[vox] Take action now against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)

[Brian Lavender]

Don't trust SOPA. Take action now
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/protect-ip-act-very-real-very-bad-call-now-block-it

On Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 04:58:28PM -0800, Mikies Runs Baal wrote:
>    Well, under the DMCA and existing copyright laws, what you list as a
>    potential fear shouldn't be happening anyhow. Current laws require a
>    host to remove material that the copyright owner indicates is being
>    used without permission or under fair use laws. Current law, also,
>    permits the poster to challenge the copyright owners request, and have
>    it replaced.
>    If you read the bill carefully, it does not penalize the host for the
>    issues between the poster of material and the copyright owner. It only
>    requires the host to make a reasonable effort to remove material that
>    is deemed illegal or misused under copyright until adjudication is
>    completed. It most significantly makes the owner  of copyright liable
>    for false reports, and denotes the penalties for 'frivolous lawsuits'
>    or false reports.

DMCA is a terrible law. The mere fact that Ed Felton[1] was threatened with legal
action demonstrates the legal implications of passing these well intended laws.
Don't trust SOPA. It's a wolf! 

>    To make the blacklist, a host really has to demonstrate a complete
>    disregard of law and copyright. In the extreme case, the host site is a
>    terrorist forum for communicating internationally with secret cells in
>    foreign countries.

A blacklist. Security by creating IP addresses blocklists is preposterous.
Imagine if your host gets jacked and used to distribute copyrighted
information.  If you want to talk about terrorism, ask yourself why Cuba
is on a list of state sponsored terrorists. It is for political motivation
and bent radicals who have sway in congress. Furthermore, ask yourself why
Hamas when democratically elected is viewed as a terrorist organization.
These will be the secret cells when the law goes into effect.

The terrorists you should ask yourself about are the drone strikes
operated out of Pakistan by our country. 

Don't trust a wolf. Call representatives now to appose this law.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/protect-ip-act-very-real-very-bad-call-now-block-it

brian

References
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Felten
-- 
Brian Lavender
http://www.brie.com/brian/

"There are two ways of constructing a software design. One way is to
make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies. And the other
way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies."

Professor C. A. R. Hoare
The 1980 Turing award lecture