Orwellian Internet Bill Looms Over Congress
Posted by Jan in 
Pop quiz: which of the following totalitarian regimes does the following system come from?
There are two blacklists, one determined by courts and another determined by the attorney general. A court order placing a site on the first list would force that site to be blocked by internet service providers. But there is a catch! By blocking the second list, which is out of the control of any democratic process of law and determined by whoever can persuade the attorney general, websites can gain immunity and government favor in regards to being placed on the second list.
So effectively, those fearing the legal persecution of their own site would be forced to ban the second list, which is controlled by a single person.
If you were thinking the United States of America, you’re right! The Bill, called the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, is currently in line to be voted on this Thursday. However, a petition to stop the act has been set into motion by David Segal of The Huffington Post. The petition currently has over 50,000 names and the post mentioning it has over 1,000 tweets.
In addition to this being a sensitive issue to watch for the next few days, it is going to be interesting to see if the power of social media can save itself when it comes to affecting politics. Only time will tell. You can sign the petition here