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Internet freedoms restrained - SOPA/PIPA/OPEN/ACTA/CETA/PrECISE-related updates
TaoPhoenix:
I wish I had tons of money to throw at silly projects!
We can practically make a satire app for all this stuff!
"Big Brother Welcomes You!
Here is a list of explicit and/or implied rights you used to have and thought you still did. Click on a right to find out which bill under proposal takes it away!"
IainB:
Another one happening now.
-cmpm (July 21, 2012, 11:03 AM)
--- End quote ---
Blimey, yes, so there is. I think @Renegade's term - "like cockroaches" - could be applied.
IainB:
Copy of email from [email protected] Re: Cyber-security:
(If anyone reading this is keen to have their voice heard on this subject, then please register with demandprogress.org, then you can be kept informed directly.)
The Senate version of CISPA looks like it'll be voted on later THIS WEEK. We need senators to OPPOSE the bill, but SUPPORT pro-privacy amendments to it.
Please click here email your Senators right away.
But let's highlight some good news: Our efforts to secure Internet freedom and privacy protections have largely worked -- and frankly, far better than we'd expected. Provisions have been added to:
Keep the data in the hands of civilian agencies (as opposed to the National Security Agency);
Restrict the government's use of the information to cyber security issues and the prevention of immediate physical harm;
Require annual reporting on the data's use;
Let Americans sue the government for abuse; and
A clandestine attack on Net Neutrality has been removed.
Now these changes are under attack by pro-surveillance forces.
Please click here to urge your senators to vote no on the cyber-security bill, and to help us protect privacy rights.
And then use these links to share the image at right, so everybody knows how urgent this effort is:
[fb] If you're already on Facebook, click here to share with your friends.
[fb] If you're already on Twitter, click here to tweet about the campaign: Tweet
Thanks.
--Demand Progress
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IainB:
As a timely reminder and example - if we needed one - as to why this subject is important to Internet users in the so-called "Free World", there is this post at Mashable: How Iran Silences Its Citizens on the Web
It's all about totalitarian Fascism and the negation of freedom and liberty. Read the full post at the link.
Therefore, the general objectives of the exercise would seem to be (as far Internet users in the so-called "Free World" are concerned):
* (a) to protect themselves from any and all government-driven statutory changes/initiatives to increase "cyber-security", implement DRM, copyright and expansion of same, reduce piracy, increase censorship or other means that would effectively lead to controls to govern, regulate or otherwise restrict the freedoms of use of the Internet.
* (b) to protect themselves from corporate lobby-driven statutory changes/initiatives to increase "cyber-security", implement DRM, copyright and expansion of same, reduce piracy, increase censorship or other means that would effectively lead to controls to govern, regulate or otherwise restrict the freedoms of use of the Internet.
* (c) to seek to change the arguably corrupt status quo where corporate lobbies have a stronger voice and a greater say in forming legislation that works towards their commercial/monopolistic advantage and against the interests of the people in general.
This Iranian situation is an example of one of many countries where a totalitarian Fascist regime prevails. The simple truth is that if a free people wish to avoid incremental moves in the same direction ("coming soon to a State near you"), then they will need to be vigilant and fight those people and their artefacts (statutes) that would take us there (QED).
In the case of Internet fredoms, the Mashable article finishes with this: (my emphasis)
...
People who work in the tech space in Iran acutely feel the threats posed by this environment. Take for instance the horror confronted by Saeed Malekpour, a Canadian-Iranian facing the death penalty because a file-sharing program he developed was used to upload pornography to the web. His innocuous programming is considered a crime because software developers can be held liable if consumers “inappropriately” use their products.
Being active online today in Iran is fraught with risks that most readers living in democratic societies cannot imagine. This may be the most important reason for world leaders and diplomatic representatives of the free world to put digital freedom on the agenda. Only with sustained pressure can Iran’s netizens get the tools they need to fight for a better future.
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IainB:
News from Techdirt about a potentially good move for Internet freedoms, albeit a bit belated: SOPA/PIPA Wakes Up Internet Giants To Realize They Need To Be More Engaged In DC
(Copied below sans embedded links.)
SpoilerSOPA/PIPA Wakes Up Internet Giants To Realize They Need To Be More Engaged In DC
from the unfortunate-reality dept
Earlier today it was announced that a new industry trade association representing large internet companies, called The Internet Association, is going to be launching this fall, with Google, Amazon, eBay and Facebook as the charter members. Part of the thinking behind this group stemmed from the realization of how little influence various internet companies had in DC when SOPA/PIPA came along last year -- and a concerted effort to change that.
Former Congressional staffer Michael Beckerman was officially named this morning as the organization's president. I got to meet with Beckerman last week and hear some of the details about the group. To be honest, I have very mixed feelings about all of this. I tend to believe that this group will be a force for good in supporting an open internet and related issues. Beckerman was quite frank about why this new group absolutely needs to be focused on supporting the views of the public (because unlike in some other industries, when an internet company diverges from the public interest, it's very easy for its users/customers to go elsewhere). One of the major concerns we discussed was where the interests of internet users and the large internet companies might diverge, and how this organization would deal with those situations. He was pretty adamant that if they're not doing a good job representing the public's interest as well, then the organization isn't doing its job. Hopefully that is true, but obviously it's a claim that deserves close scrutiny as this organization ramps up. Hopefully, Beckerman will model the organization on the success of organizations like CEA, who have built up a very strong reputation in recognizing that by fighting to protect consumers they do the best in the long run for the electronics companies they represent. CEA has a long history of putting consumers first on various issues (even when you could make the argument that their own members feel differently), and it's done well for itself. The Internet Association would do good to follow that lead.
So while I think that this organization is likely to be very helpful in various fights to protect the open internet, I'm a bit disappointed that the state of politics today means that something like this is even needed. And, as always, I worry about large industry players working towards efforts to maintain their position, rather than supporting actual innovation. We've certainly seen large companies who were once innovative later turn around and fight against disruption and defend the status quo. Hopefully that's not what will happen with the Internet Association. Beckerman appears to have a good grasp on the issues, so I'm encouraged by the idea that there will be an organization like this in DC, focused exclusively on internet-related issues, even as I'm disappointed that it's necessary.
One bit of advice, since I know many folks here will automatically be allergic to the idea of any sort of new DC-based trade group, even if it's likely to be fighting against groups that seek to harm the open internet: one way to hopefully avoid a bad result is to engage with this new group. Help them continue to fight the good fight by working with them, rather than automatically dismissing them. Beckerman definitely seems interested in engaging people well beyond just the companies that are members of the association (which, as I understand it, is looking for additional members), and hopefully the more he engages with people who have a personal interest in an open internet, the more he'll be able to help.
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Time will tell whether this initiative by "the large Internet companies" is genuine or has hidden agendas.
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