Web Censorship Bill Sails Through Senate Committee

MrLiberty · #1 (**permalink**) 11-19-2010, 08:26 AM

Quote:

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a bill that would give the Attorney General the right to shut down websites with a court order if copyright infringement is deemed “central to the activity” of the site — regardless if the website has actually committed a crime. The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) is among the most draconian laws ever considered to combat digital piracy, and contains what some have called the “nuclear option,” which would essentially allow the Attorney General to turn suspected websites “off.”

Web Censorship Bill Sails Through Senate Committee | Epicenter| Wired.com

This could affect many sites such as this one as we all have posted copyrighted material.

Anyone who has ever posted a bit of a news article is infringing on copyrighted material, so here again government steps in and will be able to shut down any site THEY deem is in violation of the law.

Tell me again how free we are in this country?

Mustang Man · #2 (**permalink**) 11-19-2010, 08:36 AM

Bye bye You Tube

MrLiberty · #3 (**permalink**) 11-19-2010, 08:41 AM

I think this goes right along with Rockefeller comments the other day. Seems these members of congress have forgotten they took an oath to uphold the Constitution, not step on it.

rivrrat · #4 (**permalink**) 11-19-2010, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang Man

Bye bye You Tube

And any other file hosting site.

Infidel Dog · #5 (**permalink**) 11-20-2010, 03:23 AM

And a hero emerges from the rubble...
(and OMG he's a Democrat)

Quote:

If ever there were a modern day hero it may just be Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat, who has vowed to block the controversial Combating Online Infringement & Counterfeits Act as it is currently written.

After having sailed out of the Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary by unanimous vote many, myself included, began to worry that our elected officials would ignore the vast majority of the population that opposes the COICA.

The COICA would give the Department of Justice an “expedited process” for cracking down on websites that illegally make copyrighted material available, including the ability to “prevent the importation into the United States of goods and services offered by an Internet site dedicated to infringing activities.”

The Bill’s sponsors believe the COICA would finally give the Dept of Justice the tools it needs to track and shut down “websites devoted to providing access to unauthorized downloads, streaming or sale of copyrighted content and counterfeit goods,” but Senator Wyden says it is the “wrong medicine” to cure the problem.

“Deploying this statute to combat online copyright infringement seems almost like using a bunker-busting cluster bomb, when what you need is a precision-guided missile,” he said at Senate Subcommittee meeting on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness. “If you don’t think this thing through carefully, the collateral damage would be American innovation, American jobs, and a secure Internet.”

An individual Senator can place a hold on pending legislation or even prevent a roll call vote from taking place by engaging in debate and refusing to yield the floor – i.e. filibuster. This means the COICA is effectively dead at least until the next Congress convenes...

Oregon Senator Kills Web Censorship Bill!

Hang in there Ron. Rand Paul's comin.

MintJulep · #6 (**permalink**) 11-20-2010, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Infidel Dog

And a hero emerges from the rubble...
(and OMG he's a Democrat)

Oregon Senator Kills Web Censorship Bill!

Hang in there Ron. Rand Paul's comin.

Props to that Senator.

sunwestdog · #7 (**permalink**) 11-20-2010, 04:25 PM

The bill will not affect sites like this one or Youtube. It addresses pirates who share music and movies for free downloads and and thus costs the artists and studios billions. This is a very pro business bill, so I would think all of you would be for it.

Infidel Dog · #8 (**permalink**) 11-20-2010, 04:46 PM

That's the claim from the pro-COICA side. Is it the necessary fact though? I got into this with the guys on the other COICA thread.

Political Wrinkles - View Single Post - Coica

Infidel Dog · #9 (**permalink**) 11-20-2010, 04:57 PM

There's some things I still don't understand about this though.

Somebody on the other thread said this doesn't affect the whole of the worldwide web. He suggested only Americans will get sites blacklisted. I've seen other posters elsewhere though, claim America has some sort of worldwide control over the Domain Name System, so if it's blacklisted in America it's blocked worldwide. That can't be true though. You'd expect to see a bigger fuss. Still...it would be nice to find a link to the facts on that.

Also, I don't fully understand what the input of the courts is in this. As I understand it, based on limited information, it goes something like the Attorney General wants a site blacklisted. He contacts some sort of court official, and they authorize a blacklisting, but no actual criminal conduct has to be proven in court. Is any of that correct?

Infidel Dog · #10 (**permalink**) 11-20-2010, 05:10 PM

Also if you think this kind of seemingly wide open ability to control content from a central source under COICA can't be abused, you should see what's already been done with the less open controls of the DMCA.

Here's a tiny sample of examples.

https://www.eff.org/takedowns

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