SSSCA Hearing October 25th: Free Software Threatened

A story at NewsForge details the latest on the state of Senator Fritz Hollings' proposed SSSCA, which may be the most radical attempt at legislative oversight over electronic goods ever attempted in the U.S. Opposition from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Free Software Foundation, the Association of Computing Machinery and others notwithstanding, Hollings' efforts to impede a free market in computer hardware and software through legislative fiat has been little commented on, in part because Hollings refuses to release much information about it. Eben Moglen is quoted to good effect on the risk a bill officializing and regulating all digital devices would pose to Free software. Under the SSSCA, it would be "unlawful to manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide or otherwise traffic in any interactive digital device that does not include and utilize certified security technologies." And that rules out most Free software, right from the start. (Read on for some more information.)

Besides writing your own representatives (email and faxes are probably better than phone calls), note that according to Hollings' contact page, "South Carolina residents may call, toll free, 1-800-922-8503" to reach him. In addition, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and the Privacy Center will be holding a meeting on "Security or Surveillance? Technology's Impact After September 11" on October 22 at Washington, DC's National Press Club; you can email for details on this meeting.

Comments

Re:Who really cares

[javapgmr]

Free software is VERY important. Free software is the thing that will help close the "digital divide". It should be a way for universities to be able to lower tuition. When you don't have to pay outrageous licensing fees, you have one less thing to worry about.

Well... I'm writing my first letter to Congress

[Yekrats]

This horrible, absurd, unconsitutional law must be stopped before it is given life. I'm writing that letter right now and faxing it.

Honestly, this seems like the sort of law that will be largely ignored, that is, until a MegaCorporation want to bitchslap someone they don't like. It won't be the first time a Corporation has bought and abused a law to create their own private mafia.

Listen, Disney, you greedy sons-of-bitches: The only way you'll get Linux off my computer is to pry it out of my cold dead hard drive.