Devastating internet censorship plan (new SOPA) to be put in practice starting July!

[Mircea Lobo]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/15/american-isps-to-launch-massive-copyright-spying-scheme-on-july-12/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57397452-261/riaa-chief-isps-to-start-policing-copyright-by-july-1/

http://dottech.org/tech-news/28447/isps-in-the-usa-to-start-monitoring-customers-downloads-starting-july-1-2012/

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/07/graduated-response-deal-what-if-users-had-been

I just saw those articles in a post. I was shocked to say the least, and decided to post this on several forums I frequent so the word can be spread.

In summary, all major American ISP's are implementing a system to spy on their users in order to police copyright infringement. There was no legal debate let alone any discussion with the users, and this decision was simply taken and will be applied starting 1 or 12 July. Users considered to be infringing copyright will be punished in several ways... such as their internet being cut off, selective websites being censored, their bandwidth being lowered, and if the offense is repeated users will be constrained to go to special copyright lessons to be allowed on the internet again.

I believe that this is the worst attack initiated against internet users in the US, worse than what SOPA and ACTA were meant to be. If what's said about this initiative is true, something worse than SOPA is already being put in practice starting next week. It's clear that the government and / or Hollywood have started another backroom deal, this time asking ISP's to pretend they've taken the decision on their own so they could censor the internet without any debate in the house or senate (which as proven by SOPA would not pass).

I couldn't begin describing how horrible and surreal this is after what I read. It will be used to cut users off the internet, and even worse to purposely humiliate them in spite (copyright lessons required to access the internet, and lowered data transfer rates as punishment). It will also be used to spy on any website you access, and for the first time in the history of America you will be completely watched by your ISP. They might even be able to read private emails you send / receive. Those are unspeakable practices which could only be imagined in countries like Libia or North Korea.

I don't believe I need to point out that users will not be punished for real copyright infringements only, but false negatives will exist and be heavily abused. Technically, if your ISP believes you are stupid for accessing a website they don't like (which they can now spy on) they may easily invent a claim and cut you off the internet without being questioned by anyone. This will obviously be used for censorship on political subjects and worse too.

Every internet user needs to act urgently, more than they have for SOPA / PIPA last winter. If this decision is not undone, I'm even expecting riots to take place. I'm also hoping that major websites like Google or Wikipedia will do another blackout in awareness to this. At this point I strongly support a criminal investigation to see who's behind those unprecedented attacks on internet users, and believe someone needs to be sentenced to prison for both this and what happened with SOPA.

The only thing I ask of everyone is to please re-post this and spread awareness immediately! We need everyone to know about this fast, so we can have time to protest and / or sign petitions against it. Lets hope this can be stopped before the unthinkable happens, otherwise there will no longer be internet for most of us.

[SweetArashi]

I've said it once, I'll say it again:

"We are NOT the United States of China!"

[161488303349]

so how do you propose to stop these companies from doing this?

i know !!! we could make some laws

but last time we had a debate about that. SOPA/PIPA/OPEN yada. i suggest at that time that maybe we should have the debate. like what kind of laws should we have. and if so what is the best process to accomplish that

but i get shout down by the interwebz wants to be free !!! we not need no lawz

+

their is a actual law that governs the interwebz. is the property law. property owner can do whatever they want with their stuff as long as they dont commit a crime. crime meaning not illegal by law

blocking/cancelling anyones connection, channel or site account for no reason at all is not a crime

+

the interwebz is not free, free as in freedom. is owned by them that owns the gateways and pipes. until there is some law that says otherwise then they can do whatever they want with it. including blocking anyone at anytime for no reason at all

 

 

 

 

 

[Peggy Paperdoll]

Why not?  The present administration already had allowed the EPA (a non-elected agency with an appointed administrator by the President) to fly drones over private property with the express purpose of looking for violations concerning environmental concerns..........concerns such as how much water you might be using for irrigation of your farming fields.  The EPA can then, by observations from a remotely controlled drone, issue citations or even file charges against suspected violators.  Those same drones are also being used by law enforcement for the purpose of enforcing the laws within a community.  There is absolutely no way the use of such drones for less than honorable purposes.....such as some 20 year old pervert spying on some unsuspecting teen sunbathing in her backyard (a back yard that is surrounded by a privacy fence).  It's not against the law to sunbath nude on private property that is not readily observable from a public place.  Look at the crap with the TSA and the perverts working there.

Well, of course, it's for the better good...........NOT!!

We are so close to a totalitarian government it's scary.  A law to control and spy on the Internet fits this administration's agenda quite well.

[161488303349]

here is the website for this

http://www.copyrightinformation.org/

 

[Peggy Paperdoll]

Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights are different.  But the new push for laws surrounding creater's rights are mixing the two.  It's one thing to hold a copyright on something.........there are some very specific laws protecting copyrights.  But when someone, say in SL, creates something they don't hold a copyright to their creation unless they obtain a copyright for it.....almost no one does that.  However, the creator still has rights to the content......those are Intellectual Property Rights.  All these new laws governments are trying to get put in place want to enclude IP rights with the copyrights.  That makes the laws extremely vague.......so vague that the laws those laws infringe on everyone's rights.  Yes, content creators need protection....but not at the expense of everyone else's rights.  Mixing the two rights into a single law makes it impossible to protect both copyright holders' and content creators' rights without taking rights away from everyone else.  Someone needs to do the hard work and figure out a good law that protects the IP rights of creators and does not infringe on everyone else's rights.  It needs to be a separate and narrowly defined law.........that's not an easy task but it's the law makers' job.  If a content creator wants the same protection for their IP then obtain a copyright for the content......they are well protected with that law. 

It's a special interest group pushing this....and they couldn't care less about my rights as long as their interests are covered.  When a law requires some disinterested party (such as an ISP) to report (or otherwise notify) to the government "violations" (of a vaguely written law) and then take action against the suspected infringer that is putting my liberties at risk.....where's my right to know who accused me and where is my trial in a court of law before action is taken against me?  What happens to my reputation?  Am I assumed guilty of somthing that I haven't even been charged with?  Do I get put on some black list and never be able to obtain Internet access again? 

I'm a citizen of the United States.....that is absolutely against everything the Constitution of the United States stands for.  But, as I mentioned before, this present administration has not problem infringing on anyone's rights if it serves their purpose.  Someone said this is not the United States of China.  No it's not..........but it is not the United States of America either (not with crap like that going down lately).

[Dresden Ceriano]

I just hope that the assumption made in the last article listed in the OP is correct and my ISP really has declined to participate in this ridiculousness.  If this is the case, I see them being in a really good position to garner a great deal of the market very shortly.

...Dres

[161488303349]

i can understand your greater point about the intrusion of the government into the citizens way of life. and the lengths that vested interests go to distort the role of government to advantage themselfs

+

the deeper problem i have with 'voluntary' efforts like CCI is that they are a law unto themselfs. they self-appointed. and they control the interwebz by virtue of owning the gateways. and the pipes

the interwebz is a critical component of modern society

+

things like CCI are set up mostly by otherwise good people who believe that something must be done about whatever is the bee in their bonnet. they have this kinda almost naive belief in their own goodness

if we are going to have police then i rather that they be regulated. laws/regulations that spell out the extent of their powers and the obligations that they have toward us as citizens

regulations is not a popular option for interwebz users up till now. sopa showed that. mostly bc people focus on themselfs. all they think about is how does it affect me personally. the dont really think about how regulation places safeguards/obligations on the providers as well. safeguards/obligations that the providers must observe in the relationship they have with their customers

+

i just say again what i said in the previous debate about all this

if we dont want/get a regulated regime then we end up with an unregulated regime. we never not get a regime. we always get a regime. the question is which is better? regulated or unregulated

if unregulated then we get CCI

is this better? should we just leave it up to our ISPs to decide how the interwebz is going to work for us into the future

+

the OP has had an O.M.G !!! moment about this when realise the implications of CCI. the true extent of unregulated power in the hands of self-appointed people answerable only to themselfs. who do what the do in the name of what they believe to be good for us

is quite a few other people are going to go O.M.G !!! about this as well i think

but i dont really think is going to matter much. more people are going accept that an unregulated regime is better. bc of the property law

so i am going to be in a minority again i think

 

 

 

  

[161488303349]

---

Dresden Ceriano wrote:

I just hope that the assumption made in the last article listed in the OP is correct and my ISP really has declined to participate in this ridiculousness.  If this is the case, I see them being in a really good position to garner a great deal of the market very shortly.

...Dres

---

you would think so wouldnt you. about it being ridiculous and that ISPs wont join and so on. and that if they dont then they going to get lots of customers of the ISPs who do join

+

it dont end up like that tho. ISPs do end up joining these kinds of regimes. none of them want to now. but some of them have. some is enough to get it rolling

what will happen is that all of them will have joined within 2 years from now

they end up joining bc of the pressure put on them. no company wants to be singled out as a theif company. which is what they will be called. the theif ISP

as a ISP then is no biggie when when all your competition is allowing/doing it as well

+

way back another time we was chat on here about interwebz filter. i mention about New Zealand where a group setup a child pornography interweb filter. none of the ISPs wanted to join at the start. freedom of expression. net neutrality and all that

2 years later they had all joined. except for one. that company is losing now customers in truckloads. none of their account holders wants to be associated with the bad ISP that supports child porn

can see what happen there. the public perception moved from being a champion of internet freedom to being a child pornographer

+

same will happen with customers of 'theif' ISPs. they will move away from ISPs when the publics perception moves from being a internet champion to being a theif

from an dispassionate pov then is quite interesting how human society does this kinda thing to itself

 

 

 

 

 

[Phil Deakins]

Am I missing something? I just read the first few paragraphs of the first article and, if that's what it's all about, I can see nothing against it and everything for it. The only people who may be concerned are those who download copyrighted material, which they shouldn't be downloading anyway.

My first thought is that it sounds a hell of a lot better than the heavy-handed practise of suing such people for large amounts of money, as has been happening.

My second thought is that it could catch some people who aren't aware that downloading the latest movie for free is illegal, but, even then, they'd only get a warning to start with.

It all seems good to me.

[WADE1 Jya]

Agree, Phil. I'm not worried about this stuff here. I'm most worried about CISPA, which facebook (and similar monopolistic privacy-destroying companies) avidly support. CISPA is a set of really scary laws that are nothing to do with IP but just totally destroy all internet privacy, a true 'spy on the people' bill. Its getting little notice & people aren't resisting it so quite likely to pass I think.

[Ceka Cianci]

my ISP is a service i hired to perform a service for me..i can fire them as easy as i hired them if they decide to start getting all NSA because some decide to steal on the internet..

if i wanted a live in cop..i would have married one lol

copywrite theft is their problem not mine...i should not be monitored like a criminal because others steal..so now my line gets tapped and shared like i am some criminal rather than the RIAA and MPAA having to actually go out and do some of their own work and find the ones actually doing this in another way..they get to go right to the ISP's and team up?

really about the only thing i do anymore on the net is these forums and sl..that and check the news on my isp site..

and that use gets less and less each day..it would be nothing to just fire them and cut them out entirely from my life and wait for new isp's that see there is a market for those not wishing to use the NSA internet providers..

that's all it's going to come down to..if people don't want this then their will power is gonna be tested as to how tied into the system they really are..

i'll just start riding my horse more rather than let the RIAA and MPAA into my house lol

because it won't stop with just those two..there will be more that follow..

i have another month on my sim..so i guess after that  i'll dump it..then i'll be pulling any accounts i have on the net where i was paying for services..

just as i have to do things the hard way to get stuff done.. so should corporations..but that's not gonna happen..because so many people actually feel they need them..

 

[Mircea Lobo]

Phil: How can you not see anything wrong with it? And how can anyone be so naive to imagine it will only be used for copyright purposes?

This will allow your ISP to spy on everything you do. If they spy your data they will be able to read your emails, IM's, how many times you called your boss a moron, how many times you sex RP'd online... everything. Theoretically, they can even spy on what you discuss with your co-workers, and secretly share private information with the competitor of the company you work for. Or if you access a porn website, they could tell everyone about it and the things you look at (even your parents or husband / wife). Next, if you access a website about something your admin dislikes, they can easily invent false claims against you to bully you. Imagine being cut off the internet because you are gay or accessed 4chan. Or going to school one day to find out the head teacher mysteriously knows you're gay or something you only said privately, then everyone finds out and you get bullied. Also, what do you think will happen to people who post bad things about America's leadership, the US army, uncover war crimes or government abuses, and that sort of thing... especially with the NDAA being around?

If anyone thinks this won't happen because "they will be nice people and will only use this to catch thieves", you are more than naive. No, it WILL be used for this and much worse if it happens. I don't even need to point out what power hungry and control hungry characters are behind this.

But even if (just for the sake of pretending) this will only be used against pirates. Those pirates might have an online job, not to mention friends they talk with and other activities (unrelated to piracy). Cutting anyone off the internet at this day could cost many their jobs, and some even their lives. And then... being humiliated in spite by being sent to classes about copyright and scolded like a 2 year old by some internet provider? This by itself is a hateful practice, which as a mentality was used by communist and nazi regimes to show their power. Those who spoke against the regime but didn't pose a big threat weren't killed, but instead beaten in public and left without food and water for days, to show an example to those who disobeyed. At a different scale, this is the same mentality being put in practice here with those "lessons", against people who might have done as little as downloading a song. We live in a mad world.

Alongside the practical consequences, this is also an insult to all internet users. We are being qualified as thieves automatically, and investigated prematurely to make sure we aren't stealing. Using the internet will now be a suspicion of theft by itself... also known as being accused of a crime before you even commit it. In any normal world, people would be outraged at such a slap in the face. It's the same as installing cameras in everyone's homes, watching them when they eat / go pee / have sex / etc. just to be sure they aren't raising cannabis in their house. Christ... not even Gaddafi or Kim Jong Il dared to do this.

As for hoping that some ISP's will stay free, no. This is simply a new attempt to pass a law worse than SOPA. Currently, they paid or constrained ISP's to pretend they've taken the decision on their own. After people would have cooled down and enough accepted this practice, they would also pass a law to make the whole thing obligatory. It's basically doing it before it's legal, so people get used to it first and they can later legalize it more easily. That's why everyone needs to act urgently.

One thing's for sure: They are up-front trying to make America a dictatorship, and I'm not talking just about this event (the NDAA is another thing). Many laws worthy of the worst dictatorships are being forcefully pushed in the US. The world has a very important choice to take in the next years, and if the wrong one is taken expect us to return to a medieval terror-based leadership. This isn't a theory or exaggeration, it's happening under our eyes.

Once again, please post about this everywhere you can and spread the word. Make a topic on all forums you visit (if there isn't one already), post it on your Facebook / Twitter, and if you own a blog publish an article. We should also contact every news TV station or website and pressure them to speak about it. Please make people aware of the things I wrote in this post also (feel free to re-post all of it) so they can better see what we're dealing with (as many still think it would only stop piracy and it's ok). We have a disaster beyond words in front of us, if everything we read about this is true.

[Ceka Cianci]

isp's can already do that now if they want..look at your stuff..

they always could..but now they are letting others in the front door to sniff around..thats where i have the problem..

it's one thing if they just did it to those that were actually doing this..but it's not..it's everyone that uses their service..

they overstepped their bounds..i really hope there are some people left that are not so willing to just let those kinds of things into their  home..

i don't care if there is a kabillion trillion zillion people on the net..corps should still have to go after just those stealing..not tap  into everyones business just fishing  for carp in a swimming pool overloaded with all kinds of different types of fish..

as far as i'm concerned..i'll be cutting that right they feel they have off at the gate..

coprs are nothing more than something that represents an individual..they should just have to be filing a DMCA like the rest of us..otherwise we shoudl all be able to tap into everyone elses business..

i want my isp to let me see WTF you or that other guy is doing...or maybe that guy over there..just because someone stold something somepalce else that has nothing at all to do with what you may be doing..

[Elazlad]

This has happened in the UK ( I think it was April it started). All comunications, email, facebook etc, websites visited etc are logged for the government agencies right down to local councils to view. They can easily know who you are emailing and this extends to phone calls from your landline phones too. ALL COMUNICATIONS CAN BE VIEWED IN REAL TIME TOO!!!! The British Govs reason was to fight terrorism not copyright. They do the 'soloution' and look for a problem to blame it on.  *says no more*

[Ceka Cianci]

---

Elazlad wrote:

This has happened in the UK ( I think it was April it started). All comunications, email, facebook etc, websites visited etc are logged for the government agencies right down to local councils to view. They can easily know who you are emailing and this extends to phone calls from your landline phones too. ALL COMUNICATIONS CAN BE VIEWED IN REAL TIME TOO!!!! The British Govs reason was to fight terrorism not copyright. They do the 'soloution' and look for a problem to blame it on.  *says no more*

---

we have had that since after the 911..the NSA used that attack to make it possible to monitor all calls and communication like that..

this is coporations doing it on the side..and thats totally not cool..

[Storm Clarence]

---

Peggy Paperdoll wrote:

We are so close to a totalitarian government it's scary.  A law to control and spy on the Internet fits this administration's agenda quite well.

---

And, there is no accountability.  Zero.  This administration has appointed (at taxpayers expense) so many czars that they are seeing stars in their sleep.   When the nonsense hits the fan the current administration will not be held accountable.

I agree, we live in scary times.  I am sick from reading and hearing: "You need the government to think and make decisions for you" ala President Obama, Ms. Pelosi, et al. 

 

[Qwalyphi Korpov]

The resident who provided the previous content, if any, has replaced it with this generic statement.

[Ceka Cianci]

---

Qwalyphi Korpov wrote:

This issue is certainly of some concern.  However your post is misleading.  The planned process does not involve ISPs spying on their customers to detect illegal downloading.  Detecting illegal downloading is left to the business interests that want to protect their property.

From the link below comes this:

Under graduated response,

entertainment companies will notify a participating ISP

that a customer has allegedly been pirating movies or TV shows illegally. The bandwidth provider will then send a notice intended to educate the customer about the consequences of downloading unauthorized content.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57408208-261/hollywood-formally-brings-isps-into-the-anti-piracy-fight/?tag=mncol;txt

---

well that sounds a little better lol

[Mircea Lobo]

Damn... I missed that part in the **bleep**storm I read last night. Thanks for pointing it out. That's clearly a lot less concerning if it's true, but this still remains a huge issue.

Once again, I see the whole "education" as a form of hateful humiliation, which is an unacceptable practice. Informing the user they did something wrong and the ISP's are pissed is ok, if it's just sending them a notice. But forcing them to go to actual lessons, take tests, etc. to have their internet back is disgusting. Anyone who has internet knows what copyright is, and there's no need for a whole muscle showing show.

Also, cutting anyone's internet at all is an unacceptable practice. This might have been thinkable 10 years ago, though even then almost anyone had email and important things. Cutting people off internet is like cutting part of their life at this day... might as well jail them for a day (god no) which is as horrible or possibly even more horrible for some. The thing that the SOPA people refused to see last winter is that the internet isn't some place where you go occasionally and can be told what to do or not. It's part of people's lives, and things like this can't be accepted.

IDEA: If they wanna give us copyright lessons, I say we make a classroom and send them to take user lessons if they wanna continue getting money from us. Show them what people do all day on the internet, and why it's something one can not cut off.

[GothGirl Demonia]

As I have said Copyright infringement in Games like Second Life I find to be very bad and actually harm people. Sadly the past week I have seen a lot of it and it just absolutely makes me sick, however what people are talking about is Copyright infringement to the big industries like RIAA, SONY, and all these other game companies that are way bigger and make more bucks than any creator in SL at least to my knowledge.

If you watch this YouTube then you will understand likely where I am comnig from, ACTA, SOPA, and PIPA must be stopped as a LAW, because it is plain out just stupid if I share that recipie with my family tell my young teenager how to bake a cake I would be thrown in jail for it. If I bought a music CD at store but made a copy of it, not to sell it make profit or give it away but for my family member I would be breaking the Law. If I used a license across two computers for any program that I only had rights on one of my computers let my family in the same house watch netflix on an account or anything  like the such I would be breaking the LAW, and therefore could get years in prision for nothing.

I believe copyright infringement to be a bad thing in Services like SL, but I believe certain copyright laws should change.

1. I believe a change should be made that requires ALL Digital Assets Copyrighted, (NO more automatic COPYRIGHT BS for anyone.) Your TOS/EULA, and or Copyright must be in a public database where I can go look it up in 15 seconds or there is no copyright, and no agreement. There is no such Law, or requirement right now but I believe this should be done for digital assets such as Second Life, Digital Downloads/Software, And all Games, or movies you buy from the store for such to be valid. * It should also be a free service, for example if i type your SL name into the global copyright search function it should show me a list of every product you have created with your Intellectual property rights. *** Copyright Registration* Would be FREE too.***

In addition games sold in stores should be required to display the agreement before the user purchases it and be clearly made aware of the agreement too, as well as any additional charges they will have to pay for extra features like some companies like to throw in there without telling its consumers.  * There is a lot of legal BS, but for the most part I feel that besides creators/developers in SL, Its the software companies fault on the most part I have seen so much Bull from some companies its not even funny do they listen to the consumers usually not.

2. When it comes down to it bottom line is I would put our Freedoms and U.S Constiution above any copyright law, I believe we all should have privacy and the freedoms we have now, not some drones flying over our back yards watching us, monitoring our phone calls, you name it there is enough of that and hacking already, such as stalkers cellphone tracking you name it.

I am not saying that I disrespect any of our developers of Second Life for this matter, but I am saying the Big FISH like Sony, MPAA, RIAA are asking for way too much, and they need to be stopped before America becomes a battlefield that is what I am saying.

Its like right now as a citizen of the United States OF America, it feels like because I use my first rights listed in the constitution I believe that I will be thought of as a Terrorist for even following what our forefounding fathers lay down what everyone seems to be trying to step on saying screw it we dont care anymore, and this is what makes civil war.





 

[Peggy Paperdoll]

"...

As for hoping that some ISP's will stay free, no. This is simply a new attempt to pass a law worse than SOPA. Currently, they paid or constrained ISP's to pretend they've taken the decision on their own. After people would have cooled down and enough accepted this practice, they would also pass a law to make the whole thing obligatory. It's basically doing it before it's legal, so people get used to it first and they can later legalize it more easily. That's why everyone needs to act urgently.

..."

-------------------------------------------------------

Kinda like issuing an Executive Order to get past the lack of a law created by the Congress (as laws are required to be created per the The Constitution)?  Or invoking Executive Privilege to stymie an investigation into a possible government cover-up?

I'm afraid we are already beyond that need to act urgently.

[Nathan Zetkin]

Even though AT&T does send all our emails to the gov where a big computer reads each one looking for key phrases and words, they do not go as far as what Verizon, Xfinity and Time Warner are planning to do. AT&T has said they will not censor the interenet nor take away anyones access if requested by the RIAA. UNfortunately not everyone has a choice for hi speed internet but if you do not like getting your account censored or reduced or cut - off, hopefully you will have an alternative that doesn't spy on you.

[161488303349]

---

Nathan Zetkin wrote:

...  if you do not like getting your account censored or reduced or cut - off, hopefully you will have an alternative that doesn't spy on you.

---

some one should make a law about that. oh! wait. we dont want no laws govern the interwebz. is evol that. is way better if the market rules

to bad for them in the countryside where is only one ISP. nevermind. they can move to the city where they can get another ISP on the market there

[Peggy Paperdoll]

What would be interesting to find out is has the RIAA contributed to the people in Congress who are sponsoring this latest bill.  The RIAA certainly qualifies as a special interest group........they couldn't give a flip for Internet users.  The just want their interests covered no matter who they step on.  They have very deep pockets (as shown by the huge number of lawsuits they've brought over the years).  Surely they can afford to protect their interests without destroying my (or your, or our) interests...........but it's easier to find a Congressional representative to make a law that simply requires them to notify an ISP of what they think is a pirating issue and "convict" the alledged violator without the need to prove anything in a court of law. 

Sweet deal, huh?

:smileymad: