http://americancensorship.org/
Read The Bill: S. 1253 Sec. 1. Short title. Sec. 2. Organization of Act into divisions; table of contents. Sec. 3. Congressional defense committees. Google chairman warns of censorship after Arab Spring 27 June 2011Last updated at 19:08 Google has already found itself at odds with some countries, such as China, over censorship The use of the web by Arab democracy movements could lead to some states cracking down harder on internet freedoms, Google's chairman says. Speaking at a conference in Ireland, Eric Schmidt said some governments wanted to regulate the internet the way they regulated television. He also said he feared his colleagues faced a mounting risk of occasional arrest and torture in such countries. The internet was widely used during the so-called Arab Spring.
Fight SOPA/PIPA: Tweet At Senate Leadership Fight SOPA/PIPA: Tweet At Senate Leadership The Senate is threatening to pass its version of the Internet censorship bill -- the PROTECT IP Act -- when it returns from winter break later this month. Will you tweet at Senate leadership to ask them to kill the legislation? Just click here: What’s the difference between SOPA and PIPA? I decided to put my slightly-dormant internet policy research skillz to work to figure this out. It was surprisingly difficult. Most stop PIPA/SOPA websites conflate them– but they are different. (Note: The best resource was an article I found at Area 51 Technologies.) Posse Comitatus Act The Act, as modified in 1981, refers to the Armed Forces of the United States. It does not apply to the National Guard under state authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within its home state or in an adjacent state if invited by that state's governor. The United States Coast Guard, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, is also not covered by the Posse Comitatus Act, primarily because the Coast Guard has both a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency mission.
White House to respond to petition urging veto of online piracy bill An online petition urging President Obama to veto a controversial anti-online piracy bill has passed the number of signatures required to receive an official response. The petition, which is on the White House's official "We the People" page, urges the president to veto the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and "any other future bills that threaten to diminish the free flow of information." The petition now has more than 34,000 signatures. It needed 25,000 before Jan. 17 for the White House to issue an official response. SOPA would empower the Justice Department and copyright holders to demand that search engines, Internet providers and ad networks cut off access to sites "dedicated" to copyright infringement.
Mainstream Media Gets Wind of SOPA Largely, the fight between SOPA supporters and those against the potential censoring of the Internet, all in name of protecting the entertainment industry’s intellectual property, has been conducted over the web. But now, it seems the mainstream media, the corporate-owned entity that it is, has finally thrown their hat into the fight, and surprisingly, they aren’t simply repeating the talking points put forth by SOPA-supporting government officials. In fact, much to my surprise, the mainstream, 24-hour media cycle — including Fox News — is offering the “SOPA is bad for the web” perspective, and seems to be supporting that perspective. Take, for instance, the appearance of the Cato Institute’s Jim Harper on Fox News’ business channel.
Urge your Senators to oppose sections 1031 and 1032 of the Defense Authorization bill. Monthly donors (our Guardians of Liberty) enable us to respond to urgent threats to our civil liberties. They provide us with the resources to stop: Attempts to suppress free speech Politicians from denying women reproductive freedom Racially-biased practices in our criminal justice system Join today with a monthly donation. Frequently Asked Questions about the Guardians of Liberty Program Where does my money go? LEAKED: UK copyright lobby holds closed-door meetings with gov't to discuss national Web-censorship regime A group of UK copyright lobbyists held confidential, closed-door meetings with Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries to discuss a plan to allow industry groups to censor the Internet in the UK. The proposal has leaked, and it reveals a plan to establish "expert bodies" that would decide which websites British people were allowed to see, to be approved by a judge using a "streamlined" procedure. The procedure will allow for "swift" blocking in order to shut down streaming of live events. Public interest groups like the Open Rights Group asked to attend the meeting, but were shut out, presaging a regulatory process that's likely to be a lopsided, industry-centric affair that doesn't consider the public. The Open Rights Group has a campaign to repeal the DEA that you can sign onto. We would like confirmation from the government that these are genuine proposals which they are actively considering.
Urge Congress to Stop SOPA! The Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261), known as “SOPA,” is scheduled for consideration at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow. The bill is aimed at taking down sites that allow Internet users to acquire pirated versions of original artistic content online. At a recent hearing, the ACLU expressed opposition to the bill because it would allow for the takedown of non-infringing content along with infringing content, in violation of the First Amendment. Black Friday is Buy Nothing Day (Here are 10 Films to Spread the Shopping-Free Cheer!) By Tim Hjersted Since 1997, the biggest shopping day of the year in North America has also been known as Buy Nothing Day - a playful protest against the cultural and commercial pressures that compel us to consume more every year, grow more in debt to prove our love to our loved ones and find temporary happiness in that euphoric moment of purchase. It's a movement that has been growing internationally every year, despite the commercial pressures now enveloping even Thanksgiving in the holiday madness. More and more people have had enough and are choosing to celebrate with their loved ones a different way - by not buying anything!