American bill will allow the government to censor Internet domains.

[ribonuge]

In the US, a new law proposal called The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) was introduced last week, and there will be a hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee this Thursday.

If passed, this law will allow the government, under the command of the media companies, to censor the internet as they see fit, like China and Iran do, with the difference that the sites they decide to censor will be completely removed from the internet and not just in the US.

EDIT: The above only applies if the site is hosted in the US. They cannot block a site hosted in a different country, only censor it to US citizens if the law is passed.

The lists are for sites "dedicated to infringing activity," but that's defined very broadly -- any domain name where counterfeit goods or copyrighted material are "central to the activity of the Internet site" could be blocked.

Source [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-segal/stop-the-internet-blackli_b_739836.html]

This means that any site with copyright infringement of any kind could be shut down (incuding youtube). There is also a petition you can sign to try and stop it.

Petition [http://demandprogress.org/blacklist/]

You can read the original bill here: COICA [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-3804]

EDIT: And here is a link that explains the bill in a more lightweight fashion, in comparison to the link above ;p

http://demandprogress.org/blacklist/coica

 

[Autofaux]

Weeeeee! Will they have free speech zones for those too?

 

[strum4h]

Here we go. Just a step closer until America turns into Oceania.

 

[joemegson94]

America, land of the free.

 

[Doctor What]

Just when I think that the tea party is crazy when they talk about our freedoms being taken away, shit like this happens.

 

[ribonuge]

America, land of the free.

The thing is, it's not like the Chinese or Iranian laws. If they blacklist a site, it is gone. Just wiped from the internet. So it's not exclusive to America.

 

[acer840]

Um, last time I checked, America doesn't own the internet. No one owns the internet. They have no jurisdiction to completely remove websites (outside of America) even if it does infringe on Copy Protection and Intellectual Property Rights.
Piracy is a bad thing, but removing whole websites, or blocking it completely (including to outside countries) is illegal in itself and also against the Free Speech rights people have in America.

 

[ribonuge]

Um, last time I checked, America doesn't own the internet. No one owns the internet. They have no jurisdiction to completely remove websites (outside of America) even if it does infringe on Copy Protection and Intellectual Property Rights.
Piracy is a bad thing, but removing whole websites, or blocking it completely (including to outside countries) is illegal in itself and also against the Free Speech rights people have in America.

This bill will give them jurisdiction.

 

[Natonator]

Here we go. Just a step closer until America turns into Oceania.

As an australian, hence an oceanian, I find what you said here to be... sadly true. I'm glad the petition accepted signatures from people outside the U.S.; I'm no american, but I'm pretty sure the law there doesn't say "free speech as long we approve of what you're saying"

 

[zHellas]

Here we go. Just a step closer until America turns into Oceania.

I kinda think/remember Oceania being based in the Americas... I think.

 

[Natonator]

Here we go. Just a step closer until America turns into Oceania.

I kinda think/remember Oceania being based in the Americas... I think.

How do you base a large region encompassing a number of countries in a smaller country? (America is not part of Oceania if you were wondering)

 

[Mechsoap]

what happened to the ''we all own the internet'' thing?

 

[acer840]

Um, last time I checked, America doesn't own the internet. No one owns the internet. They have no jurisdiction to completely remove websites (outside of America) even if it does infringe on Copy Protection and Intellectual Property Rights.
Piracy is a bad thing, but removing whole websites, or blocking it completely (including to outside countries) is illegal in itself and also against the Free Speech rights people have in America.

This bill will give them jurisdiction.

So this bill, (correct me if I'm wrong as little information is given) will allow them;
A Remove web pages or block web pages from American and International sites
B Allow them to ignore the rights of Free Speech

Why didn't they pass a bill that would make it legal for them to invade Iraq while they were at it?

 

[Ham_authority95]

And let the "AAAHHHHHH WE'RE TURNING INTO A DICTATORSHIP GAME OVER MAN GAME OVER!!!" comments flow in...

But seriously, there are retarded proposals like this all the damn time(Does anyone remember ACTA?)And all of them are swatted down like an annoying flies.

This one won't be any different.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

Um, last time I checked, America doesn't own the internet. No one owns the internet. They have no jurisdiction to completely remove websites (outside of America) even if it does infringe on Copy Protection and Intellectual Property Rights.
Piracy is a bad thing, but removing whole websites, or blocking it completely (including to outside countries) is illegal in itself and also against the Free Speech rights people have in America.

This bill will give them jurisdiction.

It can't. That's what we're trying to say. The US cannot create a law giving itself jurisdiction over other countries. Any websites hosted in other countries are safe from us. We can block access, but we can't remove them. We're not debating this, we're telling you you're wrong.

 

[Natonator]

Hey, I just had a thought. The internet is supposed to be this global thing we all share, right, and now america is trying to get a bit of a leash on it. It brings to mind a certain continent that to this day remains the last "un-owned" landmass on earth: Antarctica.

That's right. Tremble before the very thought of the armies of penguin-and-seal cavalry they would amass.

 

[Pendragon9]

Haha. If they even try this, they will get lawsuits, riots, and the wrath of every internet user.

This can't hold people. There's a limit to how much the government can take away.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Um, last time I checked, America doesn't own the internet. No one owns the internet. They have no jurisdiction to completely remove websites (outside of America) even if it does infringe on Copy Protection and Intellectual Property Rights.
Piracy is a bad thing, but removing whole websites, or blocking it completely (including to outside countries) is illegal in itself and also against the Free Speech rights people have in America.

Try telling them that.

 

[Scout Tactical]

The lists are for sites "dedicated to infringing activity," but that's defined very broadly -- any domain name where counterfeit goods or copyrighted material are "central to the activity of the Internet site" could be blocked.

This means that any site with copyright infringement of any kind can be shut down (incuding youtube).

I'm pretty sure you failed to read your own post. The central activity of YouTube is not to post copyright infringing videos: in fact, YouTube does a good job of removing those videos on request (but not without request). This also means that they cannot shut down any site with any kind of infringement. Critical reading skills, please. The sites they will be targeting are places like ThePirateBay, probably.

Please read your own post before you hit the submission button.

 

[Quaxar]

Wait, I thought the Bush era was over...

Not going to happen, but still disturbing.