Official SOPA/PIPA thread

[Agent Sorchus]

Alyseka do you have a link to the admission of bribery by Dodd?

[Alyeska]

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201201 ... ught.shtml

[Alyeska]

Surprise surprise. Chris Dodd is a lying sack of shit.

http://www.salon.com/2012/01/18/chris_d ... crusading/

[Dave]

Ars Technica floats the idea that the GOP could win favor with the public by opposing SOPA/PIPA (to counter the Democrats who are supposedly paid by Hollywood).

I don't claim to be familiar enough with politics to be able to comment intelligently on the topic, though.

[Alyeska]

It could very well happen. Businesses are known to support political interests that the majority individuals of the business oppose. The senior members of an organization might vote one party but support another through the business.

The Tech Industry is made up for more educated individuals. They are far less likely to support GOP interests on an individual basis. But the group think in a business, they could very well support the GOP.

[Alyeska]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/01/1 ... tay-bought

More content producers trying to kill public support.

“[The bill] is an issue that has no business being decided politically – by anybody on one side or the other – and the fact that it might be becoming a political issue is unfair to the content producers,” said Hindery, who’s contributed more than $3 million to Democratic candidates and groups.

[CaptainChewbacca]

You know, I wouldn't have thought the polarization would go this way, but with Republicans trying to paint themselves as the party of 'freedom and small government' it seems that the Democrats are getting stuck on the side of big business and hollywood, which are 2 things middle america hates and politicians can score easy points by opposing.

[Simon_Jester]

It's possible. Never underestimate the Democratic Party's ability to paint a target on its own forehead.

[Alyeska]

Chris Dodd managed to ignite a fire storm. They have managed to amass half the required signatures to get an official White House response. In less then a day.

[Eleas]

I've never understood this, so could someone in the know give me a clue: why is Dennis Kucinich considered "unelectable"? Is it excessive sanity and/or morals? Or is it the very catch-22 that the corporations he'd like neutered would rather he didn't have the influence necessary to make lasting changes?

I mean, shit. After Obama, I'm not naïve enough to elevate anyone in American politics, even Kucinich, to the status of saint. But the fact remains that the man has been steadfast and consistent in his pursuit of better, saner politics and constitutional checks and balances, and made this choice at great cost to his influence. Your country should be proud of him; the least he deserves is a vote.

[Simon_Jester]

I don't think he's unelectable. He's run successful congressional campaigns several times. He lost the presidential nomination in 2008 to Obama, but I don't think it was because of inherent unelectability- had he run in the general I'm pretty sure he'd have won.

[K. A. Pital]

ACTA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Count ... _Agreement
More of the same crazy shit.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Whatever happenned to Anonymous' threats to take down websites in response to the Megaupload thing?

[Thanas]

De-stickifying it.

[CaptainChewbacca]

More about ACTA

This is interesting. Kader Arif, the "rapporteur" for ACTA, has quit that role in disgust over the process behind getting the EU to sign onto ACTA. A rapporteur is a person "appointed by a deliberative body to investigate an issue." However, it appears his investigation of ACTA didn't make him very pleased:

I want to denounce in the strongest possible manner the entire process that led to the signature of this agreement: no inclusion of civil society organisations, a lack of transparency from the start of the negotiations, repeated postponing of the signature of the text without an explanation being ever given, exclusion of the EU Parliament's demands that were expressed on several occasions in our assembly.

As rapporteur of this text, I have faced never-before-seen manoeuvres from the right wing of this Parliament to impose a rushed calendar before public opinion could be alerted, thus depriving the Parliament of its right to expression and of the tools at its disposal to convey citizens' legitimate demands.”

Everyone knows the ACTA agreement is problematic, whether it is its impact on civil liberties, the way it makes Internet access providers liable, its consequences on generic drugs manufacturing, or how little protection it gives to our geographical indications.

This agreement might have major consequences on citizens' lives, and still, everything is being done to prevent the European Parliament from having its say in this matter. That is why today, as I release this report for which I was in charge, I want to send a strong signal and alert the public opinion about this unacceptable situation. I will not take part in this masquerade.

Pretty rare to find such direct honesty in political circles. That's quite a direct and clear condemnation of the entire process. In terms of process, it will be interesting to see if this has an impact. While the EU did sign on to ACTA today, it still needs to be ratified by the European Parliament (more on that in a little while). Having Arif quit makes a pretty big statement, and hopefully makes it easier for Parliament Members to speak out loudly against ACTA... Still, this is an uphill battle. The supporters of ACTA have been working to get ACTA approved for years. To them, this is basically a done deal.

So the man that the European Parliament appointed to look further into it was so disgusted by it he resigned. Doesn't look good for ACTA.

[K. A. Pital]

A law which allows people to seize and check your computers, hard drives, flash cards etc. at the border is just nuts. No wonder this guy puked when he saw it. Any normal person would do the same.

[CaptainChewbacca]

And Hawaii is trying to do even better!

Hawaii's legislature is weighing an unprecedented proposal to curb the privacy of Aloha State residents: requiring Internet providers to keep track of every Web site their customers visit.

Its House of Representatives has scheduled a hearing this morning on a new bill (PDF) requiring the creation of virtual dossiers on state residents. The measure, H.B. 2288, says "Internet destination history information" and "subscriber's information" such as name and address must be saved for two years.

H.B. 2288, which was introduced Friday, says the dossiers must include a list of Internet Protocol addresses and domain names visited. Democratic Rep. John Mizuno of Oahu is the lead sponsor; Mizuno also introduced H.B. 2287, a computer crime bill, at the same time last week.

They will maintain a comprehensive file on every website you visit, going back two years. Who needs the 4th amendment?

[Molyneux]

Whatever happenned to Anonymous' threats to take down websites in response to the Megaupload thing?

It happened. Didn't you see the articles about it?

Anonymous supporters attacked the websites of the Department of Justice, the FBI and Universal Music Group, among others. The hacktivists used a technique called a Distributed Denial of Service to overload their targets with web traffic and effectively force them offline.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Whatever happenned to Anonymous' threats to take down websites in response to the Megaupload thing?

It happened. Didn't you see the articles about it?

Anonymous supporters attacked the websites of the Department of Justice, the FBI and Universal Music Group, among others. The hacktivists used a technique called a Distributed Denial of Service to overload their targets with web traffic and effectively force them offline.

Nope, totally missed those. I figured that if anything like that happenned there would be a thread about it somewhere on SDN. My faith is shaken, but oh well.

[Shroom Man 777]

Because that's exactly what we need to wake up from this slumbering, do-nothing, "occupy everything," stagnant, non-action slump we Americans are in.

"Protest schemes that don't cost the participants any inconvenience, hardship or money remain the most popular, despite their ineffectiveness."
-Snopes

We're a country where people think that...

Boycotting gas for a day makes a difference. It doesn't. Delaying when you buy gas by a day only broadcasts your intentions to oil speculators so they can profit. And the oil still gets purchased a day before or after anyway.

Neurotically recycling every single shred of garbage in your home makes a difference. It doesn't. Even if you, your neighbors, and everyone you've ever met recycled everything and reduced your waste output to zero, it wouldn't even make an observable impact on overall waste production in the world. Household waste and garden residue account for less than 3% of all waste produced in the US. That's less than the average statistical margin of error, and most people don't even come close to producing zero waste.

Changing your profile picture on Facebook will get people to: A) stop abusing kids B) stop molesting kids C) stop killing kids and D) do anything.

Signing an online petition, or changing the front page of your website to protest SOPA will fix anything.

SOPA is the "Stop Online Piracy Act." It's a shitty piece of legislation put together by puppetmaster lobbyists and politician puppets who don't know IP addresses from their assholes. My problem with this huge online protest against SOPA, and the reason I rarely take part in such protests, is because it doesn't address any problems, only the symptom. The problem isn't this shitty bill, it's the people who sponsored it. So we protest this bill today, bang enough pots and pans to shame a few backers into not letting this bill pass, then what? Those same dipshits who wrote this legislation still have jobs. They're going to try again, and again, and again until some mutation of this legislation passes. They'll sneak it into an appropriation bill while nobody's looking during recess, because there's too much lobbyist money at stake for them not to. We defeat SOPA today, only to face it again tomorrow. It's like trying to stop a cold by blowing your nose. It's time we go after the virus.

There have been many bills attempted (and some passed) like SOPA before it. There's the DMCA act of 1998, PRO-IP Act of 2008, the 2011 Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, and now the PROTECT IP Act of 2012. Think this victory means anything? A new bill gets introduced every year or two like clockwork. Check back in a few years, and there'll be another SOPA or Protect IP Act being squeezed down the lower intestinal tracts of congress. And then what? We black out our websites again like a merry band of idiots?

Raising awareness is a great way of feeling good about yourself without actually doing anything. Be honest with yourself:

How much do you care about SOPA?

Would you be willing to:

Take time off work to go down to Washington DC?

Boycott companies that supported it?

Knock on this dickhead's door and ask him why he introduced such shitty legislation?

Lamar Smith (R-TX)

Make sure none of these losers get elected ever again?

Harry Reid (D-NV)
Howard Berman (D-CA)
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Mary Bono Mack (R-CA)
Steve Chabot (R-OH)
John Conyers (D-MI)
Ted Deutch (D-FL)
Elton Gallegly (R-CA)
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Timothy Griffin (R-AR)
Dennis A. Ross (R-FL)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Lee Terry (R-NE)

Because until or unless you do, all the loud clamoring isn't going to change shit. If you think it's too severe a punishment to fire these jackasses over this bill, then consider the fact that politicians who supported this piece of legislation either:

Supported it knowing its full implications, despite the fact that it would introduce security risks, hurt the economy, innovation and jobs and would lead to censorship.

Or that they supported the bill not knowing the full implications of this legislation, which means that they're ignorant, and they shouldn't have their jobs anyway.

As of this writing, enough of you whined and got your way. Great, you stopped SOPA.



It needs to get worse before it gets better. We need a really shitty piece of legislation like SOPA in this country to be the spark that ignites the lazy, idle tinders of protest. It's not uncommon or even controversial to say that Washington is corrupt. It doesn't cause anyone to bat an eye when you say it in public, with Republicans, Democrats or "other." That's a problem. We need SOPA to wake the sleeping giant in this country. It could have been our generation's Rodney King verdict. Instead of blacking out our websites, what we need to do is dismantle the system that created this bullshit. Enough is enough.

Instead of changing your Facebook icon to an anti-SOPA image for a day or two, here's something you can do that might make a real difference: boycott the companies that supported this legislation. There are too many to boycott all of them effectively, so I propose we pick two or three, hit them, and hit them hard. Punish them for putting their interests above ours. Hitting them in the wallet should send a message. I've highlighted the most difficult ones to boycott in red. The companies with the biggest return for our boycott are in yellow. Update (01-20-12): The list below is generated by Wikipedia and updated daily. I will create a poll for the most common suggestions I've received through email soon. The more we inconvenience ourselves, the more impact the boycott will have:

60 Plus Association
Actors Equity Association
ABC
Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP)
American Bankers Association (ABA)
American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
Americans for Tax Reform
Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies
Association of Talent Agents (ATA)
BMI
BMG Chrysalis
Building and Construction Trades Department
Capitol Records Nashville
CBS
Cengage Learning
Christian Music Trade Association
Church Music Publishers Association
Coalition Against Online Video Piracy (CAOVP)
Comcast/NBCUniversal
Concerned Women for America (CWA)
Congressional Fire Services Institute
Copyhype
Copyright Alliance
Coty Inc.
Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB)
Council of State Governments
Country Music Association
Country Music Television
Creative America
Deluxe Digital Studios
Directors Guild of America (DGA)
Disney Publishing Worldwide Inc.
Elsevier
ESPN
Este Lauder Companies
Foundation for Job Creation
Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
Gospel Music Association
Graphic Artists Guild
Hachette Book Group
HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide Inc.
Hyperion Books
Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA)
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF)
International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE)
International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
International Trademark Association (INTA)
International Union of Police Associations
LOreal
Lost Highway Records
Macmillan
Major County Sheriffs
Major League Baseball
Majority City Chiefs
Marvel Entertainment LLC
MasterCard Worldwide
MCA Records
McGraw-Hill Education
Mercury Nashville
Minor League Baseball (MiLB)
Minority Media & Telecom Council (MMTC)
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
Moving Picture Technicians
MPA The Association of Magazine Media
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)
National Center for Victims of Crime
National Criminal Justice Association
National District Attorneys Association
National Domestic Preparedness Coalition
National Football League
National Governors Association Economic Development and Commerce Committee
National League of Cities
National Narcotics Officers Associations Coalition
National Sheriffs Association (NSA)
National Songwriters Association
National Troopers Coalition
News Corporation
Nike Inc.
Pearson Education
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
Pfizer Inc.
Provident Music Group
Random House
Raulet Property Partners
Republic Nashville
Revlon
Scholastic Inc.
Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
SESAC
Showdog Universal Music
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Nashville
State International Development Organization (SIDO)
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)
Perseus Books Group
United States Conference of Mayors
Tiffany & Co.
Time Warner
True Religion Brand Jeans
UMG Publishing Group Nashville
United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Olympic Committee
United States Tennis Association
Universal Music
Universal Music Publishing Group
Viacom
Visa Inc.
W.W. Norton & Company
Wallace Bajjali Development Partners L.P.
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Nashville
Wolters Kluwer Health
Word Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
Zuffa LLC
Zumba Fitness LLC

***Note: This list is updated daily and pulled from Wikipedia. If there are any inaccuracies on this list, update them here.

The companies in red aren't impossible to boycott, just a lot more difficult because of their size. For example, you'd probably have to spend an hour of research every week just to make sure you weren't supporting a Viacom property if you chose to boycott them, and a boycott fewer than a few million strong probably won't matter to a company as large as Viacom. The companies in yellow stand a chance of getting some significant fallout from a boycott. There are a number of publishers on this list, including my own publisher. If the consensus I get from readers is that we should boycott publishers, I'll support the boycott even though it hurts me. However, publishing companies traditionally haven't gone after piracy as blindly and bone-headedly as the MPAA and RIAA, so there are more deserving targets. Update (01-19-12): they don't.

Which companies do you think deserve the boycott for SOPA? How would you propose we solve the problem that doesn't involve changing your Facebook profile picture? Email me. I'll update this site with a list. Keep it to the list of supporters. Updates soon.

Update (01-20-12):

So while snooping around on the Judiciary Committee's website yesterday, I came across an interesting article: a letter from the MPAA to the Judiciary, in which they made the economic case for why SOPA has to pass. Only problem is, they lied:



So where did they get their "2 million" jobs figure? Well, I did some more research and found the most likely culprit: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 2 million jobs for a category called "Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation." Except those stats include amusement parks and recreation industries (59% of which have service jobs--cooks, bartenders, waiters, amusement attendants, etc), and those numbers include workers in "gambling industries, museums, spectator sports," and "promoters." In fact, only 2.6% of the category is comprised of anything even remotely related to film and television: independent artists, writers, and performers.

Update (01-23-12):

Here's a poll for which company or companies you think the boycott would be most effective for. I received a lot of email from people saying "why not Viacom / CBS / Visa, etc?" The reason is because those companies are colossal. A boycott short of tens of millions of people would be meaningless. Plus they have many subsidiaries that don't support SOPA. If you wanted to boycott Visa, for example, you'd have to boycott all companies that use Visa, which are almost all companies. It's more effective to choose a few, and focus our efforts on them so the boycott is felt:

What's our goal?

A boycott is only effective if it has a goal, and our goal is, either:

The company stops supporting SOPA.

Or the company goes out of business.

Is this effective? Well, a company supporting SOPA is like a corporate lottery pool. If they hit the jackpot, they get their way and can meddle with the Internet endlessly, bending and twisting the rules to shut down sites no matter how innocuous they may be. But if the penalty for supporting the legislation is that a few of them go out of business, it would serve as a powerful deterrant to other companies supporting shitty legislation like this in the future. That's why it's important to pick a few of the small or middle-sized companies. It's like a lottery that you can join, but there's a 1-2% chance that you'll get killed by joining. Would you do it? Maybe, but if there's a chance that it could end your existence, you'd think twice. If SOPA loses support of the smaller companies, all that's left are the bigger ones, and we can effectively boycott them in the future if the targets are few and our efforts are focused enough.

If a company is chosen that you personally have no affiliation with (such as ESPN or L'Oreal), choose a company that does matter to you and boycott them instead.

Don't stay silent.

Boycotts need to be heard. Contact the company you're boycotting once you've made your decision, and let them know that you won't shop with them ever again until they stop supporting this shitty legislation. Make sure they know that their drop in business is attributed to their corporate political behavior. Send me the response you get from the company (if any).

Maddox