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Blackout Europe

Zanfib 14 years ago
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The European open internet is under imminent threat

URGENT - VOTING IN EU PARLIAMENT 5th of MAY 2009
Don't let the EU parliament lock up the Internet! There will be no way back!


Act now!
Internet access is not conditional

Everyone who owns a website has an interest in defending the free use of Internet... so has everyone who uses Google or Skype... everyone who expresses their opinions freely, does research of any kind, whether for personal health problems or academic study ... everyone who shops online...who dates online...socialises online... listens to music...watches video...

The internet as we know it is at risk because of proposed new EU rules going through end of April. Under the proposed new rules, broadband providers will be legally able to limit the number of websites you can look
at, and to tell you whether or not you are allowed to use particular services. It will be dressed up as ‘new consumer options' which people can choose from. People will be offered TV-like packages - with a limited
number of options for you to access.

It means that the Internet will be packaged up and your ability to access and to put up content could be severely restricted. It will create boxes of Internet accessibility, which don't fit with the way we use it today. This is because internet is now permitting exchanges between persons which cannot be controlled or "facilitated" by any middlemen (the state or a corporation) and this possibility improves the citizen's life but force the industry to lose power and control. that's why they are pushing governments to act those changes.

The excuse is to control the flow of music, films and entertainment content against the alleged piracy by downloading for free, using P2P file-sharing. However, the real victims of this plan will be all Internet users and the democratic and independent access to information, culture goods.

Think about how you use the Internet! What would it mean to you if free access to the Internet was taken away?
These days, the Internet is about life and freedom. It's about shopping, booking theatre tickets ... holidays, learning, job-seeking, banking, and trade. It's also about the fun things - dating, chatting, invitations, music, entertainment, joking and even a Second Life. It is a tool to express ourselves, to collaborate, innovate, share, stimulate new business ideas, reach new markets - thrive without middlemen..

Just think - what's your web address? Unless people have that address in their "package" of regular websites - they won't be able to find you. That means they can't buy, or book, or register, or even view you online. Your business won't be able to find niche suppliers of goods - and compare prices. If you get any money at all from advertising on your site, it will diminish. Yes, Amazon and a select few will be OK, they will be the included in the package. But your advertising on Google or any other website, will be increasingly worthless. Skype could be blocked. (As it is in Germany in the use from iPhone, already). Small businesses could literally disappear, especially specialist, niche or artisan businesses.

If we don't do something now - we could lose free and open use of the internet. Our freedom (of choice in information, market, culture, pleasure) will be curtailed. The EU proposals hold an enormous risk for our future. They are about to become Law - and will be virtually impossible to reverse. People (even the members of the European Parliament who are voting on it) don't really seem to understand the full implications and the legal changes are wrapped up in something called "Telecoms Package" which lulls people into thinking it is just about industry.

However, in reality, hiding from public view, the amendments are about the way the Internet will operate in future! Text that expresses your rights to access and distribute content, services and applications, is being crossed out. And the text that is being brought in, says that broadband providers must inform you of any limitations, or restrictions to your broadband service. Alternative versions use the word ‘conditions' - and it is seriously being proposed that you will be told the conditions of use of Internet services. This is made to sound good - it is dressed up as ‘transparency' - except that of course it means that the broadband providerwill have the legal right restrict your access or impose conditions,otherwise why would they need tell you? If the Telecoms Package amendmentsare voted in, the changes will not be reversible.

We all have a stake in the Internet! You need to act now to save it!
What can you do about it?
Tell the European Parliament to vote against conditional access to the Internet! Remind them that they need your vote in June and that internet still give us the tools to be watching and judging what they are doing! (link a la quadrature du net) You must know you are not alone: hundreds of organizations are working on that and thousands of people have already contact their parliamentarians about this issue.

This is rather disturbing. I don't live in europe so I'm posting this here so that anyone who does can be made aware of what is happening.
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Grim Reaper 14 years ago
That link already made it to the chat channel topic earlier today.

Also, personally, stuff like that makes me start itching for some WMDs. I mean, it's only fair that if they get to blackout my world, I get to blackout theirs.
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Idiota 14 years ago
I have a feeling that when 4chan gets a good hold of this, a lot of members of parliament will suddenly find using their laptops a bit awkward. :p
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Zanfib 14 years ago
Good idea.
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Pete 14 years ago
Oh, facepalm.

EDIT:
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Eer, kidna tired today. Can someone think up a conspiracy theory for me?
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Redemption 14 years ago
It's everywhere!
Only heard about this on Good Game. Us Aussies already have slow internet, and this'll apparantly 0.13x it.
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Pete 14 years ago
Well, looks like well have to move to the Moon if we want our internet to stay completely free of any restrictions, them.

...oh wait. Darn.
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Anonymous1157 14 years ago
I don't have any links, but I once read a story that said that Internet 2.0 might be more like Television 3.0, with limited website packages that have to be bought to access anything.

... Seriously, WTF?
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E_net4 14 years ago
This is totally outrageous! The internet belongs to anyone, and not just the government! We've got to keep our rights. D:
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Narvius 14 years ago
The internet belongs to NO ONE. Not everyone.
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E_net4 14 years ago
"Cheater" said:
The internet belongs to NO ONE. Not everyone.
Heck, what do you mean?
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Grim Reaper 14 years ago
"E_net4" said:
"Cheater" said:
The internet belongs to NO ONE. Not everyone.
Heck, what do you mean?
Just because you live somewhere or go to some place or use some service, doesn't mean it belongs to you.

Internet is a service used by many, many people. It doesn't belong to any of them. Nor does it really belong to the ISPs or other big companies.

The Internet belongs to no-one.
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Narvius 14 years ago
Arrigato.

Now, moving on to the topic itself.
If they do that, they'll have to face the consequences.
Let them try it.

Also, an interesting question. Do people care enough about the internet to do something about it when it happens?
And I don't mean filing some complaint stuff or something. They are better than us in paperwork screwarounding. That's their job.
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E_net4 14 years ago
"Grim Reaper" said:
"E_net4" said:
"Cheater" said:
The internet belongs to NO ONE. Not everyone.
Heck, what do you mean?
Just because you live somewhere or go to some place or use some service, doesn't mean it belongs to you.
Of course not, it belongs to the owner of that service. But if some guy also had a website, it would belong to its respective owner. By saying the internet belongs to everyone, I mean that there is nothing on the internet without an actual owner, and the people in general have the right to surf between public websites. After all, what's the point of paying to go to a public park? You know what I mean, it's not an intersection, but a reunion.
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Anonymous1157 14 years ago
"Cheater" said:
Arrigato.

Now, moving on to the topic itself.
If they do that, they'll have to face the consequences.
Let them try it.

Also, an interesting question. Do people care enough about the internet to do something about it when it happens?
And I don't mean filing some complaint stuff or something. They are better than us in paperwork screwarounding. That's their job.
Well, how would someone go about undoing something like this? The only solution I see is to hack Internet 2.0 to restore Internet 1.0, or at least bring it down so that the few companies that actually found it useful would pump money into putting it back. There wouldn't really be any way to make the government put it back for us without some drastic measures, because once the income is flowing in from these website packs, governments would probably claim that they need the income to pay off debts.

... Essentially, yes, people would care enough to do something about it, but I don't think anyone would care enough to figure out exactly what to do fast enough to avoid hell breaking loose.

Also, the story I brought up was a documentary movie, not an article. My mistake.
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Thaif 14 years ago
Late, but:

The Future is Free, or perhaps not so free...

It irks me massively that the same gitz that got so brutally and grandly shot down are now trying again to curtail liberties. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-

That is all.
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