<p>We need to state our position about this real danger.<br>
Best regards</p>
<div class="gmail_quote">Le 3 janv. 2012 20:03, "Anne-Rachel Inné" <<a href="mailto:annerachel@gmail.com">annerachel@gmail.com</a>> a écrit :<br type="attribution"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<a href="http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/bert-knabe/2012-01-02/will-2012-be-year-internet-dies#.TwHYi4HNmCc" target="_blank">http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/bert-knabe/2012-01-02/will-2012-be-year-internet-dies#.TwHYi4HNmCc</a><br>
<br>
Will 2012 be the year the Internet dies?<br>
Submitted by Bert Knabe on January 2, 2012 - 6:00am<br>
<br>
This month two very dangerous bills will continue to be pushed in the<br>
House and Senate. The "Stop Online Privacy Act" (SOPA) and the<br>
"Protect IP Act" (PIPA) are among the most anti-Constitutional bills<br>
considered in the last decade. If passed they will make it possible<br>
shut down websites in the U.S. without warning and limited right to<br>
appeal. It's only because of the "National Defense Authorization Act"<br>
President Obama signed into law Saturday that they aren't the worst of<br>
2011. More on the NDAA next time.<br>
<br>
Eighty three of the scientists and engineers who created and developed<br>
the internet have signed an open letter to Congress expressing their<br>
concerns. Their concerns aren't minor. The technical concerns should<br>
be enough to lay the bills to rest:<br>
<br>
If enacted, either of these bills will create an environment of<br>
tremendous fear and uncertainty for technological innovation, and<br>
seriously harm the credibility of the United States in its role as a<br>
steward of key Internet infrastructure. Regardless of recent<br>
amendments to SOPA, both bills will risk fragmenting the Internet's<br>
global domain name system (DNS) and have other capricious technical<br>
consequences. In exchange for this, such legislation would engender<br>
censorship that will simultaneously be circumvented by deliberate<br>
infringers while hampering innocent parties' right and ability to<br>
communicate and express themselves online.<br>
<br>
Unlike laws against yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, these bills<br>
don't really do anything to protect anything, but do quite a bit to<br>
damage everything. When you start looking at possible political and<br>
economic consequences, it's even worse:<br>
<br>
The US government has regularly claimed that it supports a free<br>
and open Internet, both domestically and abroad. We cannot have a free<br>
and open Internet unless its naming and routing systems sit above the<br>
political concerns and objectives of any one government or industry.<br>
To date, the leading role the US has played in this infrastructure has<br>
been fairly uncontroversial because America is seen as a trustworthy<br>
arbiter and a neutral bastion of free expression. If the US begins to<br>
use its central position in the network for censorship that advances<br>
its political and economic agenda, the consequences will be<br>
far-reaching and destructive.<br>
<br>
In the end, these bills are perfect censorship tools. Having a site<br>
removed from the DNS listings is insanely easy. That's the idea. Make<br>
it easier for the groups owning intellecutal property to take down<br>
sites that might be stealing it - or helping others steal it. It's so<br>
easy you don't even have to give any evidence, just the accusation is<br>
enough to get a site taken down.<br>
<br>
The companies that would be hurt most by these bills are well aware of<br>
the potential damage. An article by Declan Mcullagh at CNET.com says<br>
that some of the largest companies on the internet - Google, eBay,<br>
Amazon and others - are contemplating an Internet blackout, possibly<br>
for the January 23rd, the day before the Senate starts debate on PIPA.<br>
Imagine what would happen if for a day you couldn't access Facebook,<br>
Twitter, or any other major social network. You couldn't go to eBay or<br>
Amazon to buy or sell stuff. Youtube and other video sites are down.<br>
And all of them have a placeholder telling you that this is exactly<br>
what could happen if the Congress passes an Internet censorship bill<br>
similar to PIPA and SOPA. Would you sit up, pay atten, and contact<br>
your representatives? You should, because that is exactly what could<br>
happen.<br>
<br>
SOPA and PIPA are dangerous. They don't do anything for the problem<br>
they are allegedly trying to solve and could do a whole lot of damage.<br>
A good place to learn more is the EFF website. The article 2011 in<br>
Review: Fighting the Internet Blacklist Bills is a good place to<br>
start. Then contact your congressmen. For your senators go to the U.S.<br>
Senate website. For your Representative go the the U.S. House website.<br>
Tell them to fight SOPA (House) and PIPA (Senate).<br>
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</blockquote></div>