The Internet Blackout

[Weaver]

Probably just go to the gym and play guitar...
If I'm not vomiting. I think I caught a virus of some type.

 

[ResonanceSD]

http://www.3dsbuzz.com/

3DS Buzz is already down in protest.

That's..not that dramatic, to be honest, it's like a local convenience store trying to declare independence. The fact that google searches are built into firefox and chrome URL bars is a bit more important. However, a vast proportion of sites that people actually use for content, not methods of accessing content, are still up. I mean, seriously, no one actually gets news or entertainment from wiki, reddit or google, they just find links to other places from there. The other places will still be up.

 

[Irridium]

http://gizmodo.com/5876984/the-mpaa-says-blackout-protests-are-an-abuse-of-power?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

The MPAA are saying that these blackouts being done by big websites are an abuse of power, and are being done to further their own corporate interests.

I have no words for this.

If you don't want to click on the link, here's what the chairmen of the MPAA said:

It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information and use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It's a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.

Yes, this is real and he actually said this.

Again, I have no words.

 

[floppylobster]

"The Internet? Is that thing still around?"

 

[Pat8u]

So I guess escapist isn't blacking out tomorrow?

Bit of shame actually I think. In my opinion it seems only sites which take part of this are taking the threat of sopa seriously.

But well as it usually is profits > giving a damn.

Why would the Escapist bother going down? Almost all its visitors know SOPA and PIPA are bad and it's not a big enough site to attract mainstream media attention. Wikipedia is probably the site which will cause the biggest shockwaves, unless Google joins in. It's all about causing disruption and mking more people aware of the issue.

well tommorow would be a good time to black out because of zero punctuation and the traffic that brings

 

[Erttheking]

Wait what blackout? Am I missing something?

 

[illas]

If Google goes down for a day that could kill SOPA stone dead...

OT: singleplayer Minecraft beckons me onward...

 

[Tommeh Brownleh]

*Starts passing around candles*

Anyone care for a round of singing?

Sure. Now let me think of a song that isn't copyrighted.... oh yeah NONE.

 

[Irridium]

I just hate the whole thing because the anti-SOPA protests are so full of ignorance and misinformation that it just makes protesters look like a bunch of tools.

I agree that SOPA is a flawed piece of legislation and that it probably shouldn't be passed, but labeling it as a censorship bill makes you look like a supreme idiot. ENFORCING COPYRIGHT LAW IS NOT CENSORSHIP, the first amendment or any other free speech laws do not go hand in hand with general anarchy on the internet.

If I broke into your home, stole a bunch of your property, brought it over to my home and set up a shop selling your goods, would it make sense if I told you that you can't do anything about it because I have a right to freedom of speech?

That would require faith in the MPAA and the like to use this bill only for enforcing copyright law. They will not. The constantly abuse the DMCA to take things down that break no laws, regardless of if they violate copyright or not.

People are going on about the whole freedom of speech and censorship thing because these companies will try to censor things they simply don't like, or things they even think is infringing copyright of any kind. The way the bill (bills, if you include PIPA) is now, freedom of speech and censorship are really big concerns. Whether the people pushing the bill are aware of it or not.

 

[Durgiun]

I'll go to a porn-site, wax and then get pissed when I write in ''auto-erotic asphyxiation colonoscopy woodpecker sander'' into google expecting Wikipedia to work.

 

[Raddra]

Its back, its not been shelved.

http://torrentfreak.com/sopa-is-baaack-120117/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

They're trying to mess with us spreading yesses and no's so we don't know what is going on.

 

[annilator666]

i will do something maybe make a cannon or blow something up maybe both

 

[MisterGobbles]

I think it's a wonderful idea, it'll spread knowledge of the bill to those who wouldn't already know. However, I use Wikipedia everyday, so it's a bit of a nuisance for me.

 

[kebab4you]

http://gizmodo.com/5876984/the-mpaa-says-blackout-protests-are-an-abuse-of-power?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

The MPAA are saying that these blackouts being done by big websites are an abuse of power, and are being done to further their own corporate interests.

"It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today"
Oh I see but bribing politicians are perfectly fine for a company?! Just so they don't have to modernize their structure?

How you got any power is a mystery for me MPAA.

 

[Signa]

I just hate the whole thing because the anti-SOPA protests are so full of ignorance and misinformation that it just makes protesters look like a bunch of tools.

I agree that SOPA is a flawed piece of legislation and that it probably shouldn't be passed, but labeling it as a censorship bill makes you look like a supreme idiot. ENFORCING COPYRIGHT LAW IS NOT CENSORSHIP, the first amendment or any other free speech laws do not go hand in hand with general anarchy on the internet.

If I broke into your home, stole a bunch of your property, brought it over to my home and set up a shop selling your goods, would it make sense if I told you that you can't do anything about it because I have a right to freedom of speech?

companies will try to censor things they simply don't like, or things they even think is infringing copyright of any kind.

I understand this is what is scaring a lot of people, but as far as I can gather, this bill isn't changing legal definitions of what constitutes copyright infringement, there will still be such a thing as fair use, and if they abuse it, they're going to lose it.

No, you're right that it's not changing any of that. What it's changing is it's taking the power from the people who's job is to protect us (whether they do that or not is up for debate) and putting it in the hands of those who's job is to protect their bottom line. How this doesn't sound like lunacy to you is beyond me.

I also don't know what you mean about them losing it. It's not like the DMCA hasn't been raped over a barrel many times already. They ARE going to abuse it, and anyone without enough money for a lawyer isn't going to be able to call them out on it.

 

[Irridium]

I just hate the whole thing because the anti-SOPA protests are so full of ignorance and misinformation that it just makes protesters look like a bunch of tools.

I agree that SOPA is a flawed piece of legislation and that it probably shouldn't be passed, but labeling it as a censorship bill makes you look like a supreme idiot. ENFORCING COPYRIGHT LAW IS NOT CENSORSHIP, the first amendment or any other free speech laws do not go hand in hand with general anarchy on the internet.

If I broke into your home, stole a bunch of your property, brought it over to my home and set up a shop selling your goods, would it make sense if I told you that you can't do anything about it because I have a right to freedom of speech?

companies will try to censor things they simply don't like, or things they even think is infringing copyright of any kind.

I understand this is what is scaring a lot of people, but as far as I can gather, this bill isn't changing legal definitions of what constitutes copyright infringement, there will still be such a thing as fair use, and if they abuse it, they're going to lose it.

They've been abusing the DMCA pretty much since its inception in 1999. And that law is still here.

You can see this abuse the most on youtube, where videos are constantly taken down regardless of if they violate any law or not, by either the MPAA, RIAA, any other corporation, or any other person who feels like being a dick.

The people pushing this bill have proven that they will abuse whatever power they're given, and use it to shut down things they don't like. Regardless of if those things violate copyright or not.