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access to such sites. The bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for ten such infringements within six months. The bill also gives immunity to Internet services that voluntarily take action against websites dedicated to infringement, while making liable for damages any copyright holder who knowingly misrepresents that a website is dedicated to infringement.[4]
Proponents of the bill say it protects the intellectual property market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue, and is necessary to bolster enforcement of copyright laws, especially against foreign websites.[5] They cite examples such as Google's $500 million settlement with the Department of Justice for its role in a scheme to target U.S. consumers with ads to illegally import prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.[6]
Opponents say that it violates the First Amendment,[7] is Internet censorship,[8] will cripple the Internet,[9] and will threaten whistle-blowing and other free speech actions.[7][10] Opponents have initiated a number of protest actions, including petition drives, boycotts of companies that support the legislation, and planned service blackouts by English Wikipedia and major Internet companies scheduled to coincide with the next Congressional hearing on the matter.
The House Judiciary Committee held hearings on November 16 and December 15, 2011. The Committee was scheduled to continue debate in January 2012,[11] but on January 17 Chairman Smith said that "[d]ue to the Republican and Democratic retreats taking place over the next two weeks, markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act is expected to resume in February."[12]Stop Online Piracy Act
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill... more
-
