It is with great trepidation that I write this now, for reasons I will go into later in the piece. I’m afraid of what could theoretically happen to me as a result of nothing more than expressing my opinions; a right given to my by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Yet, the current condition of things in the United States threatens that right, and it’s due to this that, if I were to be detained by the powers that be, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised by it.
In my reading regarding SOPA, PIPA, and the like, I stumbled across this gem, and thought it worth sharing here. It was originally written in 1996 by John Perry Barlow of the EFF, but many of its statements still ring true today, if not even moreso than back in the mid-’90s. Originally, I thought of just linking to the document, but in light of recent events, I thought it a bit poetic to copy/paste it here in its entirety. Enjoy.
Alright. There’s something disgusting going on right now in the House and Senate that needs to be addressed. It’s about time I did my part to help the cause.
There are two bills currently being debated that have cataclysmic effects on the Internet that you and I love. They are the Stop Online Piracy Act, and the Protect IP Act. What these bills do, essentially, is give content publishers the ability to have websites blacklisted from the Internet (via DNS blocking) for reasons of suspected copyright infringement. Even if the infringement was done by one of a site’s users, or if the content in question isn’t owned by the company in question, or if the content ISN’T EVEN FUCKING COPYRIGHTED, the site gets blacklisted.
This is abhorrent for multiple reasons. Foremost being the lack of what’s known as “Safe Harbor” protections that’re granted to websites as part of the DMCA. Basically, that means the site can’t be held responsible for the actions of its users. It’s like if two people are planning a murder over the phone, the phone company can’t be held liable for the murder.
Do you see how ridiculous that shit is? Oh, but it gets worse. The bills put the power completely into the copyright holders’ hands, as far as what sites disappear from the Internet. There’s no judicial oversight involved whatsoever. None. Not only that, but since the United States has so much control over the Internet as it stands, yet the Internet is a system that spans the globe and is used by millions of people in dozens of countries, this would allow companies with obsolete business models (I’m looking at you here, RIAA/MPAA) to cut innovation and free speech off at the knees for the entire goddamn world. Not only for the present, but it would also make for an excessively hostile environment for new tech startups from now on. With this threat hanging over their heads, who would invest in the next YouTube, or the next Facebook, or the next Twitter?
God, just thinking about the details of all this so as to write about it is making me want to puke all over my keyboard.
There’s more to all of it, of course, but I just don’t have it in me to write it all here. I’m already at the “I want to kick a puppy” point. Instead, I’ll leave you with this video, made by John Bain, a.k.a. TotalBiscuit. In it, he goes over all of this, and what you and I can do to fight back, and save our beloved Internet from ignorance and greed. Take care, everyone. I have Congresspersons and Senators to email.
Alright, so in preparation for my forthcoming exodus from Facebook, or “Operation: Fuck Zuck” as I like to refer to it, I’ve been putting forth some effort into improvements to the site, maybe see if I can encourage some interaction between myself and any who might wander by this little indulgence of mine. Additions include:
- More categories to apply to my posts, because hooray for organization! As it turns out, I seem to write mostly about politics, the tech world, and I tend to go off on tangents that could accurately be described as “introspective wanking”.
- Replacement of the old list of “Shit I Adore”, on the right side of the page, with a link to my Twitter, as well as a link to directly send me an email. I can guarantee, with at least 68% accuracy, that I’ll reply to every email sent. Accuracy may increase if nude pictures are included, and may decrease if you act like a complete dickbag in my inbox.
- A revised bio page, for those who may be curious about who I am. You know, if such a thing is even possible.
And a few other little things here and there. I have to say, I’m somewhat excited about this whole endeavor. Can’t really explain why; maybe I just missed writing more than I realized. Either way, we’ll see how things turn out.
So, after some consideration, I’ve decided that it’s about time for me to abandon Facebook. I know that I’ve made that claim in the past, but in light of recent events, I’ve plenty of reasons to do so. Read more of this post
Right, so it seems I’ve neglected this thing yet again. Sue me; I’ve been busy. Anyhow, just a quick blurb, because I’m still super busy and quickly running out of weekend.
So, it’s 9/11 again. I’ve already voiced my opinion regarding today on more than one occasion, and I don’t have time to waste on repeating myself. Instead, I’ll just link to a piece that one of my favoritest people on Earth, Henry Rollins, wrote in regard to the whole debacle, and what we’ve become since then. Give it a read; he’s a good guy, that Henry.
