The Bill That Could End Internet Privacy

[Gahars]

Child pornography is horrible, vile, and despicable; I hope we're all in agreement there. People have been fighting against it for some time, and it is a cause I'm sympathetic to.

Well, it seems that a new bill has been brought before the House targeting child pornography , and its authors were just a tad bit overzealous...

...under language approved 19 to 10 by a House committee, the firm that sells youInternet access would be required to track all of your Internet activity and save it for 18 months, along with your name, the address where you live, your bank account numbers, your credit card numbers, and IP addresses you've been assigned.

As written, 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 -- being suspected of any crime is enough. (It may even be made available in civil matters like divorce trials or child custody battles.) Nor do police need probable cause to search this information.

Source: The Atlantic

...Yikes.

(As with SOPA and PIPA, I think it is worth mentioning a few things. 1) The entire House, nor the rest of the American government, does not automatically condone this bill. 2) The bill, while making it past committee, has not been brought before the House yet. It may take some time, or it may not happen at all.)

Honestly, I'm sympathetic to the authors of this bill; I really am. Call me an optimist, but I don't see any real malice behind this bill. I think some well intentioned Representatives, seeking a way to combat a horrible and violating crime, tried to create a bill that would put a stop to it once and for all. Not really understanding the internet or what the terms of the bill would mean, they overreached. Before anybody starts raging that the government is trying to spy on us, 1984 style, it's important to remember that the road to hell is often paved with the best of intentions.

I don't expect that this bill, in this day and age, will be signed into law (let alone survive the House). Still, the blackout on Wednesday was a powerful show of the impact that the internet can have on the legislative process. If you oppose the provisions of this bill, channel that rage positively and contact your local representative (If you live in the US, of course).

If Wednesday was the first step towards establishing the influence of the internet (and the people who use and understand it), this could be the proof that the Blackout was not an isolated incident.

Then again, it might not be all bad. After all, I would finally have an excuse to play this all day. Freedom or Bowie? Huh... tough call.

 

[Vulpes Abnocto]

I knew we'd see this on the 'temp pretty quickly.

How to be a politician:

1: Write vaguely worded laws designed to infringe upon the rights of every American citizen and chip away at our already crumbling freedom.
2: Give the laws names that either question a person's patriotism or their human decency if they don't support said law.
3: Shove that bitch through Congress.
4: ?????
5: Profit!

 

[alphamule]

I don't get it - aren't most CPers not even using regular WWW (web sites)? I thought they forced them to darknets or something? This bill is clearly just to help spy on people, period. It's clearly almost useless for serious abusers.

Oh trust me, there'll be all sorts of profit. Think of who gets paid to go through all that information... heh

 

[Jennyfurr]

They'll just look for any way to get what they want.

 

[Schlupi]

I knew we'd see this on the 'temp pretty quickly.

How to be a politician:

1: Write vaguely worded laws designed to infringe upon the rights of every American citizen and chip away at our already crumbling freedom.
2: Give the laws names that either question a person's patriotism or their human decency if they don't support said law.
3: Shove that bitch through Congress.
4: ?????
5: Profit!

Ugh... Why won't this all stop? I'm totally just gonna leave the country...

 

[ferofax]

The road to hell IS paved with good intentions. It's often the goody-goodies that make it there.

 

[Vulpes Abnocto]

Ugh... Why won't this all stop? I'm totally just gonna leave the country...

Totally understand that sentiment. I've had the same thought a number of times in the past few years.
Only problem is that it isn't all that simple to get out.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IWantOut/

If you choose to do so, good luck to you.
I'm staying behind to fight.

 

[Majorami]

Whether its meant to "protect children" or not, any bill or proposition that mentions privacy and how to deal with it if often cordinated with taking away people's rights. Privacy IS a right, and unless you've broken an extreme law like stabbing someone or kidnapping, or something that radical, then detailed information about your home/internet life should remain private/off any record. I bring up this because I read "being suspect of any crime is enough."

That is EXTREMELY vague...

It could mean even though you haven't been convicted of anything, they'll still have rights to look over your history, and maybe get you on something that they weren't looking for. Maybe I'm just uneducated, but as vague as that phrase is, it could mean you get a speeding ticket could justify looking into your internet history, and then make up totally different crime like bogus copyright violation claims.

And the reason why they'd do this is because making you pay fines or rot in a prison is profitable. United States brags about being the "Land of the free" but the truth is we have the highest ratio of population in prison than any other nation in the world (mostly because of petty drug charges) because enforcing laws on people makes money.

Unless they specify how severe a crime has to be to warrant looking into your private life, any bill that would sacrifice privacy for safety is harmful. Of course it also goes back to the part about "being suspect is enough" meaning you don't even have to have done anything wrong to begin with, they can just secretly invade your internet/personal history on whim.

 

[Thesolcity]

Well that was quick. Maddox was right, although this bill isn't QUITE as shitty, it still is. Wolf in sheep's clothing anyone?
Anyway, bills like this is exactly why "Incognito Mode" was made. (Ok, maybe not exactly..... )
Still should/would provide useful in the event of this bill along with betterprivacy, and auto-clearing browsing data on exit. The police shall never know I go to certain torrent sites.



EDIT: Wasn't a similar bill passed in EUR last year under the "Protecting Children from Porn" veil? Or was it Australia? I don't remember...

 

[alphamule]

And the reason why they'd do this is because making you pay fines or rot in a prison is profitable. United States brags about being the "Land of the free" but the truth is we have the highest ratio of population in prison than any other nation in the world (mostly because of petty drug charges) because enforcing laws on people makes money.

Exactly what I was thinking...

 

[Fudge]

Whether its meant to "protect children" or not, any bill or proposition that mentions privacy and how to deal with it if often cordinated with taking away people's rights. Privacy IS a right, and unless you've broken an extreme law like stabbing someone or kidnapping, or something that radical, then detailed information about your home/internet life should remain private/off any record. I bring up this because I read "being suspect of any crime is enough."

That is EXTREMELY vague...

It could mean even though you haven't been convicted of anything, they'll still have rights to look over your history, and maybe get you on something that they weren't looking for. Maybe I'm just uneducated, but as vague as that phrase is, it could mean you get a speeding ticket could justify looking into your internet history, and then make up totally different crime like copyright violations.

And the reason why they'd do this is because making you pay fines or rot in a prison is profitable. United States brags about being the "Land of the free" but the truth is we have the highest ratio of population in prison than any other nation in the world (mostly because of petty drug charges) because enforcing laws on people makes money.

Unless they specify how severe a crime has to be to warrant looking into your private life, any bill that would sacrifice privacy for safety is harmful. Of course it also goes back to the part about "being suspect is enough" meaning you don't even have to have done anything wrong to begin with, they can just secretly invade your internet/personal history on whim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yndfqN1VKhY

 

[alphamule]

Well, making everyone a felon would be a de facto way to remove almost all your protections from having your civil rights infringed. Just look at my signature to see what I mean. Even if you just have one felon in your household, you can't have a gun. If you're a felon, you can't 'vote the bums out'. It also makes it really hard to get a job. In fact, many jobs are hard to get just because you have a relative who's a felon!

 

[Hells Malice]

It's far too broad to be for the sole purpose of protecting children, and even still, it wouldn't much help.

CP is horrid, and the animals who create it are even more so. But this bill would hurt more than it helped.

 

[Magmorph]

We need a law that makes it illegal to give bills misleading names. We will call it the don't shoot puppies in the face act.

 

[alphamule]

One ancronym that will be very familar to teenagers in the next 5 years if these kinds of laws actually worked: I2P

I can see them trying to get some free music like they did the year before and it was not easy anymore. They still would be cheapskates, so their friend would show them how to install it or do it for them.

They are trying to create a law like that - antirider reforms. Good luck with that one - they make a lot of money for themselves and their states off of riders!

 

[FireGrey]

I really hope these new stupid american laws won't effect Australia.

 

[Sheimi]

Isn't that invasion of privacy for Internet Service Providers seeing your Bank account and Credit Card numbers? I do not need those type of people to see my personal info. Monitoring your internet usage and what you do. Still invasion of privacy.

Spoiler

I guess the people who wanted PIPA and SOPA to pass didn't get what they want!

 

[sjones900]

If something like this actually passed.. I'm moving to Canada.

 

[kupo3000]

Too much collateral damage if this is actually passed.

 

[Oveneise]

This is just as - if not worse - than the patriot act. I'm against CP, but this is stepping over the fucking line. Not the normal line, mind you, the fucking line.