Whether you are in the U.S. or not, today’s Internet action against the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House and the ProtectIP Act in the Senate is important to all Internet users. Wil Wheaton says it as well as it can be said, so we’re linking to his post, which you can and must read by clicking here. Then, if you’re in the U.S., this would be a very good time to contact your Congresspersons and Senators. There are plenty of sites doing automated email forms for this purpose, like this one, but if you can put it into your own words and send it to your own elected officials, that would be better.
If you value the open and free nature of this medium, now’s the time to make your voice heard. Again, go read Wil’s article, then let the folks in Washington know how you feel.
Had to pipe up again with this good link. Clay Shirky sums up. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/defend_our_freedom_to_share_or_why_sopa_is_a_bad_idea.html
Linking to someone else’s article, writing a rather neutral blog post and not joining the blackout – way to support the cause at arms length.
And this is maybe yet another way to effectively get your message to people. Writing it down by hand and signing it and putting it in an envelope and mailing it to their attention. http://www.ted.com/talks/omar_ahmad_political_change_with_pen_and_paper.html
Lawrence Lessig has a lucid book about this dilemma. Available in its entirety for free. On the Internet. http://www.authorama.com/free-culture-1.html “The two sections set up the core claim of this book: that while the Internet has indeed produced something fantastic and new, our government, pushed by big media to respond to this “something new,” is destroying something very old. Rather than understanding the changes the Internet might permit, and rather than taking time to let “common sense” resolve how best to respond, we are allowing those most threatened by the changes to use their power to change the law—and more importantly, to use their power to change something fundamental about who we have always been.
We allow this, I believe, not because it is right, and not because most of us really believe in these changes. We allow it because the interests most threatened are among the most powerful players in our depressingly compromised process of making law. This book is the story of one more consequence of this form of corruption—a consequence to which most of us remain oblivious.”
I am glad that Nerdiest is bringing attention to this. I too was afraid you were going to be like some other sites and play the “neutral” card.
This is legislation trying to adapt to the way pirating sites operate to circumvent copyright law. None of the data is on the servers these days, they are just a bunch of bit torrents, etc. So this law attacks access to the site and links to the site and copyrighted material. Also if there is instructions on how to break the law, those sites and anyone linking to those sites are subject to enforcement.
Google and wiki don’t like the law because it will cause allot of work for them. If there is a wiki post on how to hack something they will have to take it down, and Google will have to cleanse its servers of links to sites like pirates bay.
Allot is being made of how this will take away freedom, but if you read the law only sites, or links that are designed to break the law are subject to being basically blacklisted.
As with anything in life there will be abuse, but could you honestly consider what is happening now to copyrighted material anything but abuse. I certainly hope we have not abandoned the idea of intellectual property. People have a right to own their art, and just because many artist want to give their work away that all should be forced to, with no legal path to protection.
People are shoplifting at Walmart. Let’s close down Walmart because it clearly doesn’t care about people shoplifting.
Thanks for posting your support of the cause. Taking a stand isn’t easy, but it’s the right thing to do.
Thanks for sharing the article. Its great to hear from someone in the industry that the bills are meant to protect!
The worst irony is that pirates can get around the current law by simply typing in the IP address (according to the Reddit video on their front page) rather than the text address. Basically, we are sacrificing a bunch of freedom for an ad hoc fix to a real problem (let’s not kid ourselves) which can be circumvented in an internet second.
I often watch video highlights of english soccer matches and these usually originate from a strange international video-hosting site. Now, sometimes the video is withdrawn from the site only to reappear on another one, its like whack-a-mole and the tide can’t be stemmed. The paradigm has shifted. The internet using public is way too motivated and numerous for these measures to take effect.The business should adapt, there is nothing else they can do flail about like they are doing, possibly killing innovation and freedom of expression on the internet.
The ultimate irony is that VHS was resisted initially as well, drawing lawsuits from the usual suspects. This is their m.o.
dont just rely on email to stop these pieces of legislation. congressional aides can just delete them without reading them. tell everyone you know to find out the phone # of your senator and/or your representative and call them repeatedly.
Hayley, this web site can help.
http://americancensorship.org/modal/call-form.html
“You got trouble. Right here in River City. Trouble with a capital “T” and that rhymes with “P”, and that stands for pool…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qam1fbQmA_s
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I think this will be the 5 time I sent something. I am glad Nerdist has started to talk about it.
What’s really difficult to believe is that the Internet was once run by a bunch of geeks in their basements.
Thanks for the notice. Going to go read now.
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Thank You Nerdist for participating in the Anti-SOPA movement. I was worried for a little bit that you weren’t, but yet again you did not disappoint. 😀