Note I have perused these proposed laws in the past and as an IT Technician I can see that they are poorly written. Our legislators still think they can govern something that is world-wide, they cannot. They can only hurt users in the U.S., open the possibility of censorship of internet access within America as written, heavily influenced by lobbyists concerned with the protection of copy-write protection.
I agree with those who oppose these laws in that we need to start from scratch, bring both sides into attaining what the laws are intended to do.
Wikipedia's Blackout page
For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia.
"A World Without Wikipedia: For SOPA, Websites Threaten a Midnight Blackout" PBS Newshour 1/17/2012
Excerpt
JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour): Next, The battle over online piracy is heating up, as companies are taking their case directly to Web users.
Ray Suarez has the story.
RAY SUAREZ (Newshour): If you normally turn to Wikipedia to look things up, you will have to go elsewhere tomorrow. The English version of Wikipedia, along with other popular sites, such as Reddit and BoingBoing, will go black for 24 hours to protest anti-piracy legislation.
The companies oppose two federal bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act, known as SOPA, and the Protect I.P. Act, known as PIPA. The legislation could force websites to monitor material from users that may include copyrighted content. It could also give the government the right to block entire websites.
Major content providers, including the film and recording industry, say they need greater protection from copyright theft. The Obama administration said over the weekend it wouldn't support the current versions of the bills.
No comments:
Post a Comment