Internet Censorship becomes a reality...in North America?!

[SevenSixTwo]

Was just cruising the internet today and noticed that five websites I usually visit were closed down in protest of two new US bills that are attempting to go through congress in the US. These bills due to how vague they are would allow to companies to easily shut down websites that they thought had any property of their entities. Some of the targets include facebook, flickr, etsy, vimeo.

http://americancensorship.org/infographic.html

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/how-pipa-and-sopa-violate-white-house-principles-supporting-free-speech

If your an American please contact your representative in congress.


EDIT: Looks like Wikipedia is also protesting today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia

 

[Wookilar]

The Chive is as well, and has posted an online petition.

http://sopastrike.com/strike

 

[captloadie]

Yet the majority of these companies were more concerned about the financial impact of shutting down for a day than having this bill come into law. That tells me that they aren't concerned about being closed down in the future for copyright infringement.

 

[MJP]

Ohhh internet slacktivism at its best.  Most people won't give a crap and do anything substantive like call or write their senator.  It is much easy to post it to FB or twitter and call themselves a hero for standing up to the man.

 

[SevenSixTwo]

Yet the majority of these companies were more concerned about the financial impact of shutting down for a day than having this bill come into law. That tells me that they aren't concerned about being closed down in the future for copyright infringement.

Some companies have hundreds of millions in legal teams.

 

[Maxadia]

Yet the majority of these companies were more concerned about the financial impact of shutting down for a day than having this bill come into law. That tells me that they aren't concerned about being closed down in the future for copyright infringement.

Most people don't think about the amount of money made by these websites when they use them, but I guarantee you'd notice it if your favourite one shut down - for good.

 

[ballz]

My quality of life has already been adversely affected by the lack of Wikipedia so far today...

 

[Jimmy_D]

To fix your quality of life with wikipedia, is https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_SOPA_blackout/Technical_FAQ

 

[vonGarvin]

Learn another language and use Wikipedia to your heart's content:

Here you can read about a little-known battle that began 70 years ago today at Cholm in the USSR.  This little-known battle sowed the seeds for disaster for the Wehrmacht.  You see, the Germans at Cholm (Холм in Russian), were first attacked by Partisans and then surrounded by the Soviet Army.  For over three months, this little packet of Germans was supplied by air. 

In the end, a German attack in May 1942 relieved the defenders.

Later that year in a city in the south of the USSR, called Stalingrad, a larger formation was similarly surrounded and the Luftwaffe once again said that they could supply them by air.  They failed.


My point?  Wikipedia (et al) only cares about looking good and making a stink in its slacktivism (copyright by MJP: awesome term) for the English speaking world.  The rest of the world doesn't really care, I think.

 

[Sigs Pig]

My point?  Wikipedia (et al) only cares about looking good and making a stink in its slacktivism (copyright by MJP: awesome term) for the English speaking world.  The rest of the world doesn't really care, I think.

Slacktivism -"The term appears to have been coined by Dwight Ozard and Fred Clark in 1995 at the Cornerstone Festival. The term was meant to shorten the phrase slacker activism, which refers to bottom up activities by young people to affect society on a small, personal scale (such as planting a tree, as opposed to participating in a protest). The term originally had a positive connotation."

ME

 

[larry Strong]

There is an option available.  If you absolutely need to use the site then you can hit escape in the very short time after the page loads but before the blackout sceen.  That provides access to the page.  Unfortunately you have to do that for each page loaded.

 

[MJP]

slacktivism (copyright by MJP: awesome term) for the English speaking world.

Slacktivism -"The term appears to have been coined by Dwight Ozard and Fred Clark in 1995 at the Cornerstone Festival. The term was meant to shorten the phrase slacker activism, which refers to bottom up activities by young people to affect society on a small, personal scale (such as planting a tree, as opposed to participating in a protest). The term originally had a positive connotation."

ME

I wish I could claim credit for it but I can't.  I have seen it a few times on the small dead animals blog, usually when it makes fun of our "enlightened" youth, who have little heart for real activisim.  Which is funny as the sites that have shut themselves down are perused predominately by these great enlightened ones.  All they are going to do is play skyrim and bitch on FB about how hard done by they are that they can't use wikipedia or get on reddit.

 

[Journeyman]

.... bitch on FB about how hard done by they are that they can't use wikipedia or get on reddit.

...nor the Chive or Meh.ro

Looks like no intellectual input today  :'(

 

[PMedMoe]

...nor the Chive or Meh.ro

Looks like no intellectual input today  :'(

Intellectual?  That's being generous.  Particularly for meh.ro 

Some of the stuff on that website is just plain sick.  But, there are a few gems.  :nod:

 

[Journeyman]

Looks like no intellectual input today  :'(

      :sarcasm:


Sorry you missed it. 

 

[PMedMoe]

      :sarcasm:

Sorry you missed it. 

:facepalm:

 

[Nfld Sapper]

      :sarcasm:


Sorry you missed it. 

;D

 

[PMedMoe]

To make up for being obtuse:

;D

 

[the 48th regulator]

My point?  Wikipedia (et al) only cares about looking good and making a stink in its slacktivism (copyright by MJP: awesome term) for the English speaking world.  The rest of the world doesn't really care, I think.

Well,

Let us put this in context.  See that photo you posted?  IF it were owned by a conglomerate, not only can that conglomerate go after army.ca, Mike Bobbitt, and yourself, but the government can now charge army.ca, Mike Bobbitt, and yourself.

This legislation, is no different than the gun register, it was made to give power to the few that have paid the political powers, not the general public who use the Internet.

So before we prance about mocking those that challenge the legislation, be aware of the powers that are being taken away....

dileas

tess

 

[MJP]

Well,

Let us put this in context.  See that photo you posted?  IF it were owned by a conglomerate, not only can that conglomerate go after army.ca, Mike Bobbitt, and yourself, but the government can now charge army.ca, Mike Bobbitt, and yourself.

This legislation, is no different than the gun register, it was made to give power to the few that have paid the political powers, not the general public who use the Internet.

So before we prance about mocking those that challenge the legislation, be aware of the powers that are being taken away....

dileas

tess

Since this is partly about what I posted, I'll chime in.  FWIW I think SOPA and PIPA are full on infringements on the right to free speech.  Full Stop.  No if ands or buts about it. 

I am merely making fun of the average user of the sites that have decided to protest by going "black".  They are not going to do anything except b itch and complain on FB and other means.  They are not going to magically turn into activists and call/write their senators.  They will as they always do retain status quo grumble a bit at the inconvenience and write witty FB statuses when the sites come back online.