Anti Piracy Measure

[3Green 80]

And so it begins......censorship on the internet. Anyone who supports governments forcing ISP's to block web sites is supporting the demise of the internet. I think we all agree sharing copyright material is morally wrong and should be stopped. The tough question is; where and how do you draw the line in the sand? If TPB is hosting copyright material on their servers then it should be shut down legally. Theft is theft but laws like SOPA, PIPA, and now CISPA I disagree with.

 

The start of governments forcing ISP's to block websites raises a big flag with me. Just like corporate Media, the internet will become a "closed system" and the information (the truth) I wish to search, will be removed from my search engine/ISP. It's just a matter of time and trust me, it will happen. Privacy, freedom, and most importantly freedom of speech (gaining the truth or at least hearing the other side to a major story) will be stripped from my grasp.

 

Before the internet, it didn't take long for governments around the world to realize the power of the television, and how propaganda can be used to control the masses. As time went on, all the small television networks were bought by the major networks. Today, only a few major media networks exist, making it easy for them to control the content that people see each night. The internet will follow the same fate as television networks, all the small ISP's will eventually be bought by the major ISP's. This makes it easy for the governments to force ISP's and control the content people see on the internet and thus control the masses once again. The internet and social media is a very powerful tool and governments need this power.

 

There was a time I believed the news that corporate media fed us was truthful. Today, I trust the information on the internet more than corporate media.

What information on the internet will I be able to trust, when governments/ISP's start blocking websites?

 

CISPA: say 'goodbye' to privacy and freedom on the internet

 

I don't live in the USA, but I fully support Congressman Ron Paul's viewpoints on CISPA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aQCT81WYfA

 

RJ

[HiFlyer 9,359]

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety" Benjamin Franklin

 

This stuff generally makes me want to barf. After years of decrying the woes of communism (the cold war) And even more recently decrying China's attempts to block and censor the internet, we turn around and do it to ourselves! In the end, when all this and certainly more is done, what will separate us but rhetoric from the very police states we claimed to abhor?

 

When your mail is being read, When where you go and what you do is being tracked, When who you speak with is being watched? All for your own good. (of course)

 

From wikipedia:

A police state is one in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population. A police state typically exhibits elements of totalitarianism and social control, and there is usually little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive.

The inhabitants of a police state experience restrictions on their mobility, and on their freedom to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to police monitoring or enforcement. Political control may be exerted by means of a secret police force which operates outside the boundaries normally imposed by a constitutional state.

 

I am horrified when I see the actions of my own government resembling in any way shape or form (great or small) the actions of a textbook police state, for whatever reason. The slope is too slippery, and we have been sliding for years. How do we seriously keep calling ourselves the land of the free, when all our government keeps coming up with are new restrictions to benefit the rich and powerful?

[Kosta 122]

"The world is going to be the demise of it's self. Can't prevent it. It has already begun."

 

This is how this thread is starting to sound like.

[HiFlyer 9,359]

"The world is going to be the demise of it's self. Can't prevent it. It has already begun."

 

This is how this thread is starting to sound like.

 

Sorry..... I just keep thinking of how my grandfather used to try so hard describe how free things were. How open, and and how much things had tightened from when he was growing up. As a kid, I never understood exactly what he was saying.

 

Now I try to pass on how free things were when I was a kid, how relatively carefree, and the kids don't get it, even as we are being frisked at the airport.....

 

What will they try to say to their kids, as they are fitted out with their mandatory RFI chips, and their mandatory DNA samples are taken for the national (whatever the plausible threat at the time is) database? I am kinda afraid of what kind of "camera on every corner" world our complacency is going to leave for them. I don't think I would like to live in it, but they wont know any better..... just like I didn't.

[Kosta 122]

Yes, I remember that too. My grandpa used to tell me stories too. Freedom is slowly going to become a luxury.

[Eamonn Watson 32]

Only thing I suggest is make sure you do not support any legislation related to SOPA, PIPA, CISPA or any anti-privacy act.

 

I'm not a paranoid person and while as long as your doing nothing wrong, the government will just ignore your activities, I still do not want them to have backdoor access to any of my private confidential information.

 

US Government is going way too far.. I am glad I live in Canada as while our government has proposed a few similar items, there are much larger hurdles to jump through.

[Eamonn Watson 32]

As for the whole AVSIM censoring their own site. They are allowed, its their site, they make the rules. This doesn't infringe on your freedom of speech as you are free to open your own site and post whatever views you may have. What would be wrong is if the government blocked access to AVSIM because someone on the site were to say something inflammatory or possibly post a link to copyrighted material.

[TheGrunt 44]

As for the whole AVSIM censoring their own site. They are allowed, its their site, they make the rules. This doesn't infringe on your freedom of speech as you are free to open your own site and post whatever views you may have. What would be wrong is if the government blocked access to AVSIM because someone on the site were to say something inflammatory or possibly post a link to copyrighted material.

This. People need to understand that any self posed "censorship" practised by internet forum sites, newspapers, tv channels, political medias, blogs or whatever, doesn't interfere in any way with freedom of speech. They have complete right to decide what they want to publish. For example, Democratic party newspaper isn't in any obligation to publish news or letters to the editor favoring Republican party. This is obvious to everybody, and it applies to internet world fully. Still, every now and then you see people whining in internet forums about unjust banning or moderator editing and they are sometimes playing the freedom of speech -card (not that it has happened here). Situation changes and becomes dangerous only when government makes censorship rules, as Eamonn said. As a matter of fact, it is one aspect of the freedom of speech, that you or some internet site have a right to decide what kind of stuff they wan't publish and it doesn't matter if stuff is objective and equal or just biased bull****.

[Airbrakes 0]

Closing TPB isn't going to do a darn bit of any good. Something else will replace it.

 

That being said: piracy is stealing no matter how you try to sugar coat it. Not being able to afford a item does NOT give you the 'right' to steal it.

 

I think copyright infrindgement laws are ridicolous anyway and a violation of the 8th amendment. Here's a example:

 

Pirating a Michael Jackson CD = 10 years in prison

 

Killing Michael Jackson = 5 years in prison

[HiFlyer 9,359]

Closing TPB isn't going to do a darn bit of any good. Something else will replace it.

 

That being said: piracy is stealing no matter how you try to sugar coat it. Not being able to afford a item does NOT give you the 'right' to steal it.

 

I think copyright infrindgement laws are ridicolous anyway and a violation of the 8th amendment. Here's a example:

 

Pirating a Michael Jackson CD = 10 years in prison

 

Killing Michael Jackson = 5 years in prison

 

Money talks. Point out absurdity's like that to the people being paid to sponsor this stuff, and prepare to be studiously ignored.

[Reason 20]

Ed, quick question. I help out over on the Airsimmer forum, no one has ever been able to crack that product and believe me they have tried. Why don't other developers use the same type of system? I'm just a tech support guy, have no idea how the protection side of things work except how to help legitimate customers.

 

Regards

 

If it's true, wow. Your system should be considered seriously to be a sort of standard to protect intellectual properties. The fact that your system is pretty much safer than others and you haven't found any leaks is just not enough. hackers are easily challenged and they are good. Perhaps this is too much, but they can actually breach your bank account and mess up your sites (remember AVSIM). They pirate everything. Some do it for free games, some for money, and some for satisfaction (just like when you land your heavy in a crosswind landing), and the last one is the deadliest.

 

If they haven't done it, maybe they personally believe that it's just not worth it (?)

 

However, I bought the addon and I'm satisfied with my purchase.

 

 

 

 

Cheers

[Airbrakes 0]

Money talks. Point out absurdity's like that to the people being paid to sponsor this stuff, and prepare to be studiously ignored.

 

I guess the constitution doesn't mean anything to anyone anymore. Might as well 'file' it as it's worthless.

[gizmosellsbunnys 106]

Torrents and illegals downloads devalue work of freeware, payware, software all of it. Say, shut them all down. Facebook the other day people were asking for cracks is disgusts me . People do not pay for software mean the little companies will go under because of rampant privacy. The theft of intellectual property hurts the small companies more so than the big companies. The big companies can write it off as cost of doing business. Problem is laws have not caught up with technology is the big issue. It not even teenagers broke for money stealing software its 40 year old adults that can easily buy the software that is theft should be charged criminally.

[EngineRoom 205]

Lots of talk about people's freedom and liberty being infringed. Consider for a moment, if a shop existed in your town that sold fenced stolen goods would you be surprised if it were shut down?

 

We can spend all day performing logic gymnastics telling ourselves that sites like TPB don't actually host copyright material or that software piracy doesn't constitute the textbook definition of theft but that is most disingenuous - it's a site that openly provides users the means to quickly and easily download copyrighted material that the creators expect to be paid for.

 

To all the people who are crying foul about all of this, I wonder do you support the right of "Wingz of Silence" to exist? I don't remember such an outcry when that site was shut down.

 

Piracy is rampant. When so many internet users engage is this sort of activity is it any wonder commercial interests are going to put pressure on governments and courts to take such action? I see lots of talk about freedom and liberty in this thread, but as usual everyone forgets the responsibility that goes with having those freedoms and liberties. When it appears that a huge slice of internet users cannot be trusted to use the internet responsibly and instead avail themselves of the opportunity to download stuff illegally then I'm not at all surprised such measures as blocking torrent sites are being taken. We - the internet users - have brought his on ourselves.

 

 

Also, I have to have a little smirk at the post above talking about television propaganda promptly followed by a video from RT - a brazenly pro-Russia, pro-Putin, anti-west news channel that is essentially the Russian mirror image of Fox News.

[HiFlyer 9,359]

Lots of talk about people's freedom and liberty being infringed. Consider for a moment, if a shop existed in your town that sold fenced stolen goods would you be surprised if it were shut down?

 

I consider that specious.

 

Say you have two choices when you are suffering a wound: You can disinfect and bandage the wound, or you can cut off the entire offending limb, solving the problem, but introducing many others just as bad or worse, yet it seems that the second option has been chosen.

 

The media company's in general have failed reputedly to adapt to the new digital environment, choosing instead to hold onto old models by bending and distorting laws through the copious application of money and lobbying. The world continues to move on, leaving their old models behind, and they lash out blindly, unswayed by any concerns but their own short-term bottom lines.

 

Government policy is co-opted for the benefit of a few to the detriment of the many, ignoring past failures (too many to mention) and the simple fact that what they are attempting wont even work. The young, savvy internet users of today will simply flow around the new barriers (as they have all previous ones) leaving behind corrupted politicians, secretive cabals, yet another attack on privacy, and the media company's still staring down the barrel of eventual irrelevance and the choice of whether they will finally adapt, or continue their attempts to twist the whole world for their interests.