{"id":41247,"date":"2012-02-02T12:04:33","date_gmt":"2012-02-02T18:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/?p=41247"},"modified":"2020-09-21T13:33:43","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T17:33:43","slug":"10-biggest-threats-to-internet-freedom-now-that-sopapipa-is-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/10-biggest-threats-to-internet-freedom-now-that-sopapipa-is-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Biggest Threats to Internet Freedom Now That SOPA\/PIPA is Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/montage.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"montage\" width=\"500\" height=\"700\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41253 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/montage.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/montage-214x300.jpg 214w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/700;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 0px 0px 0pt 0pt; float: left;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/digg.com\/tools\/diggthis.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 5px 5px 5pt 5pt; float: left;\"><a name=\"fb_share\" type=\"box_count\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Share<\/a><script src=\"http:\/\/static.ak.fbcdn.net\/connect.php\/js\/FB.Share\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 0px 2px 0pt 0pt; float: left;\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/tweetmeme.com\/i\/scripts\/button.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<br \/>\nIf you missed the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2012\/01\/17\/wikipedia-blackout_n_1212096.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blackout of thousands of sites<\/a> across the Internet on January 18th, including Wikipedia and a black bar over the Google logo&#8230;well what the hell are you doing reading this, grandma?! I told you not to Google my name.\u00a0 SOPA and PIPA are two bills that would be <A href=\"http:\/\/www.slate.com\/articles\/business\/small_business\/2012\/01\/sopa_stopping_online_piracy_would_be_a_social_and_economic_disaster_.html?fb_ref=sm_fb_plugin_activity\">absolutely devastating<\/a> for freedom on the Internet.\u00a0 Thanks to the Herculean organizing efforts behind the January 18th blackout, SOPA and PIPA are effectively <a href=\"http:\/\/www.techzone360.com\/topics\/techzone\/articles\/259542-sopa-dead-but-not-forgotten.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dead<\/a>.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nBut SOPA\/PIPA were not the first and will certainly not be the last attempts to stifle Internet freedom.\u00a0 So prepare your DDoS attacks, don your Guy Fawkes mask, and definitely don&#8217;t forget your provisions of cute cat pictures; these are the next battlefronts in the war on the Internet.\u00a0 \u00a0<br \/>\n<!--more-->\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>People Who Don&#8217;t Understand the Internet<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"324\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41248 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/1-300x194.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/324;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/cockyandrude.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/03\/old_people.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u2028\u00a0<br \/>\nWhile it may seem adorable when old people ask you what \u201cThe Google\u201d is, or what all the buzz about \u201cTwatter\u201d is\u2014perhaps adding an Andy Rooney-esque vignette about actually talking to people in their day\u2014it&#8217;s actually quite dangerous.\u00a0 These older people are police officers, FBI agents, judges and politicians.\u00a0 And they are the ones setting legal policy in regard to the Internet.\u00a0 Too often, in their opinions, the internet\u2014this strange newfangled thing their kids and nephews use\u2014isn&#8217;t as sacrosanct as, say, a vault of physical files in your attic.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The problem is, to those of us who&#8217;ve had the Internet for most of our lives, our gmail account <i>is<\/i> our dusty box of personal information in the attic.\u00a0 But to the FBI, pretty much anything you post online is considered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fbo.gov\/index?s=opportunity&#038;mode=form&#038;id=c65777356334dab8685984fa74bfd636&#038;tab=core&#038;_cview=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">part of the public domain<\/a>.\u00a0 Let&#8217;s not even get started on the subpoena by the Boston Police department that ensnared <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scribd.com\/doc\/76393350\/Subpoena-on-p0isAn0n-OccupyBoston-BostonPD-d0xcak3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">thousands of innocent accounts<\/a> simply because they included the hashtag #BostonPD.\u00a0 If either the judge or the district attorney had any idea what a hashtag was, they would have never allowed the subpoena to go forward, because of its gross invasion of privacy.\u00a0 It&#8217;s almost as if they&#8217;re feigning stone-cold-ignorance of how technology is used in a deliberate effort to expand their legal reach, which is actually a lot scarier.\u00a0 For now let&#8217;s just hope that they&#8217;re actually that stupid.\u00a0 \u00a0\u2028\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>The RIAA and MPAA (even without legislation)<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/riaa.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"riaa\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41256 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/riaa.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/riaa-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/375;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dirtygarnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/RIAA-Sucks-License-Plate.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nThe chief forces behind SOPA\/PIPA and suing children, the MPAA and the RIAA are like the cackling, evil villains of the battle for Internet freedom.\u00a0 If you believe their numbers, Internet piracy is destroying the American economy, disenfranchising artists (because we&#8217;ve all noticed the lack of entertainment being produced), and probably kicking puppies and molesting children (who knows?).\u00a0 And if you don&#8217;t do what they tell you to, MPAA president Chris Dodd will <a href=\"http:\/\/www.americablog.com\/2012\/01\/mpaas-chris-dodd-openly-threatens.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">straight up prison-shank you<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Well SOPA\/PIPA was defeated, right?\u00a0 What do we have to fear from the MPAA and RIAA if they can&#8217;t get their legislation passed?\u00a0 When you have millions of dollars and friends in high places, you can exert a lot of pressure even without laws.\u00a0 Even excepting the RIAA&#8217;s practice of suing people for exorbitant amounts of money, there are plenty of examples of them pressuring <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2011\/12\/20\/2650311\/riaa-issues-anti-piracy-report-card-google\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">search engines<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.afterdawn.com\/news\/article.cfm\/2008\/12\/21\/riaa_to_stop_lawsuits_will_instead_pressure_isps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ISPs<\/a>, <A href=\"http:\/\/www.neowin.net\/news\/riaa-pressures-students-to-stop-illegal-downloads\">Universities<\/a> and even <A href=\"http:\/\/betanews.com\/2005\/12\/27\/riaa-pressures-russia-over-piracy\/\">entire countries<\/a> to get what they want.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>The DMCA<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/dmca.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"dmca\" width=\"500\" height=\"283\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41251 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/dmca.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/dmca-300x169.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/283;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/btr.michaelkwan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/dmca-copyrightinfringement.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nThe <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Digital Millennium Copyright Act<\/a> (DMCA) was a 1998 copyright law intended to take copyright law into the 21st century.\u00a0 Ostensibly a good idea, the DMCA was supposed to allow the Internet to continue being awesome, while also protecting the legitimate copyrights that could be easily infringed in the new digital environment.\u00a0 But of course you&#8217;ll notice that this law was passed almost a good decade before streaming video was extensively widespread.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This has led to several interesting abuses of power.\u00a0 Under the law (and subsequent court decisions refining its scope), the owner of a copyright has the right to request infringing content be taken down.\u00a0 That sounds all fair and good, but we&#8217;re trusting overly-litigious, private companies to responsibly claim copyrights and not use it as a cudgel to suppress customers and competitors.\u00a0 Which is exactly what they did (the cudgel part, not the responsible part).\u00a0 They&#8217;ve repeatedly claimed that they <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/threatlevel\/2008\/08\/judge-copyright\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">don&#8217;t need to consider \u201cFair Use\u201d<\/a> when taking down a video.\u00a0 And <a href=\"http:\/\/pcworld.co.nz\/pcworld\/pcw.nsf\/feature\/93FEDCEF6636CF90CC25757A0072B4B7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to Google<\/a>, almost 40% of claims are illegitimate, and as many as 50% of claims are directed as competitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The law&#8217;s in desperate need of updating, but assuming that it will be re-written by politicians who openly admit they have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.miller-mccune.com\/politics\/sopa-debate-highlights-congresss-ignorance-38666\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">no idea how the Internet works<\/a> and are solidly in the pocket of companies that get physically ill whenever someone doesn&#8217;t pay them, odds are it will only get worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Private Companies<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/privatecompanies.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"privatecompanies\" width=\"500\" height=\"295\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41254 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/privatecompanies.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/privatecompanies-300x177.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/295;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.privateinvestments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/company-private-investment.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nIn all the talk about SOPA and dangerous government censorship, it&#8217;s worth remembering that your Internet check goes to a private company, full of fallible individuals that can&#8217;t be booted out of office in the next election.\u00a0 And there are many, many companies out there with millions of dollars and vested interest in controlling how they are portrayed on the Internet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The list is extensive and reads like the lovechild of George Orwell and <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eugene_V._Debs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Eugene V. Debs<\/a>.\u00a0 The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/threatlevel\/2007\/08\/vote-on-the-top\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Boston Globe<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/politics\/onlinerights\/news\/2007\/08\/wiki_tracker?currentPage=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Diebold<\/a> edited Wikipedia extensively to make themselves look better.\u00a0 Verizon <A href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2007\/09\/27\/us\/27verizon.html\">blocked the messages<\/a> of an abortion rights group because it policy forbids the transmission of \u201cunsavory\u201d information.\u00a0 Multiple companies <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/worldservice\/learningenglish\/language\/wordsinthenews\/2010\/12\/101208_witn_wiki_creditcards_page.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shut off third-party donations<\/a> to Wikileaks.\u00a0 The cases go <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Corporate_censorship#Internet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on and on<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Internet Service Providers<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/isp.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"isp\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41252 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/isp.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/isp-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/375;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/consumerist.com\/catleavesapresent.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nYou likely have a long, torrid relationship with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) that, like any good relationship, is filled with hate and resentment.\u00a0 Many of you may be familiar with Comcast, the proud winner of \u201c<a href\"http:\/\/consumerist.com\/2010\/04\/congratulations-comcast-youre-the-worst-company-in-america.html\">Worst Company in America\u201d<\/a>.\u00a0 But aside from the worst customer service on the planet, they&#8217;re also have a long history of doing their damndest to section off the Internet into little boxes and charge an exorbitant admission fee.\u00a0 All while tracking your personal information and handing it over to the government at the drop of a hat. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>All the major providers are quickly jumping on to the <a href=\"http:\/\/tech.blorge.com\/Structure:%20\/2008\/06\/14\/att-jumps-on-comcast-time-warner-tiered-pricing-bandwagon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tiered Pricing bandwagon<\/a>, ostensibly to provide cheaper Internet to those who only use it for light browsing and e-mail, and bigger, more expensive Internet for those with huge bandwidth requirements.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>Then there&#8217;s something known as <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Deep_packet_inspection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deep Packet Inspection<\/a>. To oversimplify, it basically allows an ISP to know just about everything about your online activity.\u00a0 Whether you&#8217;re browsing webcomics or Lexis-Nexis for work.\u00a0 Whether you&#8217;re on a Skype call or browsing porn.\u00a0 They can use this information to selectively block traffic they don&#8217;t like (or hand over information about traffic to the government).\u00a0 Award-winner Comcast has already used this to block P2P traffic, and then <a href=\"http:\/\/arstechnica.com\/old\/content\/2007\/10\/comcast-to-employees-talking-about-blocking-p2p-can-get-you-fired.ars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">threatened to fire anyone<\/a> who talked too loudly about it. \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Protecting Children from Pornography<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/protectingchildre.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"protectingchildre\" width=\"500\" height=\"412\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41255 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/protectingchildre.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/protectingchildre-300x247.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/412;\" \/>R<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/img.thesun.co.uk\/multimedia\/archive\/01389\/kid-on-a-computer__1389665a.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nWho doesn&#8217;t want to protect children from being exploited for pornography? That&#8217;s the premise behind the Protecting Children from Pornography, and act that started working its way through the bowels of the American legislative process in 2011.\u00a0 The purpose of this bill is to allow law enforcement personnel to peel back the protections of the anonymous Internet, and track down child pornographers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A noble goal that pretty much no one argues with.\u00a0 The problem really needs no jokes, scare language or dressing up to be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2011\/08\/the-legislation-that-could-kill-internet-privacy-for-good\/242853\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">absolutely chilling<\/a>: this bill requires your ISP to track all of your personal information\u2014your name, address, credit card number, browsing history, etc&#8230;&#8211;for 18 months.\u00a0 And they&#8217;re supposed to turn it over to law enforcement without a warrant.\u00a0 All the officers need to do is ask.\u00a0 To be fair, the bill specifies that they must say \u201cplease with sugar on top\u201d and they have to promise to be \u201cextra special careful that this isn&#8217;t used irresponsibly\u201d.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>NSA Warrentless Wiretapping<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/warrantless.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"warrantless\" width=\"500\" height=\"378\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41257 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/warrantless.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/warrantless-300x226.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/378;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.topnews.in\/files\/warrant.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nBut before you get too up in arms about Protecting Children from Pornography, rest easy in the fact that the government can basically track you <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NSA_warrantless_surveillance_controversy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">without a warrant anyway<\/a>.\u00a0 Remember that whole warrantless wiretapping thing a few years back?\u00a0 Well despite all the hopey changey-ness floating around Obama, he&#8217;s continued using this method.\u00a0 While it&#8217;s not a complete database on every American searching the Internet available at the drop of a hat, it&#8217;s pretty damn close.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cgood\u201d part about the NSA wiretapping, is that they still need to get approval from FISA courts, and the suspects need to be part of an ongoing investigation.\u00a0 Which makes me feel so very safe knowing that this terribly powerful tool will never be misused or abused by our sterling elected officials and their record of professional ethics that are beyond reproach.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Government Censorship (Under Existing Law)<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/censorship.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"censorship\" width=\"500\" height=\"365\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41250 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/censorship.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/censorship-300x219.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/365;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pictureshowman.com\/images\/seal_3.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nFor all the dangers that private companies and groups and represent to Internet freedom, they have nothing on governments around the world, who have been censoring things since Caveman King Grog didn&#8217;t like Torg&#8217;s word for \u201crock\u201d and ordered Torg executed by smashing.\u00a0 We&#8217;re a little bit more civilized these days, and politicians at least have the decency to pretend like they&#8217;re protecting us from something terrible (usually pedophiles, sometimes democracy).\u00a0 For all the fear surrounding SOPA\/PIPA, the US government has no problem causing hell for websites it doesn&#8217;t like.\u00a0 Just ask <A href=\"http:\/\/www.businessweek.com\/magazine\/megaupload-gets-busted-file-sharers-are-frazzled-01262012.html\">MegaUpload<\/a> and <A href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/threatlevel\/2008\/02\/post\/\">Wikileaks<\/a>, both which were shut down briefly without due process.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And let&#8217;s not even get started on censorship in other countries.\u00a0 Not even counting giant blockers like China, even developed nations who should know better have been blocking access to thousands of sites.\u00a0 One of the more hilarious examples is the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Censorship_in_Australia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">censorship regime in Australia<\/a>, which is probably the most famous for using the \u201cWon&#8217;t someone think of the children!?!?!\u201d justification.\u00a0 But when a secret blacklist of blocked sites surfaced, it turns out Australia was in fact using over half its time protecting its citizens from the dangers of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/threatlevel\/2009\/03\/wikileaks-expos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dentists and dog kennel<\/a> websites.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Zombie SOPA<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/zombiesopa.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"zombiesopa\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41258 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/zombiesopa.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/zombiesopa-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/375;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-za__d_-Id9M\/TvOCdVM6aeI\/AAAAAAAAANY\/fS7ET80mzzU\/s1600\/stop-sopa-pipa.800w_600h.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nReports of SOPA&#8217;s death may in fact have been <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/view\/news\/39775\/SOPAs_not_dead_yet_the_6_things_every_game_developer_needs_to_know.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">somewhat premature<\/a>.\u00a0 The bill is not becoming law any time soon, but it&#8217;s only been shelved for the time being.\u00a0 It still enjoys the support of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.terminally-incoherent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/sopa-supporters-before-and-after.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">at least 65 representatives<\/a> in the House, not to mention the piles of money the MPAA will continue to put into buy votes.\u00a0<br \/>\n \u00a0<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s a guaranteed certainty that this bill, in some form, will rise from the grave and wreak havoc of the freedom of the Internet once again.\u00a0 Lamar Smith, the bill&#8217;s chief sponsor, isn&#8217;t going anywhere and\u2014keeping with the venerable Washington tradition\u2014will continue to be dumber than a pile of rocks about the Internet.\u00a0 The bill will likely be quietly passed through a committee and voted on before the Internet can notice and mobilize a counter-attack.\u00a0 After all, you can&#8217;t expect apathetic Americans to care about politics <i>all year long<\/i>, right?\u00a0 That&#8217;s just exhausting, we have episodes of Glee to catch up on.\u00a0 And they can&#8217;t black out Wikipedia several times a year, can they?\u00a0 \u00a0\u2028\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/acta.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"acta\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-41249 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/acta.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/acta-300x225.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/375;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/anarchism.pageabode.com\/sites\/anarchism.pageabode.com\/files\/acta1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nSometimes referred to as \u201cSOPA&#8217;s evil twin\u201d, ACTA is a multilateral trade agreement designed to create a new and more robust system for protecting intellectual property.\u00a0 Did you get the impression that this was a legitimate piece of legislation?\u00a0 Sorry it&#8217;s actually a <a href=\"http:\/\/tech.fortune.cnn.com\/2012\/01\/26\/meet-sopas-evil-twin-acta\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">jumbled mess<\/a> that was mostly negotiated in secret, outside of the current international body governing intellectual property, and without the input of most developing nation. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So what&#8217;s so bad about it?\u00a0 Well part of the problem is, no one really knows.\u00a0 The treaty is too much of a chaotic mess of overlapping, overly-vague provisions that prescribe unnecessarily harsh punishments for levels of piracy that are never clearly defined.\u00a0 One specific provision that has people especially worried is the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anti-Counterfeiting_Trade_Agreement#Threats_to_freedom_and_fundamental_human_rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">removal of safeguards<\/a> that shielded ISPs from legal repercussions as a result of the actions of their users.\u00a0 Meaning that if you pirate a song on AT&#038;T&#8217;s network, the copyright owner can go after AT&#038;T.\u00a0 And God knows what that lack of protection will do to ISP&#8217;s already draconian policies toward users.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>ACTA is so overwhelmingly unnecessary, and has already led to protests number in the tens of thousands in Poland and other cities in the European Union.\u00a0 After the pitched battle over SOPA\/PIPA and now this battle over yet another 4-letter word, it just leaves one wondering: in the middle of one of the worst economic downturns in recent history, with their approval ratings hanging around the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2011\/11\/16\/congress-approval-rating-porn-polygamy_n_1098497.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">single-digits<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/affordablehousinginstitute.org\/blogs\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/bribery.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">why<\/a> are they so obsessed with passing an obscure and oppressive copyright law?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Share \u00a0 If you missed the blackout of thousands of sites across the Internet on January 18th, including Wikipedia and a black bar over the Google logo&#8230;well what the hell are you doing reading this, grandma?! I told you not to Google my name.\u00a0 SOPA and PIPA are two bills that would be absolutely [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":41253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7845],"tags":[3872,7278,7280,7279,5305],"class_list":{"0":"post-41247","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-internet-freedom","9":"tag-laws","10":"tag-pipa","11":"tag-sopa","12":"tag-toparticles"},"acf":[],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41247"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76659,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41247\/revisions\/76659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businesspundit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}