Take 30 Seconds: Stop American Censorship
@timberners_lee (more on him) tweeted this link -- to americancensorship.org:
This week, a bill that would create America's first Internet censorship system is going to a full committee for a vote, and is likely to pass. This week, millions of us will protest censorship, censoring our own posts and asking you to call Congress. We need your help - please make a call right now.
There's a link at the site just above (americancensorship.org) to call or email your Congressturd. It'll take you no time at all -- you can sit at your desk and do your small part for free speech. Please, please do. And please share the link -- with anyone and everyone you know with an Internet connection and beg them to take action.
Details on SOPA - the "Stop Internet Piracy Act," which is really an act that will enable shutting down free speech -- are here, from Nate Anderson, at Ars Technica:
Imagine a world in which any intellectual property holder can, without ever appearing before a judge or setting foot in a courtroom, shut down any website's online advertising programs and block access to credit card payments. The credit card processors and the advertising networks would be required to take quick action against the named website; only the filing of a "counter notification" by the website could get service restored.It's the world envisioned by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) in today's introduction of the Stop Online Piracy Act in the US House of Representatives. This isn't some off-the-wall piece of legislation with no chance of passing, either; it's the House equivalent to the Senate's PROTECT IP Act, which would officially bring Internet censorship to the US as a matter of law.
Calling its plan a "market-based system to protect US customers and prevent US funding of sites dedicated to theft of US property," the new bill gives broad powers to private actors. Any holder of intellectual property rights could simply send a letter to ad network operators like Google and to payment processors like MasterCard, Visa, and PayPal, demanding these companies cut off access to any site the IP holder names as an infringer.
The scheme is much like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's (DMCA) "takedown notices," in which a copyright holder can demand some piece of content be removed from sites like YouTube with a letter. The content will be removed unless the person who posted the content objects; at that point, the copyright holder can decide if it wants to take the person to court over the issue.
Here, though, the stakes are higher. Rather than requesting the takedown of certain hosted material, intellectual property owners can go directly for the jugular: marketing and revenue for the entire site. So long as the intellectual property holders include some "specific facts" supporting their infringement claim, ad networks and payment processors will have five days to cut off contact with the website in question.
The scheme is largely targeted at foreign websites which do not recognize US law, and which therefore will often refuse to comply with takedown requests. But the potential for abuse--even inadvertent abuse--here is astonishing, given the terrifically outsized stick with which content owners can now beat on suspected infringers.
Thanks for posting this. Reminded me to go check my spam e-mail account.
I had sent out an e-mail the first time to my representative and asked for a reply. The reply was a pro-forma "I'll consider your views," reply that was totally non-committal. My response follows:
Dear Rep. xxxxxxxxxx,
I sincerely want to thank you for taking the time to respond to my e-mail.
I'm hoping you would be willing to clarify your position on H.R. 3261, as the vote may come up to the full committee and subsequently to the floor very quickly. You, tactfully, didn't state your position on this act.
This act could has no due process clause, a very minimal standard of proof, places the injunctions (penalty) before "hearing", and could economically strangle an individual or small business.
I strongly urge you to vote against it.
Sincerely,
J. P.,
Voter in your district
Jim P. at December 30, 2011 5:03 AM
Good letter Jim P. I suspect it's more effective than the form letters available on many websites.
Christopher at December 30, 2011 8:11 AM
"This act could has no due process clause"
I do not understand "could has". Is this the actual letter that you sent? Makes no sense.
Tom Smithdeal at January 1, 2012 8:21 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/12/30/stop_american_c.html#comment-2887386">comment from Tom SmithdealHe made a typo. What matters is that he sent the letter. They aren't checking it for grammar.
Amy Alkon at January 1, 2012 8:54 AM
Write to the Austin American-Stateman and San Antonio Express-News. Lamar Smith's district includes the University of Texas at Austin as well the Texas State Capital, moves into Austin's wealthy lakeside communities then south to San Antonio. Neither city has done much to cover SOPA.
Lamar Smith's web page:
http://lamarsmith.house.gov/
Austin-Statesman SOPA editorial:
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/shapiro-smiths-bill-wont-stop-piracy-1997595.html?cxtype=rss_ece_frontpage
San Antonio Express-News topic on SOPA:
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/texas-on-the-potomac/2011/12/texmessage-congress-gets-caught-with-illegal-online-downloads/
NOTE FROM AMY: Thanks for these links, but FYI, more than one link per comment and your comment will get eaten by my spam filter. We're working on that. To post more than one, just post an individual comment for each link.
Willys at January 1, 2012 10:16 AM
They aren't checking for Grammar. And the staff intern asked what's a Grammar?
Claude Hopper at January 2, 2012 6:01 AM
HAS SOPA PASSED ? I can't find any confirmation anywhere ?
Tara at January 3, 2012 8:02 AM
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