The Blackout is Over, What Now

The internet blackout is wrapping up. Some sites like The Gauntlet committed to a 12 hour blackout, some a 24 hour one. Over the course of today, 13 Senators have dropped their support of PIPA and a handful more have dropped support of SOPA. President Obama has stated if either bill reaches his desk, he will veto them. The problem here is Obama also has gone on record stating he supports marijuana legalization and would also veto NDAA two weeks ago; he has done neither. The fight will continue. Don't be fooled into thinking this is anti-piracy vs piracy. This is big business vs control.

Piracy has existed since the tape trading days. We've all done it. It even existed pre-internet with burning CD's. The same goes for the movie industry. This has been going on for 15 years with the internet so why now? The why now is simple...control. The record labels and movie industry are losing control. CD's have one foot in the grave and no new physical medium will be taking its place which leaves digital distribution as the sole platform for new music. Digital distribution levels the playing field. A small unsigned band like Look What I Did can have it's music on the same virtual display as Metallica and there is nothing a record label can do to change that. Labels can keep throwing wads of cash into marketing and at bands to lure them in but the number of bands turning down the labels offers is growing. SOPA and PIPA are a last ditch effort to control the music you listen to. The same goes for the movie industry. The Gauntlet currently has video channels on Roku, Boxee, Apple TV, Google TV and soon Samsung TV.

PIPA will be discussed next Tuesday (Jan 24) on the Senate floor. SOPA will be back in February. If they fail, they will return as an amendment attached to The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011. This bill has already made it through committee. It basically does the exact same thing SOPA intends to do. What politician wants to be pro-child porn? What does this bill do? It would track and require ISP's to save everything you do online. Said an attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation: "The data retention mandate in this bill would treat every Internet user like a criminal and threaten the online privacy and free speech rights of every American." Of course the government would need a judges order to obtain your records and somehow prove there is an ongoing investigation right? Wrong. They would simply need to ask for it and your entire internet history is theirs. The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 doesn't require that someone be under investigation on child pornography charges in order for police to access their Internet history.

Guys and girls, the fight is far from over and today we only showed them that they are in for a fight. Please visit and support Electronic Frontier Foundation.

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Tags:  SOPA, EFF, PIPA, RIAA 

Jason Fisher    January 18, 2012