Once again, Utah’s own Senator Hatch has cosponsored an Internet related bill that further paves the road to Hell. Of all the possibilities that could be exhausted in the lame-duck Senate session (like START ratification), carrying water for media companies is highest on the list. The “Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act” (COICA) bill passed unanimously out of committee today. One provision of this bill is that the Attorney General can direct Internet Service Providers to block websites that media companies claim are infringing copyright. As I have seen with the equally well-intentioned Digital Millennium Copyright Act, media companies tend to shoot first and ask questions later when it comes to making accusations of copyright violation. DMCA has also been repeatedly used between competitors to hamper each other’s operations, all the while sticking the ISP between them as detective, judge, and jury. COICA is DMCA on steroids and is not good for the Internet. Since Senator Hatch is a sponsor and a repeat offender in regards to technology & copyright law, I suggest you call Senator Bennett’s office and hope that he uses his lame-duck powers for the people rather than the corporations.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is following COICA closely and is a good resource for criticism on it.
This is so bad. What is happening to our country? Many of the issues being debated on the floor of Congress sound a lot like the passing of martial law. Last time I checked, this is supposed to be a free country. Makes me wonder if I will even be able to see your blog for much longer.
Been reading books like “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich”. It’s interesting how we’re making the same mistakes 70 years later and don’t even realize it. This is how a Democracy can switch to something very vile. And we’re well on the path to loosing our liberties. Even the presumption of innocence.