The SOPA Controversy

My thoughts about the SOPA and PIPA bills that created so much controversy recently...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• SOPA
• PIPA
• President
• Obama
• Congress
• Internet
• Censorship
• Law
• Piracy
• Crime

[IrwinJohnFinster]

I'm glad the bills got tabled. I sympathize with creative content providers and I agree piracy is out of control, but the way these bills were structured was a cure worse than the disease.

I believe in personal responsibility. If I'm an online data hosting service, my service is exclusively to store data. If you, as a user, misuse my service for purposes of piracy, the proper action is to punish you for misusing my service, not to shut down my service for everyone because of your actions.

[armyveteran101st]

@IrwinJohnFinster I agree completely. Thank you for being reasonable! };-)

[philfromearth]

SOPA and PIPA were stopped but ACTA is coming. The fight is not over. Fighting piracy is just an excuse for censorship. These laws make you guilty until proven innocent. They are against the basic idea of our system of government. These laws would allow you to be shutdown if someone doesn't agree with you.

[armyveteran101st]

@BigRedChester ACTA has been signed already by almost the entire European Union, the U.S., and many other countries. I think it is necessary, in view of the seriousness of the counterfeiting/piracy problem the international community faces. In the current climate people tend to be quite paranoid and distrust every little thing that governments do, but they are wrong. That kind of thinking can only lead to anarchy. Piracy and counterfeiting are real crimes which cause much damage.

[BigRedChester]

@armyveteran101st Do you think they will put ACTA into use? I know they've already passed it. I think there might be a huge public uproar if they do.

[IrwinJohnFinster]

@Daisycutt3r Yes the models are outdated and need to be changed. Free data hosting services need better methods to make piracy less prevalent on their servers. But an outdated model doesn't constitute complacency with criminal activity or warrant full site shutdowns because of pirates. Digital distribution, when done efficiently, is a better business model than the old media standard.

Where, however, if you don't mind my asking, did I say anything like 'the user should pay at every turn' ?

[armyveteran101st]

@philfromearth That's right, and that's why I am glad SOPA and PIPA got tabled and sent back to the drawing board. I don't think censorship is the real intent behind these pieces of legislation the way they were structured initially. I think this is just the giant corporations trying to tighten the screws on their small competitors in order to run them out of the internet and out of business. It's the classic syndrome of douchebaggery driven by money and profits if you ask me.

[philfromearth]

@armyveteran101st I agree that piracy is a real crime but these two laws and ACTA are just a smoke screen for censorship. If Monsanto, for example, doesn't like the content of a website that criticizes them, all they have to do to take that website down is claim that the site is violating a copyright in it's content. The website has to prove they are not in violation which would take considerable time and money. Small websites, like yours, are no match for big corporations.

[Daisycutt3r]

@IrwinJohnFinster the old model is outdated , much like youtube ,the content should be free.The advertiser should foot the bill, and a small yearly subscription fee should be part of your isp bill to pay for ip.This also incourages better products,as the crap hollywood and musicians are are churning out at the moment doesnt cut it.sorry but I disagree with you , your being part of the problem not the sollution.why should the user pay at every turn?

[janwalsh1000]

Thank you for this video...Jan

[TheAvengers678]

Good video...priacy is a crime...but I feel SOPA and PIPA in the end would have done more harm then good.

[lyuhaina123]

estoy con todos los comentarios! me gusta!

[TUCKERZONE]

Well Said my Friend.