SOPA / PROTECT IP in the U.S. Please read, regardless of country you live in.

[Talarath]

Since a single post would be hard to talk about it in detail I'll say this...
You use facebook?  Don't expect it to stick around if the bill passes
Youtube?  It has atleast 1 pirated song or video on it, so that's gone
Google, Yahoo, Bing? Links to sites with pirated content.  That's gone
Imgshack and Photobucket?  They have copyrighted pictures on it.  Gone.
AIM, MSN, Yahoo, Skype?  You can send links to piracy and send pirated files.  No longer around.

http://americancensorship.org/

If you live in the states, write to your rep or call them.
If you don't, then you can still join online petitions and possibly even urge your own government to pressure the U.S. government.  This effects every company around the world that uses the internet!  If the U.S. deems your site to aid in piracy or hosting illegal/copyrighted content (forums, blogs, comment sections, instant messaging, LINKING) then the site can be blacklisted forever.  Do something, or the internet will no longer push innovation.

(not posting this as a rep of the company)

[Cantstopit]

This irritates me.
And whatever bill passed allowing any citizen to be arrested for any amout of time, for any reason without having to be told why.
So much for the constitution and bill of rights. They're being used as toilet paper these days.

[jsealing]

This irritates me.
And whatever bill passed allowing any citizen to be arrested for any amout of time, for any reason without having to be told why.
So much for the constitution and bill of rights. They're being used as toilet paper these days.

Unfortunately very true these days and now I have to wonder, who put this bill together without it being made public until now? Somebody must have been paid an awful lot of money to keep something like this secret; $$$ speaks in all languages I guess. I wrote by Senators and Congresswoman, but since they're Democrats anyway, they won't listen to some of us out here.

[knotme]

Ok not to add to this but for those who are AT&T cell phone users their new phones will not only tell where you are at to help improve dropped calls but they will record every text you send and get, every word you say and word said to you, videos everything you do on that phone is recorded by them.  Talk about invasions of privacy.  I mean facebook and social places like that were to be the communications of the  future.....not so much now if they all get closed down.  unless they all are going to become a paid membership services......thats the case screw them.  We will find other ways to get around it.

[Talarath]

Protect IP has been fairly common knowledge for a few months.  SOPA popped up about 2 weeks ago in full force.  The people who are for either act have donated about $2.5 million for its efforts.  Those against it have donated about $13 million.  Its so big 3 rappers made a song about it (independant of any recording label) and it was removed for copyright infringement.  When only the rappers owned the copyright and there was no record label to produce it.  Awesome.

Knot: That's common on every network (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint etc).  The user location is touted as increasing call quality.  The logging of texts and analyzing phone calls is anti-terrorism.    Both are sold to third parties for advertising though...

[Cantstopit]

I agree with all of you.
It doesn't matter much what we say or do because we're lowly citizens that know nothing. Mindless drones. We're not in that top .1% that controls everything, therefore we are nothing.
Bullshit!
It's the government that should fear its people, not the people fearing its government.
I've got a feeling that something big is going to happen in these coming days.

[Brownbear]

I wouldnt count on your local congress critters giving a flip about it, look at the banker bailout bill, 95% against it and they passed it anyway.

Bear

[Cantstopit]

I wouldnt count on your local congress critters giving a flip about it, look at the banker bailout bill, 95% against it and they passed it anyway.

Bear

^ This ^


I'm calling shenanigans and trophies!

[Auroarah]

another TIPPER GORE AND RPMC rampage we have.

It's bullshit for the govt to keep control which it knows it's loosing. Looking forward to 2012 when the govt falls apart and the world goes completely to hell in a hand basket.

[Red-Black]

another TIPPER GORE AND RPMC rampage we have.

Oh finally, someone else remembers this. Also, remember back when they screamed the exact same way and tried over and over to try to ban the VHS?

All this censorship garbage is nothing new. What is new is that information can spread more quickly now, especially if people care to listen. I'm getting emails from several activist groups that keep people notified of things like insane censorship laws and untested science being passed off as food. Even if you just get the emails and reply to every petition and call every number you're doing something more than going "they'll never listen!" and just sitting idle.

If you don't at least speak up for them to listen, then there's no real point in complaining. Sure, they won't listen unless you make them listen but if enough people speak up, protest, and otherwise make noise then they will have no choice but to hear us. Doing nothing but sitting there upset does, well, nothing.