What is Digg?239 Comments
- billalbertson, on 11/04/2009, -6/+327Writing secret treaties with foreign powers that abrogate our individual liberties and make our private and legal activities criminal needs to stop. Shine some daylight on the problem, and start making your opinions on this issue being felt at the Whitehouse, and with your local representatives:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
You can also call or write to the President:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Please include your e-mail address
Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461 - Batcommander, on 11/05/2009, -7/+229I wouldn't worry about this. If Prohibition, the war on drugs and immigration has taught me anything, it's that when the government tries to stop something from happening, it doesn't work. Wage slaves will tell you that they can't even abolish slavery. There's no reason to think this treaty will stick.
And I will tell you how it'll unfold: For a few months, maybe even as long as a year, millions will get their internet turned off for being accused of piracy. All of these people will stop paying their internet bill. The ISP's will see a huge loss in revenue and, in an effort to pull the droves of supposed "pirates" back into their pocket, they will lobby the government to change this rule.
Nothing to worry about. I would, however, prepare myself for a few months without internet. Torrent stuff now, get a library card, reconnect with friends, whatever. Unless it's been out for two or so weeks, hold off on seeing anything in theaters. The theater gets most of the money that way. Do not buy any cd's or dvd's as long as this goes on. Finally, as heart-wrenching as it may be, cancel your internet (If it hasn't already been canceled for you). If the ISP's are still making money while kicking people off for suspected piracy they won't see the problem with what they're doing. You've got to hurt them in the only place they care about: their wallets. I suggest buying a laptop to go to a wifi hotspot every once in a while to check up on digg, facebook, whatever. I'd also consider finding a relative or friend who relies on the internet but doesn't pirate. For example; my mom pays bills and sometimes shops on the internet. She has very little spare time so she HAS to pay bills online. I suggest finding people in similar situations to satisfy your internet fix; people who can't cancel their service because it's absolutely needed.
Cancelling your internet is harsh, but it's vital. They won't learn anything if we keep giving them money. By refusing to pay we will push the bidding war between the RIAA/MPIAA and the ISP's in our favor. Stick to this plan. It will work.
And besides, a few months of us not hunched over our monitors will do us good. Write something. Paint something. Start a garden. Take up music lessons. Learn another language. Ever felt that addiction to the internet? That it's holding you back a little? Look into those hobbies you've always had an eye on but never had the time for. For a few months anyway. Soon as the ISP's settle the seesaw back to the way it should be, we can once more slouch in our chairs -utorrent open- digging up cat pictures. - mbtria, on 11/05/2009, -1/+86To those who believe that there are simply too many downloaders for arrests to have any significant impact, just let me remind you that last year there were some 850,000 arrests in the US for the possession of the leaves of a plant.
- IClavdivs, on 11/04/2009, -9/+87Now that marijuana is legal, copyright Infringement is the new getting caught with a joint.
- WoollyMittens, on 11/05/2009, -4/+70Fox news is a media corporations. Why would they oppose this treaty? They probably had a hand in writing it.
- mikemx7f, on 11/05/2009, -0/+57If you think a single party is responsible for this treaty, you are a fool.
The DMCA was passed by unanimous vote in the senate.
Protip: both parties are always in favor of the corporations that lobby them.
By the way, how are v-chips or ESRB ratings anywhere close in ***** to this treaty? - techtock, on 11/05/2009, -1/+55*police officer stops you for skateboarding on an empty sidewalk at 1 in the morning*
Police Officer: "Let's see what you got here. An iPod, huh? And I'm sure all of those songs are legal, right?"
You: "Yes, sir. I got 'em all off of iTunes, honest!"
Police Officer: "Well, we're just going to have to detain you until we can be sure." - Aliwalla, on 11/05/2009, -7/+54No.No.No.No.No. I suggest someone tries to get Fox News angry about this so they can do something good for once.
- rizzono, on 11/05/2009, -1/+46So a US citizen goes to jail for the rest of his life for downloading a song yet every Chinatown in America has millions of illegal copies of everything right in the open and nothing ever happens. They want to target pirates they can send their task forces to these places.
- Fhwqhgads, on 11/05/2009, -0/+44As I wrote in another thread, this is the world they want to create:
Every single time you listen to, hum or sing any song in whole or in part, view or hear any movie or show in whole or in part, including rewatching or replaying in your own memory in whole or in part, will be required to pay the MAFIAA, not only you, but anyone else who might have heard you humming or singing, or glanced at something you were watching. Even psychic mutants or extraterrestrials reading your mind and coming across the memory of the sound or video will be required to pay. Any person found creating any kind of sound or any kind of image will be required to pay an exorbitant protection fee to the MAFIAA, or they will be destroyed. - vampireboyy, on 11/05/2009, -0/+42Like me, you probably are so used to the internet being a free and open market that you probably don't ever think of some of the ways in which it could change. One of the most important aspects of the internet is it's open public domain. A space where, for the most part, users can create and socialize with freedom. I don't think anyone could ever imagine an internet where, like in China, there are heavily enforced laws, policies and rules. Yet, right now, as I am typing this at 4. am in the morning somewhere way across the great ocean is a conference about to take place. One which might lay the groundwork for a CENSORED internet.
There is an obscurely named entity, the "Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement" which are trying to push copyright laws and "standards" that would censor and regulate the internet. Now, you probably are familiar with copyright infringement for such things as music downloads, plagiarism, and accusations of infringement. So, you might be asking yourself what does this have to do with censorship and me? Well, the issue is not simply with copyright infringement, yet it's how broad the umbrella covers that term. For instance, if this policy passes and let's say you go into Photoshop and edit a picture of ... Metallica and make some type of cool collage and post it online, you could be liable for copyright infringement. Yes, all because you edited a copyrighted photo of Lars Ulrich's head. This is simply a stepping stone to enact legislation and a governing body into a currently open and public domain. Once there is a governing entity to control what is allowed and what is not, then you are taking freedom of speech/expression away from people.
As an internet user, currently you are only liable to follow state and government laws, as well as terms and rules proposed by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Your ISP has very little say if any to which websites you visit, or what content you post (as long as it isn't illegal). Imagine your ISP as the middleman between you and everyone else. They give you access to the net, and you pay them. ISP's have always conducted business on mutual grounds. Never limiting access to online areas. Yet, copyright infringement supersedes your ISP's regulations, and it set forth at a governing level, so now imagine some organization monitoring typical things that you do online. I cannot stress enough how important this measure is, and why you, the average computer user should care. Younger people tend to overlook things. They don't think they have power or influence and usually leave the "big" decisions to those old gray haired people we see on TV and the news. Yet, old people do NOT understand our culture. We are no longer just generation x or y - we are a revolution of thought and culture and change all because of the internet and how the internet is currently available.
Can you imagine your life without Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Google? Now try and picture yourself browsing the web with restrictions, laws and big brother monitoring and dictating what you do. Make no mistake, there are billions upon billions of dollars to be made online. Do not let these companies and bureaucrats dictate the natural flow of creative content and speech which we currently have online. The internet, in terms of age, is very young. Still at the forefront of it's conception. We are technological pioneers traveling along a cyber highway, paving our own road and breaking down barriers as we go. Please Google the term "Net Neutrality." It is a very important subject which is currently being scrutinized by the government and large companies. Someone wants control of the internet and they will not stop until they have it.
Get educated, become aware of what the internet is, and how your presence impacts and changes our present and future generations. Thanks for reading my rant. It's late, and I have 5 cups of home brewed coffee surging through my veins - BuzzFriendly, on 11/05/2009, -17/+54DMCA
ESRB ratings
rap music censorship
v-chip
Guess which party brought us all of these wonderful ideas? Hint: it isn't the one that sent us into a senseless war in Iraq. - Paranor01, on 11/05/2009, -0/+31Cannabis isn't legal yet. Medical Marijuana is partially legalized in the states.
But agreed that copyright, and the misuse by corporations is turning it into the next "war on ..." with the same sort of elements that created the why Cannabis is illegal in the first place. - Fhwqhgads, on 11/05/2009, -5/+35You are one of those people with the false hope that people could ever band together and cooperate and do something for the greater good. I hate to burst your bubble but We The People have been bought off, silenced, and kept in line by making us fear false authority, not to mention at each other's throats over trivial things by being separated into groups. Political views, religion, race, income, sexuality, the list goes on. A group at war with itself will never accomplish a goddamn thing.
So keep dreaming. I'll continue to live in this place called "reality" where We The People keep getting it up the ass every day and they seem to love every minute of it. As long as gays can't get married, blacks can't do X, atheists can't do X, people can't smoke weed, and they can get the latest about celebrity whore X, the people are happy. That's the kind of trivial useless meaningless ***** people worry about.
Stop kidding yourself. I once thought as you do, then I woke up and realized: humanity is *****. - Batcommander, on 11/05/2009, -3/+31New info on secret copyright treaty emerging: Eating pies will result in heavy fines if you think about Britney Spears while you're doing it.
- Batcommander, on 11/05/2009, -3/+31You know how things keep getting worse? Because of people like you. People are putting up with an increasing rate of ***** every year because of people like you. I know it's rough to not check up on twitter every day, but the alternative would be accepting what they're trying to do. Bend over just a little more; let them get that red white and blue dick just a little deeper.
You notice how people always talk about big ideas but they never do anything about them? This is your chance to do something about it. It only works if we all pitch in. Pessimism isn't going to help anybody. - Screwy1138, on 11/05/2009, -1/+28Because Obama is involved. Maybe we can get Beck to cry over it.
- Josexph, on 11/05/2009, -1/+26PC Speaker said it the best.
"***** the M-P-double-A comin' straight out the underground
A young pirate got it bad cause I'm down,
Loadin' DVDs like a *****' fiend,
Bring my camera to the movies and I put em on BT,
Back all that stolen content up on DVD-ROMs,
'Cuz my tip's been piracy since I dropped out my Mom's,
And just because I share my MP3s,
They got the government comin' after me,
Instead of suin' kids why don't you step on up,
And release a couple albums that don't completely suck,
Stop puttin DRM onto audio CDs,
That don't make it any harder to steal your MP3s,
If I want your ***** for free, I ain't gonna have to pay,
And all your ***** is why the ***** I say,
Hack the Gibson, hack the Gibson,
I'm seedin' BitTorrents like a digital pimp, son." - greevar, on 11/05/2009, -2/+26"We are living in those times.
A look at the health care debate going on in the US right now is very revealing. It appears all but the Progressive caucus is pro-corporate, putting their interests before ours.
For the US at least, the order of things is people, their self governance, and business, where government permits business and sets the rules of engagement so that the society is well served by it operating. This is a net gain, and the justification for all of that is that we may better enjoy our liberty.
A mistake has changed that. In the US, corporations have the same status as people, making our government, "their" government too, and they are stronger than we are, have more money than we do, live longer than we do, don't have the needs we do, can kill and consume one another, and the list goes on and on and on.
Now, the reality is that we are second class, despite being the source of the power corporations now wield.
This is why the airwaves no longer have a public interest, why news is infotainment, why we have poor trade policy exporting all our skill to cheap places, and why this copyright treaty is happening the way it is.
Of course we are pissed. Of course it's wrong. And of course there are better ways to do it.
But, the companies want steady revenue, and they want it at the maximum level possible. We create the wealth through labor, they feed and grow off of it, rendering us as cattle, who must be fed, clothed, and maintained, but we are not to be appeased at all, and they "feed" best, when we are at our lowest cost, compliant, and not innovative, but under their direction.
We are, after all, the creators. We could create something that trancends them, or modify the law, killing them and those who feed off of them. The corporate parasites sell us off, much like the humans myth of vampire worshipers who allow the undead to feed, in return for shelter and information and protection.
Those corporate parasites know they can live well by doing the corporation good, while screwing us, and that's just how it is.
I fear without some serious reform, a lot will be lost. I also fear we may never reach the point of reform, for the power they have gained is enough to prevent it now. Hope that isn't true.
Whatever YOU might think, that is the way of things. We do not have a majority mindshare in the government, and as long as that is true, we will suffer like all minorities suffer."
I could not have said it better myself. - dedknedy, on 11/05/2009, -0/+23America doing what it does best; turning its common citizens into criminals.
Oh well, at least in prison i'll have better health care. - gilbes, on 11/05/2009, -24/+47Why did the submitter have to lie about this *****?
Submitter says: "Your kids could go to jail for sharing non-commercial music"
The article says: NOTHING about kids or age of offenders.
The article says: "non-commercial infringement" which is very different from "non-commercial music".
Submitter says somethign about "making fan art".
The article says: NOTHING about this. Unless he thinks fake packaging is fan art. Those bootleg DVDs you got in Chinatown have fan art, not fake packaging uh durrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Either the submitter is a liar, or an idiot. Either way... - weratestuff, on 11/05/2009, -1/+24Yeah, because when your passion is digital design, what you really wanna be doing is pounding in nails.
- WoollyMittens, on 11/05/2009, -4/+26Dude, nice plan, but I make websites for a living.
- lazy6pyro, on 11/05/2009, -1/+23Wasn't Tipper Gore (Wife of Al Gore) heavily involved in media censorship?
- codyraymulcahy, on 11/05/2009, -3/+23Reminds me of when people were trying to say DON'T BUY GAS TOMORROW AND THE PRICES WILL BE FORCED TO GO DOWN! Yeah that worked out real well. Do you know how many peoples jobs rely on the use of the Internet? Not going to happen.
- Findeton, on 11/05/2009, -3/+21Do you know what is "non-commercial infringement"? Yes, it is to download a song from p2p networks.
- TrancePhreak, on 11/05/2009, -3/+20I don't think the v-chip is necessarily bad. The ESRB is kinda lame in that it charges expensive fees (locking out smaller devs) and are a bit clueless at times (hot coffee), but otherwise a good idea.
- sierrabravo, on 11/05/2009, -0/+17so if i take a picture of mickey mouse at the magic kingdom, i am apparently going to prison for 17 life terms
- tgc1, on 11/05/2009, -1/+17Trying to even remotely enforce these provisions is going to cause the US government to bankrupt itself. There isn't enough money in the world to stop people doing what is in their nature. And you know what, I actually DO buy DVD's, Games and Music on occasion. If it's good, and the content is engaging and I like the artwork and the like then it's worth my money. But what is not worth my money is all the ***** shovelware and auto-tuned *****, and the remakes-of-remakes-of-remakes. I shouldn't have to screen the content I buy for me to take a chance on it.
It's already bad enough that you can't return software, music or movies after you open them (unless defective). So why the ***** should I be out of pocket for ***** that I don't want? Sure you can still entice people like me with pretty pictures on the cover. But things like Shrink-Wrap-Licensing, DRM and the like are making it so that I CAN'T EVEN USE THE ***** THAT I PURCHASED! So excuse me when I say to the media industry GO ***** YOURSELVES. If you can't make a competitive product that is reasonably priced, then that's your own ***** fault. Don't blame "pirates." A perversion of the word really. Because people who download music and other media are not pirates. They are SMART consumers.
Time and time again we are shown that those who make great products will be supported. If you make *****, and your entire industry is a ***** machine -- you become part of history. Ancient history. Extinct. Learn and adapt or perish. That is the law in business. They don't have enough money to buy all the politicians in the world to try and enforce this. So ***** 'EM. ***** THEM UP THEIR STUPID ASSES. - Batcommander, on 11/05/2009, -0/+15Of course. And that's what they're counting on. The response to governing bodies since the 60's and 70's after taking our freedoms away has been nonexistent, at least in the USA. They know people won't do anything about it, and that's why they push us; because they know they can. We're dolls to them. They take us out and play with us when they want and sometimes brush our hair and take off our heads and put us in boxes when they're done playing.
But you can't just say "Too bad. I sincerely hope our masters aren't so harsh in the future. Hopefully people will do something about it next time"; you have to convince them to do something by doing it yourself. Lead by example.
Really, is watching a baby dance to Beyonce on Youtbe so important that we can't give it up for a month? This is disconnecting your internet for a few months; you're not getting sprayed with firehoses or shooting at soldiers. Keep things in perspective, this isn't a lot to ask in the grand scheme of things.
Not everyone has to do this. Many will be kicked off that don't know the rules already, which should be enough to alarm ISP's. But just because things will probably change without us lifting a finger doesn't mean we should do nothing. The faster they lose money the faster we get back our internet. - Krakerjax, on 11/05/2009, -0/+15Granted humanity is *****, I refuse to believe we live in a country where real men aren't willing to fight to defend their homes from corporate *****.
People banded together to fight the money whoring ***** of the King back 200 years ago, it's only a matter of time before they do it again against the ***** they deal with today. - Yage2006, on 11/05/2009, -2/+17This is an abomination. The people writing this in secret should dragged into the streets and burned alive.
- Moisgreat, on 11/05/2009, -0/+14So what they are saying is, I can no longer give a mix-tape with my famous Liger drawing on it to my special lady friend. Is that correct?
- chiefbandit2200, on 11/05/2009, -0/+14Hopefully some of those 850,000 people were actually arrested for possession of the buds.
- Vorg, on 11/05/2009, -4/+18Yes, the ESRB sure sucks. God forbid people know about the content in video games. We should really do away with it. While we are at it, lets just get rid of movie ratings as well.
- theuniversal, on 11/05/2009, -8/+21"Writing secret treaties with foreign powers that abrogate our individual liberties and make our private and legal activities criminal needs to stop."
Look, I think copyright has gotten way out of hand, and the laws being pushed by the studios and labels are horrible, but your comment is ridiculous. First, a treaty by definition is an agreement with a foreign government. Second, no international treaty can make your actions criminal in the US - US law would have to be changed by the normal procedure to do that. Finally, treaties have zero effect unless they are ratified by congress. Since you don't appear to know that, I suggest you read about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratification
Also, neither this article nor the previous articles by boingboing have any sources for the information. And the source the original article links to just attributes the leaks to an "unnamed source". It doesn't get much weaker than that. I'm holding judgement on this one.
Anyway, if you're going to write the White House, at least write something that makes a bit of sense. - fxu1989, on 11/05/2009, -0/+12ESRB is one way to shut the ***** up the parents... a bit. I don't mind it. Besides, there are games which little kids should not be playing.
Everything else is *****. - Stingwolf, on 11/05/2009, -1/+13Didn't Clinton sign the DMCA? Also, the ESRB is an INDEPENDENT organization which performs VOLUNTARY (i.e. -not- required by law) ratings of video games. The MPAA does the same with movie ratings. They are -not- required to do so. ALL politicians want content censorship. This goes for video games, movies, music, TV, everything.
Your post is a pathetic attempt to turn this into a partisan issue, and the fact that so many have dug it at the moment is a sad testament to this country's political state. - bobburn1, on 11/05/2009, -1/+12You don't understand US law do you? All treaties made with the US approved by Congress have the force of law within the United States, idiot. They don't have to write a new bill and pass it into law, the treaty just needs to be approved (thus your "normal procedure" bs is just that, bs).
- Vaiper, on 11/05/2009, -3/+13No, I agree with you wholeheartedly. But lets be honest with ourselves for just one moment. Getting people to stop using the internet would be like telling fat Americans to stop eating cheeseburgers.
- myalibi, on 11/05/2009, -3/+13I hope all the Obamabots are happy now, as judging by his administration trying to keep this secret from the public, he doesn't seem to care too much.
Now if someone like Ron Paul were in office we wouldn't have to worry about things like this, but we just had to find out the hard way I guess.
RON PAUL 2012 RON PAUL 2012 RON PAUL 2012...ahh, if he runs. - Opiate, on 11/05/2009, -0/+8I've always found it interesting how sovereignty circumvention gets labeled as treaties. If we had to referendum on any of these "laws" they would never pass, ***** global government.
- AlwaysTurning, on 11/05/2009, -1/+9Just what I HOPED for
Changing our future one step (into a jail cell) at a time - neomatrix724, on 11/05/2009, -0/+8A lot of people will end up downgrading to slower speeds...ISP's will also be paranoid about liability so they would disconnect people quite frequently (the treaty holds ISP's responsible for their user's actions if they refuse to disconnect).
I have about a dozen or so projects I want to work on...losing my internet or cancelling it would probably allow me to get those done. - AgentRoyIV, on 11/05/2009, -0/+7Awww but if fan art was illegal we'd miss out on other amazing works like this one:
http://www.destinationcreation.com/informatives/wp ... - Konrad9, on 11/05/2009, -1/+8The ESRB saved the game industry. The government said "Regulate yourselves or we will."
Imagine how the industry would be today if we had a government organization instead of the ESRB. - Hetman, on 11/05/2009, -0/+7Does anyone have a link to the actual bill?
- Opiate, on 11/05/2009, -0/+7The thing is it's not really secret, using that word will only get the totalitarian apologists foaming.
- 3nder99, on 11/05/2009, -2/+9Sounds like a plan to me.
If you think the ESRB is used by more than a fraction of the population, you are wrong. It's not worth the stifling cost to smaller developers. - IClavdivs, on 11/05/2009, -1/+8Since this has been getting steadily worse over the past ten years and over the past three presidents, it's safe to assume that this is a non-partisan issue. The real problem is that corporations increasingly own our government. All lobbyists need to be taken behind the white house, anally raped, and then shot in the face.
-
Show 51 - 100 of 246 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is 