Poll: Would you allow USA users to your website right now?

[Pebkio]

So, in an unrelated manner, I'm trying to find an updated graphics driver to make my FF7 look better. There's this great one from someone named Aali, who was distributing it on some rarely used file-share server that isn't even working, so someone got permission to repackage it and distribute it on Uploaded.to. No pirating involved here... but...

Well... this is all I get to see:
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Sorry about that.


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So, here's the question of the poll. If you had a website based outside of the USA that was even a message board that let people post links to share-sites: Would you risk US Federal reprisal by letting Americans go to your site?

 

[Chairman Miaow]

Well, considering how many American sites do the same to me I would be awfully tempted. But honestly, if I restricted the freedom of the internet even in such a small way, then how could I say that it was ok to fight SOPA/PIPA?

 

[Esotera]

Almost reminds me of the guy who blocked anyone using Internet Explorer from visiting his website, and redirected them to a page telling them why they should get firefox or chrome. I'd let Americans visit, as there's nothing wrong with linking to sites that link to pirated material. Almost every site on the internet does that by less than a few degrees of separation.

 

[Pebkio]

Almost reminds me of the guy who blocked anyone using Internet Explorer from visiting his website, and redirected them to a page telling them why they should get firefox or chrome. I'd let Americans visit, as there's nothing wrong with linking to sites that link to pirated material. Almost every site on the internet does that by less than a few degrees of separation.

Except this...
Welcome to America [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115273-British-Student-Loses-Extradition-Battle-Over-Copyright-Violation?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150535186439496_21709445_10150538224309496#f2a6ec83cbe231c]
...because all he did was provide links to torrents without hosting any pirated materials.

 

[Esotera]

Almost reminds me of the guy who blocked anyone using Internet Explorer from visiting his website, and redirected them to a page telling them why they should get firefox or chrome. I'd let Americans visit, as there's nothing wrong with linking to sites that link to pirated material. Almost every site on the internet does that by less than a few degrees of separation.

Except this...
Welcome to America [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115273-British-Student-Loses-Extradition-Battle-Over-Copyright-Violation?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150535186439496_21709445_10150538224309496#f2a6ec83cbe231c]
...because all he did was provide links to torrents without hosting any pirated materials.

I'd rather go to prison and kick up a shitstorm for doing something that is perfectly legal in my country, than not do it out of fear. Thankfully most people on the internet have chosen to do the same, and America's position on copyright is absolutely untenable in the long-term.

 

[annilator666]

i see no reason not to though given whats going down in the states in regards to online use and how it should be run it would probably be a matter of time until the us gov't find some contrived reason to shut the site down

 

[Pebkio]

I'd rather go to prison and kick up a shitstorm for doing something that is perfectly legal in my country, than not do it out of fear. Thankfully most people on the internet have chosen to do the same, and America's position on copyright is absolutely untenable in the long-term.

Ballsy, I like it. I'm going to be cheeky and say something like: When they finally do get you, try to be extradited to Colorado so I can go support you in court.

Still, I think you all should just isolate us from everyone else. While we're busy throwing people into jail for using a proxy, the rest of the World would be able to move forward (especially since it seems China already isolated themselves). We, as a country, might also learn a lesson about what should be our limits.
Oh wait, I'm being unpatriotically crazy again, aren't I...

 

[s0p0g]

i'd have to, wouldn't i? i mean, if i did not hit her! i did naaaaht. (sorry, just came over me. ^^" )
it would be like my own little pipa-sopa-stupid abbreveation thing going on, which i despise. so even if i were to be shut down because "your country sucks, sorry 'bout that", so be it.

Viva la internet non-revolución! let it be as it is!

 

[Yopaz]

I am getting incredibly annoyed whenever I am blocked from seeing something on Youtube or not being able to use certain streaming sites because I am not in America so yes. I would let Americans see my site because I have been on the wrong end of that stuff before.

 

[Pebkio]

To be honest, it's a big risk at the minute and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people started cutting access to Americans.

I said this in another thread but, why were we so worried about SOPA passing? The US seems to be able to do pretty much what that bill was trying to do anyway.

Oh, that one is simple. We were so worried about SOPA because it was giving that power directly to random companies. They have notoriously less restraint than even our government. Those companies, in fact, have a vested interest in seeing smaller entertainment groups fail... like say... many many many online web show makers (who are better at handling online entertainment than the MPAA).

Give them the power to shut them down domain names... and youtube would be gone in a month; this site would be gone in a month; Penny Arcade: gone - month. By gone, I mean reduced to an IP address, but still, you'd have to recode every link, every article, every archive, every forum post... just because Universal didn't want the competition.

 

[Pebkio]

I am getting incredibly annoyed whenever I am blocked from seeing something on Youtube or not being able to use certain streaming sites because I am not in America so yes. I would let Americans see my site because I have been on the wrong end of that stuff before.

Psst... don't tell anyone, but just bounce your signal off of an American server and you can see whatever you want. It's called using a proxy and it's why I now have Aali's graphic driver...

...remember, it's a secret...

 

[Charli]

Yeah I'd let them, because I'm not a douche.

But I still feel sour when someone does that, but I refuse to be 'that guy'. It's annoying because I frequent accross the US and Europe because of friends and family (currently in Europe) And I can't use my Pandora radio account here. So bloody bummed out about that.
Ahhh well...

OH! Theoretically if SOPA had passed or if any future iteration of it passes, you bet your ass I'm blocking it from US residents.

(Sorry you cannot see this website because you didn't do more to stop your governement from making a stupid decision, better luck next time.)


Infact if it does happen, I'm calling on all countries hosting outside of the US to boycott them in mass protest and see how they like it. Give a little, get a little.

 

[ThePS1Fan]

Well if my website did nothing wrong and its the people using who did and I could be sent to prison for not going through potentially millions of files to see if any were copyrighted then yeah I might take some precautions.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Would you risk US Federal reprisal by letting Americans go to your site?

Nope, I'd place a restriction on all US based IPs.

Nothing personal by any stretch, but as court cases in this country have proven, the US is prepared to apply it's laws to foreign countries and abuse both the legal system and laws put in place to prevent terrorism.

It's now entirely possible for me to be arrested and deported from my own country without having ever commited a crime in it, all I have to do is contradict America's laws in a way that may hypothetically affect American business, yet my government seems entirely ok with this.

So no, if I was doing anything that hit into an even vaguely legal grey area, I would very specifically block Americans from any kind of access.

 

[FEichinger]

... You guys are aware of the fact, that Google (in the case of YouTube) has nothing to do with you being blocked (except of course for placing the code involved there), but the fact that the licensing differs from country to country, right? ...

The thing is just that this is taken slightly too far, with the "owners" being capable of demanding a block on nearly anything out there, if it even remotely resembles whatever they "created" ...

 

[aba1]

Would you risk US Federal reprisal by letting Americans go to your site?

Nope, I'd place a restriction on all US based IPs.

Nothing personal by any stretch, but as court cases in this country have proven, the US is prepared to apply it's laws to foreign countries and abuse both the legal system and laws put in place to prevent terrorism.

It's now entirely possible for me to be arrested and deported from my own country without having ever commited a crime in it, all I have to do is contradict America's laws in a way that may hypothetically affect American business, yet my government seems entirely ok with this.

So no, if I was doing anything that hit into an even vaguely legal grey area, I would very specifically block Americans from any kind of access.

ya if it comes down to it I might end up having to do the same as a web designer.

 

[Pebkio]

You do realise that was a facetious comment. Aimed to poke levity at the disgusting state of affairs that is extradition and international law.

I mean I know poe's law is one of the strongest and most consistently exercisable of internet standards. But I really thought people would see that sarcasm in that post.

I resent that! I was just waiting for someone to ask that question so I could make sure we were all on the same page. Had nothing to do with your sarcasm or facetiousness...
...or the fact that I totally didn't see your any of that in your post...

In my defense, you were totally being overly subtle... I'm not dumb.
*sniff*