The date on the bill is October 26, 2011. House Resolution 3261 could spell the end of all the Occupy demonstrations and effectively end the free and open internet as we know it.
Today everyone is paying close attention to the attempts to have videos documenting police brutality removed from You-Tube. There is a much greater threat looming. HR3261 Allows the U.S. Government to serve any internet provider with a court order to remove what they deem is copyrighted material or be shut down within five days. Under the guise of stopping piracy, any site can be shut down indefinitely. It is important to respect the rights of artists and make sure they are compensated for their creative endeavors. That said, shutting down a site with millions of pieces of content based upon on person choosing to violate copyright laws is more than heavy handed.
When any person, even law enforcement can upload any content to a site it is inevitable that the potential for abuse guarantees abuse.
A true Democracy in contemporary times is dependent on a free and open society. Those in power who like how the world is working for them are depending upon world governments to quell the uprisings and maintain the status quo. HR3261 could shut down Facebook, You Tube, Twitter and many more.
Make no mistake, those in power will do anything to make sure the demonstrations are stopped. Right now the provisions of the Patriot Act are being combed over and utilized to end the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution.
No comments:
Post a Comment