"Blacklists, ahoy! PROTECT IP Act sails on to Senate floor"

[kane_magus]

Yeah... this doesn't sound like a very good bill at all.

"Back on May 12, when the PROTECT IP Act was introduced, Wyden said it would be 'hard to consider legislation that would give the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security additional authorities to combat online content infringement... While the departments finally responded to questions that I sent them more than three months ago, their responses reveal a single-minded determination to stamp out online infringement and demonstrate little if any understanding of the Internet's value and function.'

Of particular concern is 'their refusal to explain how linking is different than free speech. Given that hyperlinks in many ways form the foundation of the Internet, efforts to go after one site for linking to another site—which the Administration is currently doing and the Protect IP Act would expand on—threaten to do much more than protect IP.'"

(EDIT)

Oh, and I have to ask, just why and how does the Department of Homeland Security have anything at all to do with copyright infringement stuff like this? Is that really a matter of national security? Should we all be buying duct tape to try to plug in the holes in the Internet tubes or something?

(/EDIT)

Comments

[owsf2000.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth.