Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul Markham
Can anyone point out how a law to stop piracy is going to effect my freedom please.
No smart Alec replies. Just point out what in the law makes them bringing down piracy a threat to my freedom to publish and read the truth or grab products that are put out by the owners of licenses that allows them to do this?
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The law has a much wider range for what will be legal to take down a site, it's not just focused on piracy. It allows corporations and the government free reign over the internet including the ability to remove entire sites and domains from the internet and their owner.
This would be great if it was for stolen works and copyrighted materials only. However the 2 bills being presented (SOPA and E-Parasite) also allow for these actions to be taken against sites that the government and big business doesn't want Joe Public to read as well. Any sites with negative opinions on say the president will be removed permanently, any of the OWS sites and people posting photos, videos and whatever else they made themselves in support would be gone. If a 9/11 type of event was to occur after these bills passed we would be force fed and only allowed to view or post about what the government wanted us too. Think of the internet in China and what they are allowed or not allowed to view.
If my name was Paul Markham, I could complain that your website is harmful to my good name and business I run and your site would be gone. If you write a blog telling about a bad experience at a hotel, that hotel would be allowed to take over and remove your site with no notification to you, no hearing and no legal recourse for you.
So sure, these bills would efficiently put a end to internet piracy, but it would also put a end to the internet, the sharing of information (experiences/reviews/thoughts). The removal of any type of content that any single person may find offensive and not fit to be viewed by the public will be included and removed under these laws. I have the feeling that may just very well include nudity and porn.
You also think that sites such as you tube and facebook should have employees to moderate every post made correct? These laws also stat that ISP's must poilce themselves as well. Every keystroke you make on the internet, every email sent/received would be read, and every url visited and link clicked tracked. Not only is that a huge invasion of privacy but how much will the cost of internet services skyrocket to cover the cost of the number of employees needed to to track all that.