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  • SOPA and PIPA put on hold!!!

    Congress Puts SOPA, PIPA on Hold

    By Jared Newman, PCWorld Jan 20, 2012 10:00 AM

    Rocked by Internet protests, the U.S. Congress is postponing action on the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act.

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was scheduled to call a vote for PIPA on January 24. That was before Internet users and prominent websites staged a day of protest on Wednesday, which included a censored Google Doodle and blackouts of Wikipedia, Craigslist and Reddit. In light of the protests, several lawmakers withdrew their sponsorships of SOPA and PIPA, while others came out in opposition to the bill.

    PIPA, and its House of Representatives counterpart SOPA, would give the U.S. Attorney General powers to cut off ad dollars, payments, and search engine indexing to websites accused of facilitating copyright infringement. Critics argue that the bills are too broad and would therefore result in collateral damage and censorship.

    Now, Reid is calling for changes.

    “There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved," Reid says in a statement, adding that the Senate must take action to stop piracy.

    PIPA/SOPA supporter Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), miffed by this sudden turn of events, offers his own statement. “I understand and respect Majority Leader Reid’s decision ... But the day will come when the Senators who forced this move will look back and realize they made a knee-jerk reaction to a monumental problem.”

    Meanwhile, in Congress, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) announced that consideration of SOPA is on hold indefinitely. A hearing on the bill in the Judiciary Committee had been scheduled to resume in February.

    “I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith says in a statement. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”
    ========================================

    We did it! A rare case of common sense broke out and they stopped these abysmal bills from going through. Finally, politicians listening to what the people want instead of listening to big money. Think it'll last?
    Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

    Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

  • #2
    No idea but its a welcome development :)

    This act would have made google censor its info or close shop kinda like what happened in China.

    Oh, what irony.
    Last edited by Double Edge; 21 Jan 12,, 00:44.

    Comment


    • #3
      Don't relax yet..

      Lamar Smith has authored another retarded bill

      The Legislation That Could Kill Internet Privacy for Good - Conor Friedersdorf - Politics - The Atlantic

      H.R. 1981: Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 (GovTrack.us)
      "Who says organization, says oligarchy"

      Comment


      • #4
        Jesus Christ, what is it with these people?! He use up his yearly quota of good sense when he withdrew SOPA?!
        Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

        Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

        Comment


        • #5
          I don't think they understand how much shits going to fly. It may be about time to migrate to the deep web.....if that would even help.

          Comment


          • #6
            A battle has been fought to stalemate, but the war continues..

            Comment


            • #7
              When Chris Dodd is your spokesman - your group sucks

              MPAA Directly & Publicly Threatens Politicians Who Aren't Corrupt Enough To Stay Bought
              from the sickening dept
              MPAA Directly & Publicly Threatens Politicians Who Aren't Corrupt Enough To Stay Bought | Techdirt
              Reinforcing the fact that Chris Dodd really does not get what's happening, and showing just how disgustingly corrupt the MPAA relationship is with politicians, Chris Dodd went on Fox News to explicitly threaten politicians who accept MPAA campaign donations that they'd better pass Hollywood's favorite legislation... or else:

              "Those who count on quote 'Hollywood' for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don't ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don't pay any attention to me when my job is at stake,"

              This certainly follows what many people assumed was happening, and fits with the anonymous comments from studio execs that they will stop contributing to Obama, but to be so blatant about this kind of corruption and money-for-laws politics in the face of an extremely angry public is a really, really, really tone deaf response from Dodd.

              It shows, yet again, that he just doesn't get it. People were protesting not just because of the content of these bills, but because of the corrupt process of big industries like Dodd's "buying" politicians and "buying" laws. To then come out and make that threat explicit isn't a way to fix things or win back the public. It's just going to get them more upset, and to recognize just how corrupt this process is. If Dodd, as he said in yesterday's NY Times, really wanted to turn things around and come to a more reasonable result, this is exactly how not to do it. It shows, yet again, a DC-insider's mindset. He used Fox News to try to "send a message" to politicians. But the internet already sent a much louder message... and, even worse for Dodd, he bizarrely sent his message in a way that everyone who's already fed up with this kind of corruption can see it too. It really makes you wonder what he's thinking and how someone so incompetent at this could keep his job.

              The MPAA doesn't need a DC insider explicitly demanding the right to buy laws and buy politicians. The MPAA needs a reformer, one who helps guide Hollywood into the opportunities of a new market place. The MPAA needs someone who actually understands the internet, and helps lead the studios forward. That's apparently not Chris Dodd.

              Public Knowledge issued a fantastic statement that not only highlights the ridiculousness of Dodd's threats, but also the hypocrisy of the Hollywood studios on this issue:

              Public Knowledge welcomes constructive dialog with people from all affected sectors about issues surrounding copyright, the state of the movie industry and related concerns. Cybersecurity experts, Internet engineers, venture capitalists, artists, entrepreneurs, human rights advocates, law professors, consumers and public-interest organizations, among others should be included. They were shut out of the process for these bills.

              We suggest that in the meantime, if the MPAA is truly concerned about the jobs of truck drivers and others in the industry, then it can bring its overseas filming back to the U.S. and create more jobs. It could stop holding states hostage for millions of dollars in subsidies that strained state budgets can’t afford while pushing special-interest bills through state legislatures. While that happens, discussions could take place.
              To sit down with these men and deal with them as the representatives of an enlightened and civilized people is to deride ones own dignity and to invite the disaster of their treachery - General Matthew Ridgway

              Comment


              • #8
                As long as there are people in government that adhere to this kind of dated pre-internet mentality, these laws are going to keep coming. The answer isn't to control the internet, rather it's to adapt to it, and someone needs to drill that into those politicians' heads.
                "Draft beer, not people."

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Red Team View Post
                  As long as there are people in government that adhere to this kind of dated pre-internet mentality, these laws are going to keep coming. The answer isn't to control the internet, rather it's to adapt to it, and someone needs to drill that into those politicians' heads.
                  You would have thought Itunes to be a salutary lession to them but seemingly not.
                  In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                  Leibniz

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hollywood still has too much money for them to realize this in the near future
                    Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

                    Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by bigross86 View Post
                      We did it! A rare case of common sense broke out and they stopped these abysmal bills from going through. Finally, politicians listening to what the people want instead of listening to big money. Think it'll last?
                      All the way to friday. When the Feds stretched their international arm and shut down Megaupload/megavideo.

                      If they already have this power, why do we need SOPA/PIPA?

                      Megaupload shutdown raises new Internet-sharing fears - The Washington Post

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I saw that, but apparently that investigation was running for a couple years already, the arrests just came with really funky timing
                        Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

                        Abusing Yellow is meant to be a labor of love, not something you sell to the highest bidder.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Gun Grape View Post
                          All the way to friday. When the Feds stretched their international arm and shut down Megaupload/megavideo.

                          If they already have this power, why do we need SOPA/PIPA?

                          Megaupload shutdown raises new Internet-sharing fears - The Washington Post
                          They went after Megaupload because the owner/operators were living in New Zealand. The NZ Govt. and police are happy to have their tummy's scratched by the FBI, I doubt the FBI would have been able to do this if the operators had been based in the States or Europe.
                          In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                          Leibniz

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I'm fine with not being able to download a free copy of a copyrighted object. That is already illegal - this new legislation lets them do more than that, it lets them force people to prove they aren't guilty. Many people don't have the resources to do that.

                            When they catch someone breaking the law - then they can stop them right away, they shouldn't have to go to court first to stop a crime - if they are wrong - thet need to be held accountable. Laws like SOPA - PIPA reduce the accountability in cases like these. The porno bill is way out there - investigate everyone? That sounds like a police state law. Who has never browsed a site they weren't interested in explaining?
                            sigpic"If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
                            If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children."

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Parihaka View Post
                              They went after Megaupload because the owner/operators were living in New Zealand. The NZ Govt. and police are happy to have their tummy's scratched by the FBI, I doubt the FBI would have been able to do this if the operators had been based in the States or Europe.
                              So, the details are starting to leak out. Looks like the FBI intel on this guy are a complete load of bullshit
                              Elite Anti-Terror Police Went After Megaupload’s Kim Dotcom
                              enigmaxFebruary 7, 2012142 MegaUploadPrint
                              While last month’s shutdown of Megaupload has been well documented, the finer details of the raid on Kim Dotcom’s mansion have only just been revealed. A new and astonishing report features a house tour and in-depth discussion with Dotcom’s bodyguard. He was confronted by dozens of armed police, some from New Zealand’s elite anti-terrorist force, who also demanded of a nanny: “Do you have any bombs?!”

                              Even after taking in the details of today’s 3Newz report several times, it is harder than ever to comprehend what happened at the Dotcom mansion last month.

                              We knew that dozens of police swooped on the location in helicopters and we knew they were armed. But what is even more unbelievable is that some of them were from the Special Tactics Group, New Zealand’s elite counter-terrorist force.

                              STG, nicknamed “Super Tough Guys”, train with the country’s Special Air Force and are sent in to deal with the most violent of offenders. Yet no one in the Dotcom household had any record of violence. Indeed, their main target was a man suspected of online copyright infringement – a computer related offense.

                              Wayne Tempero, Dotcom’s bodyguard, told 3Newz that the police were armed with assault rifles and sidearms – STG are known to use M4A3 carbines and Glock pistols. Tempero explained that two firearms were held in Dotcom mansion – two shotguns, both his, legal, fully licensed and locked away in safes.

                              At 06:45 Tempero was woken by a “horrendous noise” and after dressing and running outside he was confronted by a huge cloud of dust being kicked up a helicopter hovering just above the ground.

                              Tempero, wearing just a t-shirt and track pants with his hands held up, and was ordered by a flak jacket wearing armed officer to lie on the floor. Tempero said that the noise of the helicopter and doors being smashed elsewhere on the property was so loud that if the police did identify themselves, he didn’t hear them.

                              The armed police went into the indoor play area which had 3 kids inside – one aged 3, one 4 and another 15 months, together with their Filipino nannies. From there they proceeded to one of the nannies’ rooms, kicked the door down and demanded to know if she had any firearms – or bombs.

                              Tempero said he asked the nanny twice if she was sure they asked if she had bombs – she said she was. “Maybe that’s the kind of thing that Filipino nannies do,” Tempero said.

                              Outside people were being handcuffed and put on the floor. Two security guards, Tempero himself and the Filipino staff, were placed next to a van containing barking dogs.

                              Meanwhile the police had gone upstairs and were trying to smash down the door to Kim Dotcom’s quarters. Tempero said Dotcom’s wife tried to give them the security code but they weren’t interested and told her to go downstairs.

                              Police smashed down three doors to get to Kim and when Tempero was allowed back upstairs, six officers with sledgehammers and a circular saw were trying to smash into what they thought was Dotcom’s hiding place. It was in fact a broken service elevator/dumb waiter (below).


                              Dotcom had actually followed a prearranged plan formulated by his bodyguard which involved him hiding in the “Red Room” to ensure his safety. Tempero was asked what would have happened if a couple of police had simply turned up and asked for Dotcom to come down.

                              “He would have complied with everything, we would have sat at the large table, he would’ve probably offered them breakfast and he would have complied with everything,” Tempero said.

                              “Would he have done anything to destroy the hard drive, to take down Megaupload?” 3Newz asked. “Certainly not, why would he? He would be destroying his defense,” Tempero responded.


                              Despite the massive police and apparent counter-terrorist operation against him, Dotcom was in the Red Room alone for more than half an hour.

                              “If Kim had a Doomsday setup where he could delete his harddrive or takedown Megaupload, would there have been sufficient time for him to do that had that been his intention?” questioned 3Newz.

                              “He could’ve done that within seconds,” said Tempero.

                              There can be little doubt that Kim Dotcom and the other operators of Megaupload are accused of serious crimes and ultimately a court will decide if they are innocent or guilty. But whatever the scale of the alleged offenses, these are ‘white collar’ issues – computer matters – and whatever he may or may not have done, Kim Dotcom is not a terrorist and has never been accused of being one.

                              Here’s the excellent 3Newz video report. It’s over 10 minutes long but worth the time.

                              Judging by the 3Newz reporter’s tone, he’s struggling to see the connection between the alleged offenses and the response by the authorities. And he isn’t the only one.
                              Furthermore, despite it yet to have been outlined what New Zealand laws this guy has supposedly broken, his assets including his business have been seized, his family has been turfed out of their home and all household goods seized, he has been refused bail, he has not been officially charged despite being held for over two weeks (details are under court suppression) and the FBI have apparently gained ownership over his NZ based servers and have deleted them.
                              The NZ Police are going to be answering some very pointed questions about illegal imprisonment search and seizure over the next few weeks.
                              In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

                              Leibniz

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