This is a place for activists (for any cause) who work on the Internet to meet, and exchange tricks, tips, and tactics, and other ideas. Come join us, please!
Moreover, for anyone who defends the Obama administration here and insists that the U.S. Government simply must have access to all forms of human communication: does that also apply to in-person communication? Should home and apartment builders be required to install monitors in every room they build to ensure that the Government can surveil all human communications in order to prevent threats to national security and public safety? I believe someone once wrote a book about where this mindset inevitably leads. The very idea that no human communication should ever be allowed to take place beyond the reach of the Government is definitive authoritarianism, which is why Saudi Arabia and the UAE — and their American patron-ally — have so vigorously embraced it.
Greenwald points out that the FBI does not need this, because they can go to a judge, get a warrant, and use traditional surveillance when it’s necessary. “But what about encryption?!” Well:
the problem cited by the FBI to justify this new power is a total pretext: “investigators encountered encrypted communications only one time during 2009′s wiretaps” and, even then, “the state investigators told the court that the encryption did not prevent them from getting the plain text of the messages.” As usual, fear-mongering over national security and other threats is the instrument to justify massive new surveillance powers that will extend far beyond their claimed function.
I’m profoundly disappointed in the Obama administration’s record on civil rights and privacy. I expected better from a president who is a Constitutional law scholar.
tl;dr: The very idea that no human communication should ever be allowed to take place beyond the reach of the Government is definitive authoritarianism
The UK government wants to censor the Internet. Let’s put a few words in
welcome-to-the-2am-generation:
welcome-to-the-2am-generation:
I don’t want this to happen, claiming blocking pornography is why we need to do this. I suggest they provide blacklists we can install to stop this with open-source software, they want to provide blocking controlled by the government.
Then, if you agree please share this post and also sign your name
Bringing this to everyone’s attention again…
I disagree with what you’ve said. Protecting children from pornography is just a bullshit excuse for the government to take control of the internet. If you don’t want your kids to see porn, then install parental control. Parents should be responsible for what their kids do not the government.
Hey there.
Its ATR here. I know I’ve been a pretty lazy mod on here. But I am concerned about the cause. I really think this blog needs a boost. The new bill CISPA is a very real, very VERY likely threat now. I think it’s time we tried stepping up a notch against CISPA if we ever do.
If you guys don’t want to keep doing this, well… we could use help but I understand. in anyone defense we’ve been at this for a while now. Point being though, we need more people to keep the blog flowing. With Roberts permission, I think we should start accepting new mods.
We’re hearing that the US House of Representatives is set to vote this Thursday on the controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. Now we need to ramp up our response. Can you to reach out to friends and family and tell them to sign the open letter urging tech companies to drop their support of the bill?
CISPA affects all internet users, even those not in the US, because anyone who uses sites like Facebook and Google could see their information shared with the US government under the law. So be sure to share the petition with everyone you know, no matter where they live. Post this link on Facebook walls.
Troll the fandoms with this link NOW! Tag with any fandom you can think of!
justanotherfinalfantasyfangirl:
Hey everyone, remember the nightmare that was SOPA and PIPA? IT’S NOT OVER!
Reports say that lawmakers will vote on the bill as early as Wednesday, April 25th or Thursday, April 26th. It isn’t looking very good. It is of utmost importance that you contact your local representatives to tell them that you do not agree with this bill and they shouldn’t either. Make your voice heard. Don’t let this happen.Want to learn more about CISPA? Check out the EFF’s Cybersecurity Bill FAQ.
Don’t know who your representatives are? Just use this.
It takes maybe five minutes of your time to do this — make the effort. It will certainly be worth it.
GUYS. WE REALLY SHOULD CARE ABOUT THIS. LET’S GET ON THIS SHIT.
Sorry guys to make you feel scared but we need to stand up again !
SHIT GUYS. We’re fucked!
What? This honestly doesn’t sound bad at all…
STOP CISPA
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_cispa/?globalactioncenter
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_cispa/?globalactioncenter
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_cispa/?globalactioncenter
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_cispa/?globalactioncenter
GO NAO YOU GUYS.
THEY COULD VOTE ON IT AS EARLY AS APRIL 25TH OF THIS YEAR.
))
CISPA is essentially the new SOPA. It is a means for your government to see everything you do online and is a violation of your civil liberties. Petition against it now!
CISPA Replaces SOPA As Internet’s Enemy No. 1 (Must Read)
The Internet has a new enemy. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA), also known as H.R. 3523, is a “cybersecurity” bill in the House of Representatives. While CISPA does not focus primarily on intellectual property (though that’s in there, too), critics say the problems with the bill run just as deep.
As with SOPA and PIPA, the first main concern about CISPA is its “broad language,” which critics fear allows the legislation to be interpreted in ways that could infringe on our civil liberties. The Center for Democracy and Technology sums up the problems with CISPA this way:
• The bill has a very broad, almost unlimited definition of the information that can be shared with government agencies notwithstanding privacy and other laws;
• The bill is likely to lead to expansion of the government’s role in the monitoring of private communications as a result of this sharing;
• It is likely to shift control of government cybersecurity efforts from civilian agencies to the military;
• Once the information is shared with the government, it wouldn’t have to be used for cybesecurity, but could instead be used for any purpose that is not specifically prohibited.The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) adds that CISPA’s definition of “cybersecurity” is so broad that “it leaves the door open to censor any speech that a company believes would ‘degrade the network.’”
Moreover, the inclusion of “intellectual property” means that companies and the government would have “new powers to monitor and censor communications for copyright infringement.”
Furthermore, critics warn that CISPA gives private companies the ability to collect and share information about their customers or users with immunity — meaning we cannot sue them for doing so, and they cannot be charged with any crimes.
According to the EFF, CISPA “effectively creates a ‘cybersecurity’ exemption to all existing laws.”
“There are almost no restrictions on what can be collected and how it can be used, provided a company can claim it was motivated by ‘cybersecurity purposes.’” the EFF continues.
“That means a company like Google, Facebook, Twitter, or AT&T could intercept your emails and text messages, send copies to one another and to the government, and modify those communications or prevent them from reaching their destination if it fits into their plan to stop cybersecurity threats.”
Read the full text of CISPA here, or the full official summary at the bottom of this page.
SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE THE INTERNET FROM CISPA
