How SOPA (as written) might kill ATS and free speech online (UPDATED)

Originally posted by Skyfloating
Wouldnt a quick site-wide targeted-search bring up all pirated content so that it can be removed manually? I know that anti-piracy companies work with such searches...

How does that eliminate the risk of a paid poster intentionally posting such content, then complaining and getting the site shut down?

Yeah, it would be that easy.

I recommend everyone is the USA become familar with software such as this...assuming it would do any good in the future.

The Unblock Websites Proxy Program

Our unblock Web sites tool acts as an anonymous proxy server by tricking the firewall into thinking that you are visiting some other unblocked Web site.

I have a feeling software like this will become easier to find in coming years...or something similar that affects the DNS servers. This is going to be a heck of a fight, on both sides.

reply to post by Stryc9nine


thanks
I tend to lace most things with a tinge of sarcasm....though in text it sometimes does not come across...

-Christosterone

Originally posted by zooplancton
it's too bad nobody will pay attention to this type of post on Facebook. yesterday I posted the NDAA on FB and a whopping 2 friends replied or signed petitions...

Well I posted it on FB. Maybe 2 friends is enough. Remember that 80's shampoo commercial? "I told 2 friends and they told 2 friends and so on and so on......" Doing something is better than taking it.

I don't know why there isn't a HUGE outcry over this. I see Americans all the time saying, "My rights allow me to say anything I want." That isn't what the 1st Amendment is about:

The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances.

en.wikipedia.org...

THIS is what the 1st is all about. Make some noise people. Don't be apathetic. Some would say, "What's the use? The gov't is going to do what they want anyway." Didn't the people, and many organizations, get the Patriot Act 2 trashed? It can be done.

This is horrendous, no doubt about it. This has the potential to take what is perhaps the most important and advanced tool for human communication, commerce, creativity, and collaboration in history, and turn it into a shell of its former self and potential. I will oppose this with every ounce of my capabilities within the law (which isn't much, granted... but it's better than nothing.)

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is this man Lamar S. Smith Who is the sponsor of the bill.



Lamar Seeligson Smith (born November 19, 1947) is the U.S. Representative for Texas's 21st congressional district, serving since 1987. The district includes most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as well as nearly all of the Texas Hill Country. Congressman Smith introduced SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act.

His continual strategy during this whole debate has been denial that the bill does anything that any of the people against it says it does for example

"The criticism of this bill is completely hypothetical; none of it is based in reality," Smith said in a statement to Roll Call. "Not one of the critics was able to point to any language in the bill that would in any way harm the Internet. Their accusations are simply not supported by any facts."

and

There’s nothing they can point to that does what they say it does do. I think their fears are unfounded."

If anyone needs to hear about peoples displeasure then it's this guy. Mr Smith is of course a publicly elected official......

source1

wiki

roll call

Originally posted by jude11
What danger does downloading movies/music pose?

edit on 5-1-2012 by jude11 because: (no reason given)

Absolutely none of course. Most people I know only download things as a "try before you buy" thing.
Myself included. I like to sample content before I fork out my cash for it, if I'm unhappy with it, I delete it.
If I like it, I purchase it the next available chance I get.

What this act most probably sets out to do is screw us. As others have suggested. And I agree.

Censorship blows.

I know jude's question which I quoted was rhetorical, btw. And a great post from Jude too. Star and Flag Skeptic.

This can only end badly.

The thing about bills, that mostly goes unmentioned, is the brutish competitive nature of it all. Like any sport, or famed occupation, congressmen and representatives get hooked on a bill, and once they hook it, they must win. It doesn't matter if the bill sucks, even if it causes more trouble than is really needed, they just have to win it like a pro-golfer needs to win trophies. The more controversial the bill, the deeper they hook in to win. The bigger the trophy, the larger the pride.

The more bills, the more trophies. Look at me, I have some really big trophies. I have seven trophies. I'm special.

Vanity, all vanity. This man, Lamar S. Smith, just wants to finish the bill, because it's a big special super bill. This 65 year old buffoon does not care about intellectual property rights on the internet. He cares about winning. He wants his big trophy.

This happens with almost every major bill, big names and small names sign-on to get to be a part of the trophy. "I sponsored three big bills in my career." '.... but those bills accomplished nothing and caused a lot of strife, and people are suffering... ' "You don't understand, I have really nice trophies now." Also, lot's of corporate greenbacks.... Once you understand the language, all is clear.

Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas
Vanity of vanities; all is vanity

Originally posted by zooplancton
dog speed ATS!
crossings fingers. signed 3 petitions today.
it's too bad nobody will pay attention to this type of post on Facebook. yesterday I posted the NDAA on FB and a whopping 2 friends replied or signed petitions...

edit: signed up for town hall. thx for the heads up.

edit on 1/5/2012 by zooplancton because: (no reason given)

edit on 1/5/2012 by zooplancton because: (no reason given)

edit on 1/5/2012 by zooplancton because: (no reason given)

Even facebook is censoring the News about "SOPA" OR "NDAA" by filtering the URL or linked page by scanning content.

Remember, folks, piracy is bad....

Originally posted by Fractured.Facade

How does that eliminate the risk of a paid poster intentionally posting such content, then complaining and getting the site shut down?

Am I the only one here who thinks at the end of the day the Government wouldnt dare implement such measures? If they do, the Internet would collapse, causing mass revolt. The legislators may be dumb, but they're not that dumb.

I`ll cry wolf when it really happens.

My prediction: This site will still be up and well in 10 years from now.

I have to chuckle. Don't get me wrong I love the internet, but the internet as most people know it is hardly even 10 years old, and now we can't live without it !

During the 90's when us computer enthusiasts (otherwise known as nerds or geeks) were experimenting with communicating with other computers it was all great fun and very exciting.

I find much of it now completely boring.

If these laws come to pass it's big business that will be hurt. Maybe the enthusiasts can get back to finding ways to still communicate while everyone else is looking at blank screens.

Originally posted by Skyfloating

Originally posted by Fractured.Facade

How does that eliminate the risk of a paid poster intentionally posting such content, then complaining and getting the site shut down?

Am I the only one here who thinks at the end of the day the Government wouldnt dare implement such measures? If they do, the Internet would collapse, causing mass revolt. The legislators may be dumb, but they're not that dumb.

The level of dumbness is irrelevant compared to the influence of government elite and lobbyists. In that regard, yeah, they are THAT dumb.

My prediction: This site will still be up and well in 10 years from now.

I love optimism.

10 years from now?

Hmmmm

You don't want my prediction... I promise!

Although I'm worried about SOPA and will write my congressman about it, even if it does get passed it does not spell the end of the internet.

SOPA is about domain name blocking - DNS. It is impossible to block standard IP notation requests without installing some type of Firewall akin to the "Great Wall of China" - which would be next to impossible in this Country.

So even if SOPA allows the Feds to erase a domain (DNS) record for abovetopsecret.com, you would still be able to put in 67.228.0.162... in your address bar and connect to ATS.
You may be thinking, oh thats great but what if I don't have the IP address? That's what links were for, back in the day (because DNS hadn't been invented yet.). Hyperlinks are your friend, am I'm sure that there would be link sites all over the place directing you to where you want to go.

Secondly, you aren't FORCED to use TLD Domain name servers. There are a couple initiatives out there who are running their own DNS TLD (top level domain) servers that are "Open and Free". Not to be confused with gTLD (generic top level domains) which are .com / .gov / .mil / .edu etc.

So, in the event SOPA gets approved and they start "blocking websites" - all you need to do is get the server information for an "off shore" DNS Server and start using that. Good to go.

I for one very, very very verrrrry seriously doubt the Feds, even with SOPA and PIPA will keep the Internet down. Do I approve of it? HELL NO - but do I fear it? I fear how the bill reflects what OUR elected officials think they can get away with!

As discussed previously, there are numerous ways to abuse and manipulate the system that would result from SOPA. And our question is, can we trust the government and corporations and corporate affiliates to NOT abuse the system? No. Why? Because they have already proven untrustworthy, and quite willing to sacrifice our rights to further their aims. There is only one acceptable option here: Fight. Fight for our intellectual freedom, and the limitless exchange of information. Copyright is a pretense; they want to stop us from collaborating in discovering what they have done wrong. Everything they have hidden from us, every lie they have told to us, has the truth posted somewhere on the Internet. They want to keep us from finding it, from know what they are up to and what their crimes are. Many of our fears concerning SOPA are very valid. Every issue and problem raised, has a good point. We can't let it slide. We have to fight.

I wrote my congressman. He was one of the few to oppose the 'indefinite detention' of Americans so I have hopes that he'll fall on the right side of this but his stance is unknown at the moment.

I completely agree. SOPA will kill the easiest method of free speech ever invented (that we know of).

Signed the petition.

Originally posted by Fractured.Facade
How does that eliminate the risk of a paid poster intentionally posting such content, then complaining and getting the site shut down?

Oddly, I had thought of a similiar scenario which could run rampant when I first read the OP. Any site, whether it be social networking or not, could be sabotaged.

Other ramifications such as Martin Luther King's plagairisms and JFK's speech which included part of Kahlil Gibran's works unmentioned could be a payola for historical revisionists.

Anonymous' ranks would swell, Internet businesses would go under biting the ailing economy again, and the poisoned WWW would be rendered a dead horse.

Originally posted by zeeon
So even if SOPA allows the Feds to erase a domain (DNS) record for abovetopsecret.com, you would still be able to put in 67.228.0.162... in your address bar and connect to ATS.

I suppose you trained in Afghanistan with the Taliban? Seriously, this type of discussion - bypassing SOPA and DeSOPA, all that will happen is you'll be branded a criminal/terrorist, pepper sprayed, tazed, and detained indefinitely.

Acting like - this isn't dangerous is misguided. Its a brick in the wall (its about half the wall). It justifies them going out and finding more bricks and mortar. Just like the Patriot Act has justified so much evil in this country.

God Help Us when they finish the wall.

Originally posted by ararisq

Originally posted by zeeon
So even if SOPA allows the Feds to erase a domain (DNS) record for abovetopsecret.com, you would still be able to put in 67.228.0.162... in your address bar and connect to ATS.

I suppose you trained in Afghanistan with the Taliban? Seriously, this type of discussion - bypassing SOPA and DeSOPA, all that will happen is you'll be branded a criminal/terrorist, pepper sprayed, tazed, and detained indefinitely.

Well, I hope your being sarcastic with that Taliban statement. I sir am a Patriot, honorably serving my Country in her Navy for the last 12 years, so no I was not trained in Afghanistan with the Taliban.