SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

[Firewind]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

Firewind's Guide on How to bypass the Wiki Blackout:

Step 1) Turn off Javascript or turn on NoScript if you use Firefox
Step 2) ???
Step 3) Profit

[cidbahamut]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

Well, yeah...

In other news, my congressman has tweeted his opposition to SOPA. Apparently the house servers crashed pretty hard today and he's had to take stuff over to social media b/c the government servers simply can't handle the influx of traffic this issue has generated. Go team!

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

David Pescovitz of Boing Boing just said something that I've been saying since the Napster days.

This pending US legislation does nothing but support the Hollywood studios, multinational record labels, and huge global publishers who are unable or unwilling to keep up with the future. The proponents of this legislation fear the future, and the openness it promises. And so even as their old models are dying, Big Media is attempting to hold on to a false sense of hope without a care of how their actions would impact the rest of the Web. If their efforts didn't pose such a threat to Internet security, free speech, and innovation, they would just seem pathetic. But as it stands, this legislation poses a very real and dangerous risk to the infrastructure of the Internet and our online freedom.

[Malacite]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

CNN was just talking about it about an hour ago, and as it turns out many congressmen - including Marco Rubio, a co-sponsor of the bill - have dropped support. At this point it's looking like it won't even come up for a vote.

I think it's safe to say we won, at least this round.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

Rubio was the co-sponsor for PIPA, just to be clear. However, while that's good that Rubio is backing out, Reid is still all for PIPA.

And Lamar Smith is ready to resume hearings on SOPA in February because he feels its a big bipartisan win and job-creator. What an idiot.

[cidbahamut]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

CNN was just talking about it about an hour ago, and as it turns out many congressmen - including Marco Rubio, a co-sponsor of the bill - have dropped support. At this point it's looking like it won't even come up for a vote.

I think it's safe to say we won, at least this round.

I'd be much happier if it came up for a vote and got utterly trounced. Letting it reside in limbo makes me uneasy as it allows for the possibility of revision and sneaking it through later after attention is turned elsewhere. Still, it's good that it isn't getting passed.

---------- Post added at 03:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:36 PM ----------

David Pescovitz of Boing Boing just said something that I've been saying since the Napster days.

Now I feel old

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

Even with the senators and congressmen backing out, I won't really be satisfied until the ESA, RIAA and MPAA drop it.

Moreso the ESA than the other two, the RIAA and MPAA won't give it up.

Word is from Jimmy Wales that the House system is down now, lots of pissed of people calling in has crashed the system. Now to crash the Senate...

[jenova_9]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

destructoid is on strike
http://destructoid.com/

[cidbahamut]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

Well the nightly news did a terribly biased job of covering the SOPA black out event. I'm thoroughly disgusted.

[Malacite]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

You mean Brian Williams? I missed him tonight, wanted to see how they handled this story. Usually they're pretty fair - hell, Time-Warner is in support of SOPA but that didn't stop CNN from talking about it in a serious manner.

[Raydeus]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

Nice seeing the blackout had an effect.

Although I have to say the media is doing their very best to minimize the importance in all of this and never reporting any of the reasons to oppose it, just skimming on the details and dismissing the event as fast as they possibly can. For instance CNN said only a "handful" of sites were down.

[Armando]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

Although I have to say the media is doing their very best to minimize the importance in all of this and never reporting any of the reasons to oppose it, just skimming on the details and dismissing the event as fast as they possibly can. For instance CNN said only a "handful" of sites were down.

Probably because the TV peoples live in constant fear of the day the Interwebs will fully replace them.

[Ketaru]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

There was a brief comment on CNN about their parent company being in support of SOPA, so even if they know that pretty much everyone watching is not in favor, I suppose the best they can do is report on it very dispassionately.

Even with the senators and congressmen backing out, I won't really be satisfied until the ESA, RIAA and MPAA drop it.

Moreso the ESA than the other two, the RIAA and MPAA won't give it up.

...Yeah, that ain't happening.

[Malacite]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

Well, if nothing else this (along with the events of 2011) really proves that you can't underestimate the impact of social media.

It should also serve as a wake-up call for anyone so jaded as to think a single vote doesn't matter. All you need is conviction and to make your voice heard, and people will notice.

tl;dr people need to stop bitching and actually take an active role in things.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) / Is this for real?

Internet SOPA/PIPA Revolt: Don't Declare Victory Yet | Threat Level | Wired.com

I don't think we should consider it over anyway. We proved we can go without some of our favorite sites for a day and scared some politicans into some semblance of rational thought. Its important that Rep. Darrell Issa's alternative bill get some attention as its a bill that addresses PIPA and SOPA's highlighted concerns without all the garbage found in those two. It more or less takes infringement claims to a the US International Trade Commission for investigation and action as opposed to ordering the shutdown of sites with no due process or ability to appeal like SOPA/PIPA would like to do. It works under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

Yeah the DMCA - a little bill we passed some 14 years ago that already addressed the concerns of the proponents of PIPA/SOPA. They've had 14 year to update their fucking business models and many still haven't and now have the audacity to tell the rest of the world how they should use the internet. Some at the RIAA still don't see the internet as a resource, even though the landscape of the music industry was the first to be radially reshaped by the internet.