Daniel Castro from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is the guy who has been highlighted for coming up with the idea of censoring the internet to deal with copyright infringement online. In 2009, he wrote a whitepaper suggesting just such a strategy, and since then has been a vocal champion of the approach that mimics China's Great Firewall.
He's issued a "response" to "critics" over the bills which is, frankly, an embarrassment for supporters of these bills. There may be some compelling ways to defend these disasters (though I doubt it), but Castro's paper is beyond ridiculous. It rolls out all the usual bogus tropes, talking up the "size" of the problem with claims that simply aren't backed up by the data at all. But it's main focus is trying to respond to the claims of all sorts of people who actually understand internet security, about how DNS blocking would be a disaster. At this point, the incredible thing is that supporters of SOPA/PIPA have yet to come up with a single credible person who thinks DNS blocking is a good idea. On the flip side, DNS experts like Paul Vixie and David Ulevitch have been vocally opposed. In addition, there are other folks like Stewart Baker, the former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary and former NSA General Counsel, as well as the folks at Sandia National Labs, experts in internet security, who are opposed to it as well. All of them have pointed out that DNS blocking won't work, will likely make things worse, and will have disastrous consequences for internet security. These are people who understand this stuff at its core. http://www.techdirt.com/...
WILL SOPA HELP OR HURT? The purpose of SOPA is “to promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes,” according to the bill proposal.
Corporations say the bill is necessary to combat the continuing decrease in revenue caused by digital piracy, while rights groups fear that tampering with the Domain Name System will result in “less stability and less security” of the Internet.
“The bill won’t have any noticeable effect on so-called ‘piracy,’” said Karl Fogel, founder, Executive Director and Chairman of the Board for QuestionCopyright.org, a nonprofit advocacy group. “The bill would do much more to stop every day exercise of civil liberties than it would do to stop unauthorized copying.”
I wrote about this on DailyKos after viewing it on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, still... the BILL trudges on...
THIS BILL WOULD DESTROY THE WHOLE FREAKIN INTERNET AS WE KNOW IT. If it were to pass, there would be NO MORE SHARING of MUSIC, VIDEOS, PICTURES or anything your heart desires because the COPYRIGHT GESTAPO will probably stop it.
(Watch the video that was muted for copyright infringement. Strangely upon checking it just now the sound was put back on, but I guess if SOPA goes through, it will be muted again or worse DELETED!)
IF SOPA PASSES, it would be as though we were back in the 70's and 80's again with only TV, Radio, Newspapers and magazines to keep us inspired and enlightened... (or better put PROPAGANDIZED) I am sick about it!!!
As the Occupy DC (rolled up in red carpet) lamented 'You have tread on our rights... NOW TREAD ON ME!'
The protesters late Thursday moved to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building, site of a Christmas party expected to draw prominent lawmakers. The demonstrators staged a "human red carpet," by lying in front of the entrance. The idea, organizers said, was to force Washington's well-heeled partiers to tread upon the less fortunate.
Watch Cenk of THE YOUNG TURKS now on Current TV, explain the whys and hows of this bill. IT WILL MAKE YOUR HAIR STAND ON END!
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GOOD NEWS UPDATE:
Following up to our earlier article: Public opposition to the SOPA / PROTECT-IP bills has been very strong, and the U.S. Congress is taking notice. The bills are losing momentum, and one of the clearest voices against them has been U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. While we don't agree with all his positions on copyright, he's consistently opposed anything he views as interfering with freedom of speech (if only he saw how copyright interferes with freedom of speech on a daily basis -- but we understand that that argument hasn't made it to the U.S. Senate yet, because of how successfully the copyright lobby has framed it as a property issue). Senator Wyden, to his credit, is threatening to filibuster the bill if it ever comes to floor debate, and is offering to include your name in the filibuster if you'd like. To sign up, go to StopCensorship.org. I just did, and I hope you will too.