SOPA或如何以版權為藉口審查互聯網

Red Alert: Protect IP/SOPA Bills Could Change Or Destroy Alternative Media As We Know It
紅色警報：保護 IP/ SOPA的法案可能改變或摧毀另類媒體，正如我們所知道
2011-11-18


SOPA或如何以版權為藉口審查互聯網
SOPA or How to Use Copyright as an Excuse to Censor the Internet
By VC |
November 17th, 2011
Translation by Autumnson Blog

A screenshot from tumblr protesting against SOPA
一張來自tumblr的截圖抗議 SOPA

SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is a proposed bill that has the potential of ending freedom of speech on the internet. While it appears to be about piracy and “protecting copyrights”, the bill gives the power to corporations to complain to law enforcement to have websites shut down. To many, this is a step too and goes way beyond fighting illegal downloads. Here’s an article from CNN Money about internet companies (many of which have close ties to the government) opposing this bill.
SOPA（停止網上盜版法）是一項擬議的條例草案，有潛質結束互聯網上的言論自由。雖然它似乎是關於盜版和“保護版權”，條例草案賦予權力給企業向執法投訴以使網站關閉。對許多人來說，這亦是一個步驟並超越打擊非法下載的方式。這裡是一篇來自CNN金錢的文章，有關互聯網公司（其中有許多與政府關係密切）反對這項法案。

高科技巨頭說 SOPA盜版法案是“惡法”
Tech giants say SOPA piracy bill is ‘draconian’

A proposed new bill intended to combat online piracy has sparked a giant backlash from big tech companies, including Google and Facebook, who say the proposals are far too strict and rife with unintended consequences.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which was introduced in the House of Representatives in late October, aims to crack down on copyright and trademark issues. Its targets include “rogue” foreign sites like torrent hub The Pirate Bay.

Protecting content is a worthy goal, but here’s the flip side: Opponents say SOPA — and a similar bill called the Protect IP Act that is making its way through the Senate — effectively promotes censorship.

If SOPA passes, copyright holders would be able to complain to law enforcement officials and get websites shut down. The law would also force intermediaries like search engines and payment processors to withhold their services from targeted websites.

That would be quite a change from the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which mandates that companies “act in good faith” to remove content that infringes on copyrights and other intellectual property laws.

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt called the bill “draconian” during a speech in Boston on Tuesday.

Google and other tech behemoths — AOL, eBay, Facebook, LinkedIn, Mozilla, Twitter, Yahoo and Zynga — also lodged a formal complaint on Tuesday in the form of a letter sent to key Senate and House lawmakers.

“We support the bills’ stated goals,” the letter reads. “Unfortunately, the bills as drafted would expose law-abiding U.S. Internet and technology companies to new uncertain liabilities [and] mandates that would require monitoring of web sites.”

The companies are asking Congress to “consider more targeted ways to combat foreign ‘rogue’ websites.”

SOPA’s critics — some of the Internet’s most heavily trafficked sites — launched an awareness campaign on Wednesday. Hundreds of sites adopted black “STOP CENSORSHIP” logos, including BoingBoing, Reddit and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

One site tried to annoy consumers into action. Blogging site Tumblr blacked out words in its content feeds, and a message at the top of users’ dashboards read: “Stop The Law That Will Censor The Internet!”

“Congress is holding hearings today and will soon pass a bill empowering corporations to censor the Internet unless you tell them no,” Tumblr wrote in a post Wednesday, calling the bills “well-intentioned but deeply flawed.”

Meanwhile, SOPA has drawn support from groups including the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America, which say that online piracy leads to job loss.

Proponents of the bill dismiss accusations of censorship.

The legislation would “[prevent] those who engage in criminal behavior from reaching directly into the U.S. market,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, who introduced the bill, said in a statement Wednesday. “We cannot continue a system that allows criminals to disregard our laws.”

- Source: CNN Money

http://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnews/sopa-or-how-to-use-copyright-as-an-excuse-to-censor-the-internet/

制止網上盜版法（可怕的事實）

必讀：互聯網用家現在要注意!!

聯邦調查局大規模鎮壓查抓130+域名

現在做一個英雄並幫助制止SOPA！現在我會告訴你如何做！

匿名 - 行動破壞 第1期 保護IP - 2012年1月 - 警告

SOPA被截停：“條例草案延遲，互聯網自由的重大勝利”

SOPA 改名為 CISPA