The day the free speech dies.

[BanHammor]

And I'm singing "bye, bye, your american rights
First Amendment is just going to say its final goodbye"...

Okay, maybe, I am too pessimistic, but there is something to be pessimistic about: Intellectual Property laws.
You remember the time when you could watch Youtube? Apparently, the time is about to be due. Or at least, in America.

The E-PARASITE( Enforcing and Protecting American Rights Against Sites Intent on Theft and Exploitation) act has just leaked out, and it looks like censorship is stronger than ever.
Bullet points:

• The "Safe Harbor" portion of DMCA is no more intact. Content providers aka Youtube, Facebook, whatever - are all liable for the content that is uploaded up to jailtime. Internet Destruction ahoy!
• ISPs are obliged to comply with blacklist requests. Who does not get censorship in mind?
• Also, the funding channels for "infringing sites" are obliged to comply with takedown notices, cutting funding off, without court reviewing, of course.
• They are able to DNS-block infringing sites, circumventing the block is forbidden and punished by law.
• Targets blocks and other measures to "foreign infringing sites" and sites "inducing infringement", other than the usual "dedicated to infringement" and the broad "having limited uses other than infringement".

Americans, vote for the fucking Pirate Party.

link

[Victory]

This thing is so incompetently written that it's embarrassing. America truly is run by monkeys.

[Shinoi]

This law makes me feel better about my country.

[Jedi-L]

I hope it's understood that the act is incredibly unconstitutional, to the point that I can imagine the biggest backwards thinking luddite outside congress would not even consider it. This will die like the rest of the videogame/internet censorship acts. Even if it did pass there would be such an immediate resistance and rioting that a repeal would be inevitable.

[BanHammor]

I hope it's understood that the act is incredibly unconstitutional, to the point that I can imagine the biggest backwards thinking luddite outside congress would not even consider it. This will die like the rest of the videogame/internet censorship acts. Even if it did pass there would be such an immediate resistance and rioting that a repeal would be inevitable.

Please, let it be so, because I don't see any rioting on behalf of ACTA, and that was just 27 days ago.

[RustyMagnum]

A country where everything is possible. Truly...

[Sirrin Nacht]

I am strongly reminded of the "six strikes" plan.

[jman1234]

Oh, oh dear...

I hope it's understood that the act is incredibly unconstitutional, to the point that I can imagine the biggest backwards thinking luddite outside congress would not even consider it. This will die like the rest of the videogame/internet censorship acts. Even if it did pass there would be such an immediate resistance and rioting that a repeal would be inevitable.

Well you see, the American Government can pass all the unconstitutional acts and laws it wants as long as they're "in the interest of national security." Not many congressmen will speak out against that.

[Sirrin Nacht]

Oh, oh dear...



Well you see, the American Government can pass all the unconstitutional acts and laws it wants as long as they're "in the interest of national security." Not many congressmen will speak out against that.

I would say this is being presented as more in the interest of "commercial security" than "national security". Not that many U.S. representatives would speak out against that either.

[ArtoriusVonKrieg]

I wouldn't worry... technology is always evolving, if people seriously want this content then they will find a way to get it regardless of any laws.

[Zolen]

Meh, if such a law passes we already know where all the government officials live. It won't be to hard to change their minds.

[ArtoriusVonKrieg]

Meh, if such a law passes we already know where all the government officials live. It won't be to hard to change their minds.

Don't even have to go that far. Just make the tools that can be used to bypass these measures available to the less technically inclined (and make the tools easy to use/understand).

[Zolen]

Don't even have to go that far. Just make the tools that can be used to bypass these measures available to the less technically inclined (and make the tools easy to use/understand).

A child will keep doing bad things if nobody tells him to stop.

[Big Boom]

I can't imagine how they will even be able to pull this off...

[leapoffaith]

Similar things have been tried in the past, and despite the fact that the people in charge of making laws are becoming increasingly stupider, they're too busy being homophobic and trying to eliminate healthcare for elderly poor people to fight the internet.

[Rockonman]

America truly is run by monkeys.

I couldn't agree more. I mean, this is a clear infringement of the 1st amendment.

[Zolen]

Similar things have been tried in the past, and despite the fact that the people in charge of making laws are becoming increasingly stupider, they're too busy being homophobic and trying to eliminate healthcare for elderly poor people to fight the internet.

No way in Helheim am I going to have the government take over paying for my health care. They will end up spending it all on fancy jets.

[DrunkCat]

I don't worry much about what congress does these days. By the time they actually accomplish something I'll already be dead.

[leapoffaith]

Unless Rick Perry comes into office. Then we're all even more fucked then we are right now.

[Blackwater]

I assume it applies more towards unlicensed streaming of complete works rather than segments of movies and videogames.

Either way it looks kind of bleak in regards to posting major label music.

[Mr.Evilmidget]

The incoherence and/or incompetence of today's mentally incapable American politicians still escapes my comprehension.

Eh, it's probably because these are some frat boys in their 60s that don't understand the internet. They believe what the lobbyist fools say.

[Animation Freak]

So if some little kid gets on my site and uploads a picture that's copyrighted, I'll go to jail?! >.>
(or on second thought, Webs will go to jail?)

[Killing_Time]

I assume it applies more towards unlicensed streaming of complete works rather than segments of movies and videogames.

Either way it looks kind of bleak in regards to posting major label music.

It's gonna be hard on anyone who likes doing covers and remixes of music, because from what I understand from the music artists' uproar, fans won't be able to do that.

[Animation Freak]

They won't need to change to IPv6 because people won't want on the internet...

[Zola]

I agree with Vic and Big Boom.
That's a shameless act against their own people and like Shino (baptized XD) said we don't have that problem here on Balkan.
I would be among the first who will protest if that would happen here >
Like many of you fellow Americans say :"God bless America"! (damn politics)