FIGHT THE INTERNET CENSORSHIP ACT

[Knox]

This is being decided on today and we need everyone to be fully informed and I thought you guys might agree that we don't want this to happen.

http://americancensorship.org/

Go there and write a letter and anything else you can do to fight this!

This is not spam, nor a joke- read up on it you'll be surprised.

[GeneralStrife]

fucking congress so sick of them.

[Kaijyuu]

Yeah it's this. Again.

[GeneralStrife]

can we have another civil war, pleasse. None of these fools would know the meaning of freedom if it kicked them in the nuts

[Pickle Girl Fanboy]

Another one?

[GeneralStrife]

Another one?

Yes, AFAIK, we had one before PGF

[Pickle Girl Fanboy]

We had two or three at least.  I lost track.

[Kaijyuu]

The Civil War is a liberal lie propagated to destroy conservative virtues.

[Pickle Girl Fanboy]

The Civil War is a liberal lie propagated to destroy conservative virtues.

EXACTLY.  Slavery is a lie, it was about states rights.

[GeneralStrife]

states rights are a myth

[Pickle Girl Fanboy]

states rights are a myth

I think I just shat myself.  Please explain exactly what you're talking about, and if you're being sarcastic.

[GeneralStrife]

what? im not even  being serious in this thread, i typed the first random sentence i could think of that would be lulzy

[Kaijyuu]

Things took a sudden turn for the serious. Nice job breaking it, hero.

[Xifanie]

Stay on topic.

[Wiz]

Please do so, this is the General forum, not Spam, GS.

Anyways, I've heard that this is even worse than Bill S.978

Here's another Source, which talks about the same thing later in the video iirc.

tl;dw (1st link): If you put up censored content and are caught doing so, you're written up as a felon/criminal :'(

[GeneralStrife]

GRRRR. So tired of these bills.

and wow really? Not sure I'm  the only one off topic, or if people just love calling my name and scolding me.

[GeneralStrife]

http://americancensorship.org/

[formerdeathcorps]

I expected something like this would happen sooner or later.

Writing a letter only stalls this offensive, though it's certainly worth trying.  I fear the backers are not merely the lobbyists from the music industry and Blizzard, but also the entire national security apparatus; the Pentagon, NSA, and Department of Homeland Security.  It allows them to destroy what is now the primary source of dissent to US police brutality and propaganda.

[Kuraudo Sutoraifu]

Here is the congressional summary of the two bills that make up SOPA H.R.3261:

spoiler

Official Summary

10/26/2011--Introduced.Stop Online Piracy Act - Authorizes the Attorney General (AG) to seek a court order against a U.S.-directed foreign Internet site committing or facilitating online piracy to require the owner, operator, or domain name registrant, or the site or domain name itself if such persons are unable to be found, to cease and desist further activities constituting specified intellectual property offenses under the federal criminal code including criminal copyright infringement, unauthorized fixation and trafficking of sound recordings or videos of live musical performances, the recording of exhibited motion pictures, or trafficking in counterfeit labels, goods, or services. Sets forth an additional two-step process that allows an intellectual property right holder harmed by a U.S.-directed site dedicated to infringement, or a site promoted or used for infringement under certain circumstances, to first provide a written notification identifying the site to related payment network providers and Internet advertising services requiring such entities to forward the notification and suspend their services to such an identified site unless the site's owner, operator, or domain name registrant, upon receiving the forwarded notification, provides a counter notification explaining that it is not dedicated to engaging in specified violations. Authorizes the right holder to then commence an action for limited injunctive relief against the owner, operator, or domain name registrant, or against the site or domain name itself if such persons are unable to be found, if:
(1) such a counter notification is provided (and, if it is a foreign site, includes consent to U.S. jurisdiction to adjudicate whether the site is dedicated to such violations), or
(2) a payment network provider or Internet advertising service fails to suspend its services in the absence of such a counter notification. Requires online service providers, Internet search engines, payment network providers, and Internet advertising services, upon receiving a copy of a court order relating to an AG action, to carry out certain preventative measures including withholding services from an infringing site or preventing users located in the United States from accessing the infringing site. Requires payment network providers and Internet advertising services, upon receiving a copy of such an order relating to a right holder's action, to carry out similar preventative measures. Provides immunity from liability for service providers, payment network providers, Internet advertising services, advertisers, Internet search engines, domain name registries, or domain name registrars that take actions required by this Act or otherwise voluntarily block access to or end financial affiliation with such sites. Permits such entities to stop or refuse services to certain sites that endanger public health by distributing prescription medication that is adulterated, misbranded, or without a valid prescription. Expands the offense of criminal copyright infringement to include public performances of:
(1) copyrighted work by digital transmission, and
(2) work intended for commercial dissemination by making it available on a computer network. Expands the criminal offenses of trafficking in inherently dangerous goods or services to include:
(1) counterfeit drugs; and
(2) goods or services falsely identified as meeting military standards or intended for use in a national security, law enforcement, or critical infrastructure application. Increases the penalties for:
(1) specified trade secret offenses intended to benefit a foreign government, instrumentality, or agent; and
(2) various other intellectual property offenses as amended by this Act. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review, and if appropriate, amend related Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Requires the Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce to appoint at least one intellectual property attache to be assigned to the U.S. embassy or diplomatic mission in a country in each geographic region covered by a Department of State regional bureau.

I'll get around to reading the actual bill once I get off work today. _{(That's a lie, I'll be playing Skyrim)}  I don't see much in the way censoring free speech aside from falsely identifying counterfeit drugs as real ones or falsely identifying something as being military grade when it is not.  The rest is either anti-piracy or increasing penalties for already existing laws.

I'm not saying I'm for the bill, but could someone explain to me why this is being called an internet censorship bill?  If you could point out specifics in the actual bills I would give you extra internet cookies.

[Kaijyuu]

Sets forth an additional two-step process that allows an intellectual property right holder harmed by a U.S.-directed site dedicated to infringement, or a site promoted or used for infringement under certain circumstances, to first provide a written notification identifying the site to related payment network providers and Internet advertising services requiring such entities to forward the notification and suspend their services to such an identified site unless the site's owner, operator, or domain name registrant, upon receiving the forwarded notification, provides a counter notification explaining that it is not dedicated to engaging in specified violations.

Right here is the problem, I believe. The bill allows people to force ISPs to block websites, and rather arbitrarily. Yes, the block can be disputed, but that doesn't matter all that much if your website's down for months because some corporation decides to be a douchebag and file a frivolous case against you just to silence you.