Americans: sign petition to fight Great Firewall of the USA

Aaron sez, "Does Hollywood know how to be evil or what? Just as the President is denouncing Iran and China for censoring the Internet, the MPAA is rushing through a bill to create an Internet blacklist here at home. American ISPs would be required to block any domains that host too much copyright or trademark infringement. The bill is so careless and vague even YouTube could get banned, and that's even before other government agencies get their hands on this technique. (WikiLeaks, anyone?) Can you sign our urgent petition to stop the bill?"

This is the kind of heavy-handed censorship you'd expect from a dictatorship, where one man can decide what web sites you're not allowed to visit. But the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to pass the bill this week -- and Senators say they haven't heard much in the way of objections! That's why we need you to sign our urgent petition to Congress demanding they oppose the Internet blacklist.
PETITION TO THE SENATE: Censoring the Internet is something we'd expect from China or Iran, not the U.S. Senate. You need to stop this Internet blacklist in its tracks and oppose S. 3804.

Stop the Internet blacklist!

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Anonymous

If I have my understanding correct, that Sen. Patrick Leahy introduced the bill and after introduction is then sent to a committee for further study, why is the bill sent to a committee where most if not all the backers of the bill are on the committee?
Looking at the bill from http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3804.
Anonymous

Durbin, I am disappoint.

However, I should expect nothing less from Illinois politicians. Everyone in this state will easily kowtow to whatever lobby is willing to throw money at their coffers.
dodi

I too think petitions have dubious value. I just sent an email to my senator (Richard Durbin [D-IL]) through his senate site. I’m not sure if my voice will have any impact, but I think direct contact from a constituent is more valuable than a petition.

I’m not sure what the best action is if one’s representatives are not directly involved with the bill.
- nosehat
  
  Directly contacting your senator is the best action, since presumably they will be voting on the bill. I suppose one could further write to Obama, asking him not to sign this into law.
  
  One assumes that this bill would face court challenges if it’s as terrible as all that.
Anonymous

SIGNED
qygibo

dodi: It’s still worth it to contact your senator, if only to encourage them to not vote for this bill.
agreenster

Im all for finding ways to keep people from downloading copyrighted movies and music and software and whatnot, but policing the internet and stopping the transmission of information is not the most sophisticated way of doing it
Anonymous

So just goes to show that when you leave the voting up to some-one else you get corrupt idiots. At least in Australia we have to vote for our corrupt idiots. Simply write to your (is it senator) or whoever represent you and tell them if they support the introduction of this bill you will actively vote against them forever and you will encourage this of all your friends. There is one thing politicians love more than money, and that is their careers. You can defeat the MPAA and the RIAA. You can defeat this.
Anonymous

Welome to the next tier of the internet piracy chain:

pirate DNS servers.

I predict a lot of new traffic to places like opendns, and that these servers will relocate to friendlier nations like canada, india, or (ironically) russia.

There will also be sites dedicated to tracking the dns changes for the sites primarily used for infringement.

Then they will have to recursively create laws which go after the sites to track the dns changes for the sites primarily engaged in infringement.. then the sites to track the dns changes for the sites to track the dns changes.. etc etc etc ad nauseum.

In the mean time, the piracy will continue while legitimate free speech takes yet another hit.
Anonymous

Although this isn’t quite the same as the Digital Economy that was passed earlier this year in the UK, I can’t help but feel there may be a very strong parallel.

If plucky little Britain couldn’t stop the DE bill when there was a lot of opposition in the houses of parliament, I fear that there is no way this bill is going to be stopped.
knodi

Q: How many petitions does it take to change a lightbulb?
knodi

A: Don’t be silly. Petitions never changed anything!

PS – and that goes double for internet petitions
- Hopeful_Greis
  
  I would sign any petition supporting your right to post unfounded blanket statements about the ineffectiveness of petitions.
  In 2006, online petitions were the primary method of expressing disagreement with the then proposed abolition of net neutrality and they were breathtakingly effective. Then, as now, the attempt was to quietly legislate away basic rights and hope nobody noticed. Yell, or you will be silenced.
MikeP

Wrote to my senator, though in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have called him a coward while expressing my displeasure at his sponsership[-_-;].
KristoferB

I’m so sick of the government selling our freedoms for money. Seriously though what good will a petition do? They’re getting paid to do this, and they don’t care what we the people have to say about it as long as they get their money… the government has become all about money and not people, if you’ve got enough money you can get anything you want passed.
Anonymous

welcome to 1984, are you ready for the 3rd world war? you too will meet the secret police. They’ll draft you and they’ll jail your niece.
Beelzebuddy

Sen, I am disappoint.

I would have expected better from congress. Orrin, you’ve been bought and paid for for years, and this is the best you can do? Shutting down arbitrary websites with no justification? Shit son, we’ve been able to do that since 1998.

Look to the new blood. The Obama administration wants to legally mandate encryption backdoors. THAT’S the kind of tyrannical power grab we’d like to see more of. Know what the best part is? It can’t even be enforced, so we get to do ALL KINDS of fun things in the name of pursuing justice! Like widespread and systematic man in the middle attacks! How cool will that be?

And all you’re bringing to the table is harassing websites without due process? Like anyone follows that anyway!
the_headless_rabbit

Censoring the internet like this should only be happening in oppressive countries like China, Iran or Australia. Something like this should never be allowed to happen in a liberal democracy.

If this bill passes, I move that the final line of the American National Anthem be removed. The paranoia over terrorism these bast 10 years has certainly made “home of the brave.” false, and any attempt to ban knowledge is a good knock against “land of the free”.
Anonymous

So, did anybody actually read the bill before overreacting? This sort of thing has been on the books since VCRs came out in the 80′s (Sony v. Universal)

The gist of it is this: if the site exists for the SOLE purpose of distributing pirated material with NO protections or counter-measures whatsoever, the government may order ISPs block their DOMAIN NAME(s) — if they registered the names within the US, provide service to the US, or list their prices in US dollars.

I’m not a lawyer, but it sounds like it means that pirate sites can still operate on IP addresses or just ban US traffic (measures I’m _sure most pirates would know how to get around). Just sayin’

-Anon (yes, definitely, anonymous)
Anonymous

The irony is, if this bill did pass in its current form, it could drive domain name servers and registrars to other nations with more permissive laws, and more jobs and services will be shipped out of the US.

Or of course, torrent and video hosting sites will simply play the cat and mouse game they’ve always been playing, and life goes on.

Either way, Congress is acting in a manner that can be sufficiently be described as following the idiot (MPAA). How’s that MPAA war going against copyright infringement?
Anonymous

I am more then certain, anonymous would kill if this passed. Many would also follow.
Delaney

We have got to stop voting for Democrats. A center-right party does us no good. If they can control as much of government as they do now and the erosion of our civil liberties actually INCREASES…they are clearly not the right people to support.

It’s time to start voting for left wing no chance socialist candidates or right wing no chance libertarian candidates…anybody with a conscience. The more people do it, the more other people will do it and maybe in a couple of elections we’ll hit some critical mass.
Anonymous

Unfortunately one of my states senators is sponsoring this bill (Whitehouse) and hopefully I can get through to his Sr, Jack Reed.
benher

Who cares – at least we’ll finally beat those terrorists(tm)!! Frankly, I’m getting tired of the 10 minutes of hate…
Ernunnos

Look, MPAA, you’re going about this the wrong way. If you want to get urban hipster douchebags on your side on any issue, you have to make it a status issue. Just find some way to link downloading movies with fundamentalist rednecks who didn’t go to an ivy league school, wear trucker hats unironically, and make things that can’t be delivered via satphone from a chic third world favela. They’ll be so desperate to avoid being associated with the great unwashed in flyover country that they’ll not only refrain from infringement themselves, but they’ll lobby on your behalf, and launch denial of service attacks and scathingly funny critiques on anyone who does, working for you for free in exchange for an opportunity to signal their fitness to reproduce with others of their own kind.

I don’t work for free – got to cover my satphone time, you know – but if you want more specifics on strategy, my rates are reasonable.
Rob

I’m guessing you can strike careless out of that description. I’m betting they knew exactly what they’re doing.
cowmix

When I called Sen Kyle they didn’t know about the bill and I was the first caller on the subject.
Anonymous

Dear Senator ******,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with your recent decision to co-sponsor the outrageous S. 3804. This bill proposes another unconstitutional power grab on behalf of the movie and music industry, erecting a Great Wall of China around the Internet in the U.S., with no recourse or oversight from citizens or blackballed internet sites. Turning copyright law into a weapon for censorship and destruction of First Amendment freedom will certainly lead to more jail time and fines for Americans sharing information as they surely will circumvent the bans on world internet sites, but it will degrade American freedom, as our democracy is already degraded by the introduction of bills such as this.

Those who wish to protect “intellectual property” with such vehemence often point out that it is our only industry that remains strong during these economic times. Maybe it is time to review why our main export requires legions of lawyers, international agreements written in secret (ACTA), extension of copyright duration beyond the lifetime of any original creators, and the gross purchase of laws in this country by lobbyists.

Where are the great groups of citizens demanding these laws? They simply don’t exist. Americans don’t need to be protected from illegally copied content on the internet. We are perfectly safe from it. This is yet another example of how the U. S. Senate is a tool for lobbyists. I voted for President Obama. If this bill even gets out of Committee, it’s the final straw: I won’t vote for him again because he is associated with Democrats who play these silly games at the behest of vested interests and corporations who care nothing about the Constitution, only profits. Yours and the actions of Senator Leahy make the Tea Party voters in this country seem to actually make sense. I would say, though, that Government is not out of control, but it is no longer in the control of the people. Rather it is out to control the people at the behest of corporate masters.

Please reconsider this grossly negligent attack on the Constitution.

Very truly yours,
Anonymous

> “in oppressive countries like China, Iran or Australia”

LOL
Cowicide

Shit, they must have literally redesigned his site like an hour ago… looks different now and the email link breaks.

Updated/Fixed: Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]
Anonymous

To think that I voted for Kohl (WI)…
I sent him an email with my disgust, and declared that he has lost my vote should he attempt to run again, unless he steps away from this bill and votes against it.
Anonymous

I called john Cornyn’s office. I got to leave him a voice mail, guess his constituents don’t rate a staffer unless they bring a paper bag full of 100 dollar bills.

As for the overall issue, I’ll let public enemy do my talking.

“Burn Hollywood burn.”

Seriously, is anyone watching their crap anymore? I haven’t watched a movie or tv show since 1999 when I gave up on the Simpsons.
Anonymous

I figure petitions won’t do anything. But I’ll tell you what does work. Boycotts. Think if everybody refused to pick up copy of Avatar when it came out this year on DVD how much money would have been lost. Think if no one choosed to buy Halo Reach or Civilization V or any commercial product that is aimed at us the consumer — big media would have a much more serious problem than copyright infringement issues. As much as I hate to say it (because I love Civ V and Avatar et al) but the only way to serious way to hurt their pocket book other than physically attack the studios with bombs or media moguls in assassination attempts is to hurt them where they feel it — in the pocket book
Anonymous

ACTA and the oppressive policies pushed by big content Must be stopped! If ACTA is pushed through, They will have the right to Search your IPod for songs that you have no “proof” you payed for. Have fun carrying receipts for all of your CD’s around with you, for that you burned them from a CD will no longer be a defense! They will confiscate your media player and sue you! They will be able to permanently disconnect you from the internet after three “alleged” copyright infringements. After this happens, It will be “illegal” for any telecom to provide you with service.This of course will be used to silence political dissidents and to stifle free discourse.

ACTA will sterilize internet creativity! If ACTA passes only “verified” distribution channels will be allowed to distribute freely on the internet. This will lead to a loss of crowdsourcing, collaboration, and freedom of speech and expression! Microsoft is waiting for ACTA to pass so they can cram Windows down the throats of the world. They wish to make Linux Illegal on a global scale. ACTA will allow them to do that! ACTA is essentially an attempt to grab as much power as possible and to make information consumption a police state!

The rich and powerful now want even more control over EVERYONE and they are willing to coerce ALL nations to adopt America’s broken patent and content distribution model! Learn about ACTA and what freedoms it will take from you! Fight back by spreading this message via copy and Paste it wherever you can! This is the Civil Rights issue of our day! We may not win, but we can at least say we tried! Call your congressman and senator and President Obama and tell them YOU don’t stand for this powergrab and won’t support anyone who does. Inform people you know of what ACTA will do if it passes.
james84

Sponsor:
Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]

Cosponsors:
Evan Bayh [D-IN]
Benjamin Cardin [D-MD]
Thomas Coburn [R-OK]
Richard Durbin [D-IL]
Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]
Lindsey Graham [R-SC]
Charles Grassley [R-IA]
Orrin Hatch [R-UT]
Amy Klobuchar [D-MN]
Herbert Kohl [D-WI]
Charles Schumer [D-NY]
Arlen Specter [D-PA]
George Voinovich [R-OH]
Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]

Bill text: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-3804 It’s terrible through-and-through. In addition to the core issue of creating a de facto national internet filter, it would also prevent any non-domestic sites from receiving donations or ad revenue through US based services. The judicial procedures are imbalanced, the definitions are expansive, the AG office is required to spend resources on enforcement, and it empowers the AG to create a second blacklist of sites based on allegations without judicial action (which providers will be pressured to filter as well though a selective immunity grant).
- Cowicide
  
  Thanks for this list! I’ve upgraded it to make it easier to contact them with their proper contact links within each name:
  
  Sponsor:
  Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]
  
  Cosponsors:
  Evan Bayh [D-IN]
  Benjamin Cardin [D-MD]
  Thomas Coburn [R-OK]
  Richard Durbin [D-IL]
  Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]
  Lindsey Graham [R-SC]
  Charles Grassley [R-IA]
  Orrin Hatch [R-UT]
  Amy Klobuchar [D-MN]
  Herbert Kohl [D-WI]
  Charles Schumer [D-NY]
  Arlen Specter [D-PA]
  George Voinovich [R-OH]
  Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]
  
  Bill text:
  
  It’s terrible through-and-through. In addition to the core issue of creating a de facto national internet filter, it would also prevent any non-domestic sites from receiving donations or ad revenue through US based services. The judicial procedures are imbalanced, the definitions are expansive, the AG office is required to spend resources on enforcement, and it empowers the AG to create a second blacklist of sites based on allegations without judicial action (which providers will be pressured to filter as well though a selective immunity grant).
Anonymous

to those who say it is democrats..oh please knock it off, politicians are politicians republicans would be doing the same.

and as for the whole deal about petitions no working…well at least the senators would get the idea that the people are not fond of this idea at all.