Stop Censorships

Stop Online Piracy Act

Internet is both great and terrible. As a source of information, a tool for delivering music and art, it’s great. But spamming ads and piracy is terrible. It’s stealing. Piracy is the thorny issue in the Philippines. This really shows how we, as consumers, see piracy in terms mainly of getting a bargain, and that most of us think it’s a victimless crime. The growing piracy business has made the Philippines one of the thirty-one countries that supposedly have a larger market for illegal software than for commercial software according to International Intellectual Property Alliance. Similar numbers are not available for the film industry, yet it is safe to assume that media piracy has change the way movies in the Philippines are distributed and consumed. But why should we care if the product were buying is pirated or not? Think about this, if you use counterfeit or copied software, then you may face some consequences. And you are also exposing you or your business to take risk of loss of time, money, credibility and business.s Why lost time? I tell you, one of the greatest dangers of using counterfeit software is its ability to destroy valuable data. Counterfeit software is more likely to contain computer virus and corrupt files which can bring your organization to a grinding halt. The only guarantee that comes with the use of counterfeit software is the guarantee of no original documentation, no technical support, no distribution of upgrades, and no quality assurance.Read More!

C-SPAN: The Communicators: Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) on Online Piracy

On "The Communicators," Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), discusses legislation to combat online piracy. Wyden says two proposals, including SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, goes too far. He says SOPA would damage the domain name system - the basic architecture of the internet- would be compromised, it would harm efforts at cybersecurity and it would lead to censorship.Read More!

STOP SOPA [X-SecT] Anonymous(v1.0)

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is a United States bill introduced by U.S. Representative Lamar S. Smith (R-TX) to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. Provisions include the requesting of court orders to bar advertising networks and payment facilities from conducting business with infringing websites, and search engines from linking to the sites, and court orders requiring Internet service providers to block access to the sites. The law would expand existing criminal laws to include unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content, imposing a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A similar bill in the U.S. Senate is titled the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). Proponents of the legislation state it will protect the intellectual-property market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue, and is necessary to bolster enforcement of copyright laws, especially against foreign websites. Claiming flaws in present laws that do not cover foreign-owned and operated sites, and citing examples of "active promotion of rogue websites" by U.S. search engines, proponents assert stronger enforcement tools are needed. Read More!

Lobbyists behind SOPA now wooing Silicon Valley companies

The US Chamber of Commerce doesn't have a particularly good reputation among innovators for a very good reason. It's the epitome of protecting legacy players from innovation, using backroom lobbying and dealmaking, and representing the interests of the highest bidder. While it trades off its name -- and the fact that some people think it's actually a part of the US government, rather than an extremist lobbying group -- its positions are generally considered problematic to actual innovators that are driving the "commerce" of tomorrow. The US Chamber was the main outside lobbying group (beyond the MPAA) that was behind SOPA and PIPA, and was a major voice pushing completely ridiculously bogus "facts" about the evils of "IP theft" and "rogue sites." While some big tech companies were members, the relationships have frayed over the past few years. Apple dumped the Chamber over its anti-science position on climate change. Yahoo dumped its membership because of the US Chamber's position on SOPA and PIPA. While some other big players, including Google have made noises about dropping out, they haven't yet done so. But, smaller startups and innovators know the Chamber's reputation, and are staying away for good reason. Read More!