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One of my favorite youtubers I'm subscribing to made this video about something called SOPA

Is this true? Seems something a bit too....unreal. Something straight out of 1984, is it all about censorship?

You must of just come out from under a rock This was covered a few weeks ago by Jim Stelring and Bob "Moviebob" Chipman over on the Escapist. Basically the bill(s) are being passed through one of the US government groups (I forgot which) and it's supposed to cover foreign copyright infringement. Instead it's very vague and has potential for any corporation to point a big fat money-stuffed legal-finger at a website, say they're posting up illegal content or even having potential for it and the website shuts down for good. From what I can remember big companies like Universal and Apple are behind this bill (SOPA) and trying to use the Portect IP (PIPA) bill as a "compromise". Companies opposed include Google, Yahoo and Youtube to name a few, because its pretty much a constriction of the internet.

In short - America cannot do politics and Money rules. Oh how wonderful.

Any sites that can be described as the following that are "directed" at the united states will be blacklisted:

(A) the Internet site is used to provide goods or services to users located in the United States;
(B) there is evidence that the Internet site or portion thereof is intended to offer or provide such goods and services (or) access to such goods and services (or) delivery of such goods and services to users located in the United States;
(C) the Internet site or portion thereof does not contain reasonable measures to prevent such goods and services from being obtained in or delivered to the United States; and
(D) any prices for goods and services are indicated or billed in the currency of the United States.

When a site is blacklisted, will be blocked by the service provider

A service provider shall take technically feasible and reasonable measures designed to prevent access by its subscribers located within the United States to the foreign infringing site (or portion thereof) that is subject to the order...Such actions shall be taken as expeditiously as possible, but in any case within five days after being served with a copy of the order, or within such time as the court may order.

why would they do this?
The U.S chamber for commerce said:

"Rogue Web sites that steal America's innovative and creative products attract more than 53 billion visits a year and threaten more than 19 million American jobs."

The European Parliament, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, Ebay, Mozilla, AOL and Twitter are against it.

Under that definition, they'd block Dakka...

It seems too badly worded to pass...
I have the feeling it's mainly to prevent piracy and such but...

This is america. WE passed a bill that said Pizza is a vegetable. The current congress has no idea how to run a government!

If this gets passed.... I'm going to send lots of angry letters to certain congressmen. And I'll probably hope that someone sends angry letters with anthrax to certain congressmen. However, I am too scared of prison to do that myself.

LoneLictor wrote:If this gets passed.... I'm going to send lots of angry letters to certain congressmen.

I have already sent mine!

LoneLictor wrote:If this gets passed.... I'm going to send lots of angry letters to certain congressmen. And I'll probably hope that someone sends angry letters with anthrax to certain congressmen. However, I am too scared of prison to do that myself.

Naw, Anthrax makes you a terrorist, and terrorists dont goto prison! They get sent to places like Guantanamo Bay indefinitely


If that passes, and DAKKA is blocked from America, I was seriously, without a doubt, go apeshit crazy and start bombing strategic government facilities

I got a form letter back. It's so blatantly a form letter that it's obvious that they don't give a gak and Cornyn and Hutchinson are, as usual for their lazy worthless selves, just towing the party line...

Toastedandy wrote:

The European Parliament, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, Ebay, Mozilla, AOL and Twitter are against it.

No word from amazon? Am I missing something, or does it blacklist online shopping?


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Melissia wrote:

LoneLictor wrote:If this gets passed.... I'm going to send lots of angry letters to certain congressmen.

I have already sent mine!

Me too, although I admit it was a copy and pasted letter that an email told me to put in an envelope and send

(A) the Internet site is used to provide goods or services to users located in the United States;
(B) there is evidence that the Internet site or portion thereof is intended to offer or provide such goods and services (or) access to such goods and services (or) delivery of such goods and services to users located in the United States;
(C) the Internet site or portion thereof does not contain reasonable measures to prevent such goods and services from being obtained in or delivered to the United States; and
(D) any prices for goods and services are indicated or billed in the currency of the United States.

Ugh, both of the Senators from California sponsored its sister bill, PROTECT IP (LOL SO CATCHY GUYS). Looks like I'm *gag* voting Republican for the Senate next time 'round.

I lost track of the number of emails I've sent and petitions I've signed. I should've written some traditional letters too, in retrospect. I think I still will, explaining why I won't be voting for them.

RatBot wrote:Ugh, both of the Senators from California sponsored its sister bill, PROTECT IP (LOL SO CATCHY GUYS). Looks like I'm *gag* voting Republican for the Senate next time 'round.

I lost track of the number of emails I've sent and petitions I've signed. I should've written some traditional letters too, in retrospect.

I'm voting dem again, but it's sort of futile. I don't even know who's running as dem this year, if there even is someone running against Cornyn or Hutchinson.

Sometimes there's only one choice, and it's always Republican.

If this gets passed, the correct play is to purposefully nuke the entire internet until they repeal it.

Basically the major content providers either voluntarily go dark out of protest or people just pepper everything even remotely questionable with constant takedown notices.

They'll realize it was a horrible idea when half the internet stops working overnight.

I imagine if it passes, there'll be a lot of DDoS attacks against content providers.

Rented Tritium wrote:If this gets passed, the correct play is to purposefully nuke the entire internet until they repeal it.

Basically the major content providers either voluntarily go dark out of protest or people just pepper everything even remotely questionable with constant takedown notices.

They'll realize it was a horrible idea when half the internet stops working overnight.

I think (hope!) this would be the result. In fact, Post as much infringing content as humanly possible on as many sites (including government ones!) as humanly possible. Then, when the whole internet is inaccessible, unless Congress is more idiotic than I think they are (which would be incredible as I already know the government is populated with inept, corrupt, slowed fethers), they'd have to repeal it as internet commerce grinds to a halt, and then where's your economy now?


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On a related note, feth goddamned lobbyists right in the eye socket.

It blacklists websites that sell counterfeit goods. What the hell does that mean, anyway? Is something that's imitating something else a 'counterfeit'? Example. I want to buy a nice compass. The real one (a Cammenga phosphorescent lensatic compass) is 48$, and an off-brand one that's an imitation is only twenty. Is that necessarily a counterfeit? Or let's say I want to buy a book... Moby Dick, for example. Is an unauthorized publishing a 'counterfeit'?

Counterfeit is a relative term. If a site is claiming to sell solid gold bars and sends you a hunk of wood painted gold, then you can press charges. There are laws in place to prevent obvious counterfeiting, not to mention common sense. It's your fault alone if you buy something that's too good to be true.

SOPA makes sense, but not the way they're doing it. It's going to take jobs AWAY from all of the millions of people who make a living off the internet. Developers, domain services, IT, hosting, etc. You won't be adding any jobs with SOPA, and more than likely, copyright will still be violated, just like it has been since the creation of the term.


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Melissia wrote:I imagine if it passes, there'll be a lot of DDoS attacks against content providers.

Doubt it. Unless an incredibly large number of people find out how to do it and manage to organize themselves amongst the confusion of a shattered internet where lots of things aren't working, it won't happen. DDOSing actually requires a lot of people and a variety of security companies are figuring out ways to ignore DDOS attacks. My dad works for the Marine Corps as a security contractor, and this is already on their list, and it will be a matter of time before it just doesn't do anything anymore.

Melissia wrote:I imagine if it passes, there'll be a lot of DDoS attacks against content providers.

Won't even need to do that.. just post a link to something questionable on their webspace, then call the government

Samus_aran115 wrote:It blacklists websites that sell counterfeit goods.

And websites that link to websites that sell counerfeit goods.

And websites that mention counterfeit goods or talk about counterfeit goods.

And websites taht have piracy. And websites that link to websites that have piracy. And websites that talk about piracy.

Like this website.

Or websites that deal with fan-work. Or websites that link to the same.

Or websites that deal with parody work. Or websites that link to the same.

Etc.

It's not legitimate. It's just a brazen power grab by corrupt corporate executives. Again.

Samus_aran115 wrote:Doubt it. Unless an incredibly large number of people find out how to do it and manage to organize themselves amongst the confusion of a shattered internet where lots of things aren't working, it won't happen.

You forget that these content providers are not going to block their own sites. Their sites are going to be quite available for a DDoS attack.

I e-mailed my representative nothing but swear words and ranting. I make a difference.

(Wish this weren't true.)

I wish all you people in the united states good luck.

I think Obama said he would veto this sucker if it came onto his desk.

I just hope to god we don't get a 2/3 vote yay on the second go around.

Asherian Command wrote:This is america. WE passed a bill that said Pizza is a vegetable. The current congress has no idea how to run a government!

Asherian is wise.........

That's why I'm moving to Canada, the government is pretty much FUBAR'd

The Supreme Court vetoed that Internet Child Pornography Bill because even though it was well intentioned, it would be restrict freedom of speech too much. Hopefully they'll be willing to make the same decision here, assuming it reaches them somehow.

Samus_aran115 wrote:

Toastedandy wrote:

The European Parliament, Facebook, Yahoo, Google, Ebay, Mozilla, AOL and Twitter are against it.

No word from amazon? Am I missing something, or does it blacklist online shopping?

Probably are, I was going off memory from an article I read.

Samus_aran115 wrote:It blacklists websites that sell counterfeit goods.

It has the power to blacklist even sites that sell legitimate products to the united states, its intended to combat counterfeit goods, but has been worded so well by who ever wrote it, so they have the power to block basically anything they do not want you to see.

The bill is probably going to be passed on the 21st. Unless ya'll do something. Write a letter to your house representative, protest on the streets, do something.

Oh good, I was gonna post about this but someone beat me to it.

Toastedandy wrote:The bill is probably going to be passed on the 21st. Unless ya'll do something. Write a letter to your house representative, protest on the streets, do something.

Nothing I do will change the republican party's mind, though I have written letters to them. Republicans as a party (not as individuals) don't care about the economy or about business, unless it's the big businesses that are donating money to their campaigns.

I hope Obama vetos the FETH out of this piece of gak.

Obama isn't a stupid guy from what I've seen of him so I think he'd use common sense and put SOPA and PIPA into the bin. Problem is; money talks. And these big businesses behind the bill(s), including Hollywood IIRC, have a butt-ton of money. So it makes you wonder if the bill will get passed just so the congressmen/women can get more funding for their election campaign.

Honestly America your politics are damn hell confusing Also I would urge Americans that should the bill(s) get passed, you begin demonstrations. And not some tiny ones - I mean like state-wide ones where everyone's on the streets. And here's a thought - 4chan probably knows of this and those guys are evil buggers Imagine the ranting they can exact should their website go down, because it'd probably get called out for "copyright infringement".

Why not do something productive; and protest about it BUT...

Draft up your own proposal that would be better suited that helps tackle the problem of piracy. If you protest with a clear alternative, then the message is more likely to be listened to.

omg where the feth is Anonymous when you need them I wish they would shut down all government websites and congressmen would all get heart attacks prompting a nice guy to be dictator of america so we can all have a good time being free people. feth da police.

PS how hard is it to move to the UK?