The European open internet is under imminent threat. BLACKOUT EUROPE

[BladePHF]

Taken from the site blackouteurope (site is down, scroll a bit lower to the next wall of text for working links and proof this is real) . Welcome to the beginning of the end:

Everyone who owns a website has an interest in defending the free use of Internet. so has everyone who uses Google or Skype. Everyone who expresses their opinions freely, does research of any kind, whether for personal health problems or academic study . Everyone who shops online. Who dates online. Socializes online. Listens to music. Watches video...

The internet as we know it is at risk because of proposed new EU rules going through end of April. Under the proposed new rules, broadband providers will be legally able to limit the number of websites you can look at, and to tell you whether or not you are allowed to use particular services. It will be dressed up as 'new consumer options' which people can choose from. People will be offered TV-like packages - with a limited number of options for you to access.

It means that the Internet will be packaged up and your ability to access and to put up content could be severely restricted. It will create boxes of Internet accessibility, which don't fit with the way we use it today. This is because internet is now permitting exchanges between persons which cannot be controlled or "facilitated" by any middlemen (the state or a corporation) and this possibility improves the citizen's life but force the industry to lose power and control. that's why they are pushing governments to act those changes.

The excuse is to control the flow of music, films and entertainment content against the alleged piracy by downloading for free, using P2P file-sharing. However, the real victims of this plan will be all Internet users and the democratic and independent access to information, culture goods.

Think about how you use the Internet! What would it mean to you if free access to the Internet was taken away? These days, the Internet is about life and freedom. It's about shopping, booking theater tickets ... holidays, learning, job-seeking, banking, and trade. It's also about the fun things - dating, chatting, invitations, music, entertainment, joking and even a Second Life. It is a tool to express ourselves, to collaborate, innovate, share, stimulate new business ideas, reach new markets - thrive without middlemen..

Just think - what's your web address? Unless people have that address in their "package" of regular websites - they won't be able to find you. That means they can't buy, or book, or register, or even view you online. Your business won't be able to find niche suppliers of goods - and compare prices. If you get any money at all from advertising on your site, it will diminish. Yes, Amazon and a select few will be OK, they will be the included in the package. But your advertising on Google or any other website, will be increasingly worthless. Skype could be blocked. (As it is in Germany in the use from iPhone, already). Small businesses could literally disappear, especially specialist, niche or artisan businesses.

If we don't do something now - we could lose free and open use of the internet. Our freedom (of choice in information, market, culture, pleasure) will be curtailed. The EU proposals hold an enormous risk for our future. They are about to become Law - and will be virtually impossible to reverse. People (even the members of the European Parliament who are voting on it) don't really seem to understand the full implications and the legal changes are wrapped up in something called "Telecoms Package" which lulls people into thinking it is just about industry.

However, in reality, hiding from public view, the amendments are about the way the Internet will operate in future! Text that expresses your rights to access and distribute content, services and applications, is being crossed out. And the text that is being brought in, says that broadband providers must inform you of any limitations, or restrictions to your broadband service. Alternative versions use the word 'conditions' - and it is seriously being proposed that you will be told the conditions of use of Internet services. This is made to sound good - it is dressed up as 'transparency' - except that of course it means that the broadband provider will have the legal right restrict your access or impose conditions,otherwise why would they need tell you? If the Telecoms Package amendments are voted in, the changes will not be reversible.

We all have a stake in the Internet! You need to act now to save it!

What can you do about it?

Tell the European Parliament to vote against conditional access to the Internet! Remind them that they need your vote in June and that internet still give us the tools to be watching and judging what they are doing! You must know you are not alone: hundreds of organizations are working on that and thousands of people have already contact their parliamentarians about this issue.

Visit these sites for more on what you can do to help stop this amendment from passing (reposting from below because of someone's request:

News on the Telecoms Package is available here:
http://www.laquadrature.net/en

To read the Telecoms Package proposals, go here:
http://www.laquadrature.net/lawtracks/telecoms_package/

The Second Reading amendments which will be voted by the European Parliament on 31 March and again on 5th May, are here:
http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Telecoms_Package_2nd_Reading_ITRE_IMCO_Draft_Amendments#Amendment_85_--_2

An exhaustive, visually effective and easy to understand analysis of the amended Directives by Prof. Dr. Monica Horten is available here:
http://www.scambioetico.eu/telecoms.package.diagrams.m.horten.5.april.2009.zip

Or you can look at the European Parliament's own website, which is less easy to follow:

Framework, access and authorisation directive
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/FindByProcnum.do?lang=2&procnum=COD/2007/0247

Universal services and e-Privacy directive
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/FindByProcnum.do?lang=2&procnum=COD/2007/0248

An alternative proposal that we like is here:

http://www.npt.no/iKnowBase/Content/109604/Guidelines%20for%20network%20neutrality.pdf
as a fair and equitable basis for all internet communications.

For independent information try:

(In English) http://www.iptegrity.com

(In German) http://netzpolitik.org/?s=telekom+paket

(In Italian)
http://punto-informatico.it/2585021/PI/News/non-lasciare-che-rete-diventi-tv.aspx

http://punto-informatico.it/2593665/PI/News/pacchetto-telecom-blackout-europeo.aspx

(In French) http://www.ecrans.fr/+-internet-+.html

Invite! Invite! Invite!

Campaign supported by:

La Quadrature du Net
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12663398659

Open Rights Group
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Open-Rights-Group/73607375435

Ireland Offline
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=69474680930

Associazione Scambio Etico
http://www.scambioetico.eu/index.php?topic=673.msg3637#msg3637

 

[Jack and Calumon]

Vote against! This sounds like the age of control in MGS4.

Oh god, they aren't conspiracies, Kojima has Clairvoyance! Oh god! Nooo!

In all seriousness, that idea is bad, so we should all tell the government to vote against. While we wait for the vote to come around, here is Ozzie Osbourne.

"All Abooaarrrd hahahaha!"

 

[sky14kemea]

WHAT!?!?

sorry about the capitals, but what the hell? does it count towards the insane website limit if i go back to the same website twice? jeez ~_~
i wish i could vote against it, i hope someone does, its just silly

 

[Snor]

wouldn't this all destroy the economy..

yeah great job EU that's why we created you...not

 

[Mardy]

If that happens, I'm going to move westwards.

 

[BladePHF]

WHAT!?!?

sorry about the capitals, but what the hell? does it count towards the insane website limit if i go back to the same website twice? jeez ~_~
i wish i could vote against it, i hope someone does, its just silly

No, I think it works like it says on the site, like a cable company offering you TV packages. You select a package and it comes with X amount of sites you can then visit (I dunno what degree of choice you may or may not have in choosing the sites). The idea is, if a site isn't in the package you purchased, you can't visit it.

 

[BladePHF]

If that happens, I'm going to move westwards.

Good luck with that. If the bill passes, it will establish a dangerous precedent, and you can bet your ass it's going to spread to other places as well...

 

[XJ-0461]

WHAT!?!?

sorry about the capitals, but what the hell? does it count towards the insane website limit if i go back to the same website twice? jeez ~_~
i wish i could vote against it, i hope someone does, its just silly

No, I think it works like it says on the site, like a cable company offering you TV packages. You select a package and it comes with X amount of sites you can then visit (I dunno what degree of choice you may or may not have in choosing the sites). The idea is, if a site isn't in the package you purchased, you can't visit it.

Bullshit, I say! It's the start of the movement to a dictatorship.

 

[Skeleon]

So why did I, as a European, not hear of this AT ALL?
And how'd the EU force this on ALL the telephone providers out there?
I think this is a sham until I hear this from another source.

 

[Bobkat1252]

This has ruined my day sadly, these laws are a major step towards a "1984" style society. How anyone cannot see that censoring the internet, let alone anything, is in violation of a person's personal freedoms. Governments, corporations, nobody, has the right to tell someone they cannot see, read, or listen to something.

 

[Dudemeister]

Looks like I'll be moving out of the EU after all.

 

[sky14kemea]

WHAT!?!?

sorry about the capitals, but what the hell? does it count towards the insane website limit if i go back to the same website twice? jeez ~_~
i wish i could vote against it, i hope someone does, its just silly

No, I think it works like it says on the site, like a cable company offering you TV packages. You select a package and it comes with X amount of sites you can then visit (I dunno what degree of choice you may or may not have in choosing the sites). The idea is, if a site isn't in the package you purchased, you can't visit it.

i couldnt get through to the site

so i have to tell them what websites i wanna visit beforehand? thats a kick in the pants... i like to go on different game websites depending if any good ones come up on google

 

[Calobi]

509
Bandwidth Limit Exceeded

I will try again later to save the Internet for those of you across the pond.

 

[Nmil-ek]

Fuck that if my isp trys that shit they have lost a customer.

 

[razer17]

had the same conspiracy a couple of years ago with america. zeitgeist i believe the site was called. it would be to hard to place the proper infrastructure etc. plus the massive protests and riots that would occur.
its not true, move on
edit - sorry not trying to flame, just seems too untrue. and im sure one of the major news agencies would have picked it up had this been true
Edit number 2 - it wasnt zeitgeist i dont think. just checked and it doesnt seem to be. my mistake

 

[JoshasorousRex]

Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later.
Apache/2.2.10 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.10 OpenSSL/0.9.7a mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 Server at blackouteurope.eu Port 80

This is what I found when I tried to get on the website posted. Anyone else get this? D:

 

[sirdanrhodes]

Why did we join the fucking EU.

 

[Mardy]

If that happens, I'm going to move westwards.

Good luck with that. If the bill passes, it will establish a dangerous precedent, and you can bet your ass it's going to spread to other places as well...

Well when I must undermine the efforts of the politicans, and die in the process so everyone will cheer me as the internet white knight.