Tags
Anonymous, Internet censorship, Megaupload, Motion Picture Association of America, Propublica, wars without bullets, Web wars, Wikipedia stance on freedom, world wide web wars
Graphic from ProPublica.org
I thought I would wait a day or so, and once the dust settled see how the people’s revolt of the Internet had gone. However it is clear, even two days out that the impact of Wednesday is still making waves.
Politically, the establishment have pretended to have woken up to the strength of feeling regarding interference in the web. They are suddenly making all the right sort of noises and distancing themselves like crazy from this ill thought-out legislation. To see how sharply the mood on the Hill changed, and also because it is a wonderful graphic and ProPublica have done so much work collating it and because it should be seen by as many people as possible. I reproduce above ProPublica’s list of politicians who, on Wednesday were all for the legislation, and who today have decided on a Damascene conversion. For the full article with more details and their live updates go to here.
This should be rated a success story. The people spoke, they wrote emails, so many they crashed servers and they phoned their Representatives and Senators in their thousands all to make the same point. A shot across corporate bows and a warning that this is, after all an election year. And so it was a success….to an extent.
However, the establishment are, as establishments always do, playing it both ways. The Senators and Representatives may be falling over themselves to tell you they never really thought SPOA was a good idea, whilst the Government launches an attack on Megaupload, a file sharing site showing they never needed it anyway.
And the darker side of the Internet community strike back as Anonymous supporters begin targeting Government Agencies such as the Department of Justice and political supporters of SOPA such as the Motion Picture Association of America, with denial of service attacks.
Depressingly, Wednesday was only the opening salvo, in this war without bullets.
Copyright David Macadam 2012
Reid will NOT let the bill out ….
So it’s dead for this Congress….
A Victory…
But YOU do have keep eyes peeled….
We ALL done good…
Congress is governed by rules and the rest of us by their laws, along with many of their wealthy supporters. Should I wonder if and when some version of SOPA passes will it apply to them or just to 17yr olds and grandmothers. Look at how well they take care of their friends at Citi. Time for change. We go to jail while they collect and hand out favors becoming millionaires and risk only censure.
True THAT Tom….