SOPA/ACTA Watch

[Fiar]

Spoiler:

It has questionable sentence structuring, misspelled words here and there, and a generally unprofessional feel to it...But. *sniffs* It hits me here. *taps chest*

[AKB]

By the way, I thought this might be relevant somehow, SOPA is dead.

[Fiar]

It'll be a bit before I truly believe a bill like this is dead. Awareness really skyrocketed when the blackout was performed though. Some notable support was withdrawn from the Pro-SOPA group, 6 (Or was it 10?) senators and I think 2 or 3 companies. That said we still have PIPA to combat, than we'll have to keep alert after for quite a while.

We really dealt a great blow to it's attempted momentum though. Hopefully the same can be done on the upcoming dates for it's discussion, or something or other.

[DorostheConqueror]

Spoiler:

It has questionable sentence structuring, misspelled words here and there, and a generally unprofessional feel to it...But. *sniffs* It hits me here. *taps chest*

The kids are alright.

By the way, I thought this might be relevant somehow, SOPA is dead.

Not dead, just hit with a Paralyze on Target effect. Apparently The Man is planning a massive ad campaign to misinform the masses, which is what they do best. Or at least what they DID best. Here's hoping the past decade or so of their increasing irrelevance is enough to blunt the coming storm.

I love some of the talking points they've already been throwing out. Stuff like "we want to protect consumers from counterfeit goods!" Ooo, yeah, protect consumers from their ability to choose to get cheaper versions of intentionally overpriced, brand-reliant status merchandise! Gotta make sure consumers know that all Nike™ brand products available for purchase online are made to the same high standards of dirt cheap child labor as the ones you buy in WalMart (and not those dirty bodegas down the street, you know the ones I'm talking about)!

[leroybrown]

Google is a well-dressed devil, but a devil none the less. As far as I'm concerned, their role in facilitating the Great Firewall of China makes them the moral equivalent of mid-century Swiss banks. Anyway...

I posted randomly a while ago that Google effed up. I didn't explain myself, perhaps I will later. The short of it is they aren't simply introducing Google+, but they are shoving it down peoples throats. The way in which they do this is going to bias search engine rankings, so 'googling' things won't be as effective as before.

The internet market is going to take a massive hit.

The net may be against it, but Hollywood's got the money and the lobbyists. I heard (although I don't have the exact figures, so it may be a stretch) that the pro-SOPA groups have been outspending anti-SOPA groups by ten-to-one

...god damn you. You too Avron. I covered all of this previously. Where is my credit? I want a throne, glory, power, women and beer. Don't take the curses seriously. But I do want the items listed.

[Sloady]

A short 6 minute video about the internet coming under attack - again. Please watch and reshare this wherever you can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmQN93NqqDM

[Arch-Mage Matt]

My usual thoughts when seeing a video such as this: The information is coming from a biased source. There is no possible way I can take it seriously.

Also: Internet coming under attack, published by Anonymous? Ironic.

[Mucro]

http://funnyjunk.com/movies/3210889/Internet-Titanic/

[The Tom]

http://funnyjunk.com/movies/3210889/Internet-Titanic/

Wow. That is good.

[Fiar]

Hooray! Time to use my pitchfork and torch once more.

Angry mob, ASSEMBLE!

[MARS]

I would want to read this bill myself, before fully believing that video.

[Spiney]

Spoiler:

What someone who is younger...brighter...and more charismatic than Lamar Smith needs to do is RUN AGAINST THE GUY. He's up for reelection this fall, and if there was ever a time to push a complete idiot like him out, NOW would be the time. And frankly, given what a total doofus the guy is, being younger, brighter and more charismatic would simply mean you have a pulse and are barely breathing.

Speaking as a moderate Independent myself, Lamar Smith -- when it comes to SOPA and now this bill as well -- is a total tool for corporate interests. That much is clear. And it [&@%!] me off that this guy is ALWAYS trying to prop things up with total smoke screens to hide his true ulterior motives, which are likewise ALWAYS overreaching in terms of being an obvious power grab.

For SOPA it was supposedly about fighting pirates...now it's supposedly about fighting child [&@%!]...yet every single time this guy puts forth a new or revised Internet bill, it conveniently (wink, wink) ALWAYS involves the loss of personal privacy and carries a dark undertone where someone -- be it your ISP provider or the government itself -- is suddenly peeking into YOUR private business.

No, it's even WORSE than that because -- as the article notes -- even if you HAVEN'T done anything wrong and even if there's NO reason to suspect you of anything, this moron STILL wants your activities recorded 24/7. To which point he then makes the groan-inducing counter-argument that ALL that data...for each and every American...is somehow going to be magically kept under lock and key and you'll never have to worry about anything going wrong or anyone gaining access to it.

Riiiiiiiiight...like I'm really going to buy THAT ridiculous sales pitch. For crying out loud, hackers break into gaming sites...they've broken into military records and the Pentagon...hell, they break into freaking BANKS which the average person certainly EXPECTS to be secure, yet they're not. There's always something going wrong...there's always human error...there's always some back door that someone who's smart enough learns to exploit. And yet this utter DOPE thinks that he's going to now keep the ENTIRE web traffic activities for EVERYONE under protected wraps.

Well, unless something happens, at which point you'll get a personal email from Lamar Smith that will simply say "Oops. My bad."

Seriously, this guy is a clown and is a total corporate stooge that's just interested in lining his own pockets. Plus, he clearly has NO idea how the web ACTUALLY works and, worst of all, clearly has NO interest in Americans maintaining private and personal civil liberties. Like I said, I'm about as middle of the road and moderate as they come...I even lean right of center like the average American...and even I want to see Lamar Smith LOSE his reelection bid just so this buffoon can be kept out of Washington and so he'll be stopped from perpetually trying to screw up the Internet.

This guy is a danger to society everywhere. Anyone who agree's with this guy is either being completely mislead, to old to know what they are talking about, to stupid to understand the consequences, or just hear "Child [&@%!]" or "Piracy" and immediately want the bill to go into action. The more we let this guy rant, the more other nations, politicians, and corporate lobbyists will start to get ideas.

Some stuff about Acta.

[Avron the S'wit]

I would want to read this bill myself, before fully believing that video.

Merry Christmas. (Source: Office of the United States Trade Representative, ACTA subpage)

[The Tom]

Merry Christmas. (Source: Office of the United States Trade Representative, ACTA subpage)

Oh wow, that's an official UN resolution. I've written three of those. Though they were probably more crowd-pleasing than this one.

[AKB]

This nonsense just simply won't stop, will it? SOPA fails, so let's make a new version of it on an international scale!

This is simply a nightmare brought to our reality.

[DorostheConqueror]

Yeah, I doubt this is going to get anywhere. As much as the scions of the coming NWO would like to believe otherwise, the UN tends to be about as competent as 4chan, and only half as effective. It's been in the works for years now, and with the exception of Poland, no member states seem ready to sign off on it.

That said, it's not even the end of January and already we're seeing more and more of this [&@%!]. Looks like 2012 really WILL be the end of the world, huh?

[Lunatic]

SOPA and PIPA will never make it, as long as the internet remains forever vigilant and willing to fight dirty against censorship.

[Lunatic]

Yeah, I doubt this is going to get anywhere. As much as the scions of the coming NWO would like to believe otherwise, the UN tends to be about as competent as 4chan, and only half as effective. It's been in the works for years now, and with the exception of Poland, no member states seem ready to sign off on it.

That said, it's not even the end of January and already we're seeing more and more of this [&@%!] Looks like 2012 really WILL be the end of the world, huh?

Maybe the end of civilization, and not the world itself. I don't even think the Mayans said the world was going to end in 2012, wasn't it something about a new cycle?
Immigrate to the New Alaska Republic now! Before the nukes fall!

[Frost Mage]

Yeah, I doubt this is going to get anywhere. As much as the scions of the coming NWO would like to believe otherwise, the UN tends to be about as competent as 4chan, and only half as effective. It's been in the works for years now, and with the exception of Poland, no member states seem ready to sign off on it.

That said, it's not even the end of January and already we're seeing more and more of this [&@%!] Looks like 2012 really WILL be the end of the world, huh?

Maybe the end of civilization, and not the world itself. I don't even think the Mayans said the world was going to end in 2012, wasn't it something about a new cycle?
Immigrate to the New Alaska Republic now! Before the nukes fall!

2012 is when the nephilim come down to earth and form an anarchy over the whole world. PM me for more info .

[DorostheConqueror]

Yeah, I doubt this is going to get anywhere. As much as the scions of the coming NWO would like to believe otherwise, the UN tends to be about as competent as 4chan, and only half as effective. It's been in the works for years now, and with the exception of Poland, no member states seem ready to sign off on it.

That said, it's not even the end of January and already we're seeing more and more of this [&@%!] Looks like 2012 really WILL be the end of the world, huh?

Maybe the end of civilization, and not the world itself. I don't even think the Mayans said the world was going to end in 2012, wasn't it something about a new cycle?
Immigrate to the New Alaska Republic now! Before the nukes fall!

I... I don't follow. The internet IS the world, isn't it?

Seriously, though. I stuck it out through the PATRIOT Act, Iraq, waterboarding, Bush twice, Obama, Obamacare, total economic collapse, and the rise of MLP:FiM. But if any of those Napster killing [&@%!] manages to foist a piece of netslaying legislation on our society, I'm done; I'm moving to a country that respects it's citizens, like Nigeria.

[Avron the S'wit]

Guys, this is not a thread discussing 2012. Please stay on topic and leave that nonsense at home.

[DorostheConqueror]

You know what's really funny? This. ITT: Fat lobbyist gets mad that his bribes haven't bought him the President, waves around fistfuls of cash, outs his industry's explicit political agenda, and threatens to stop shoveling money if he doesn't get his way. Waa waa waa. I also like how he complains about Avatar being "stolen" (sic) over 20 million times, thereby endangering the jobs of "camera guys", who apparently can't get a slice of the nearly 3 billion dollars Avatar raked in.

3 BILLION DOLLARS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE TAKE FOR A CGI EXTRAVAGANZA LIKE AVATAR. HOW WILL OUR TRUCK DRIVERS SURVIVE IF WE DON'T COMPLETELY UNDERMINE THE PRINCIPLES THAT MAKE THE INTERNET POSSIBLE? Stupid proles, stop complaining, the MPAA is speaking!

[kailay]

Just wanted to share this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8p_A5Kr ... plpp_video

[Sloady]

The Irish government is on the brink of signing into law a statutory instrument that will give copyright holders leverage over Irish ISPs to force them to block websites, like the blocking of Pirate Bay in 2009. The difference is that it is very SOPA like - there need not be any proof that any copyrighted material is on the website, and could end up with the Irish Internet being censored.

I know there are quite a few Irish on the forums, so I thought I'd share a link to a petition to stop this travesty.

http://stopsopaireland.com/

More info:

http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/column- ... -save-cds/

[DorostheConqueror]

Vote to rejoin the UK if this passes.