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Cringely On Civil Disobedience
Sauron23 writes "Robert Cringely over at PBS has his usual weekly Pulpit out. This weeks it's a follow up to last weeks discussion of one of the enforcers of the DMCA, BayTSP. He clarifies some of the issues surrounding a planned bust in October for P2P users sharing movies and makes perhaps an unusual request for civil disobediance from P2P users. I don't know what 10 million pirated copies of "Debbie does Dallas" would be worth either Bob. Probably more than the courts would want to handle. Worth the read." Some of the stronger parts of the column, IMHO, is the commentary on the e-mails people sent in.
This kind of civil disobedience is NOT going to be very effective.
With the civil rights movement of the 1960's, civil disobedience was very vocal and right in the public eye- this, on the other hand, will hardly be noticed by most people.
A more effective way to show your displeasure with the current legislation may be to protest in "real life" rather than in cyberspace.
Have you been stalked by Seth today?
I realize everyone in /. is crapping themselves over the DMCA, but does every two paragraph article about need to be front page material?
If you want to learn more about the real enforcement, read here.
blarg.
--If everyone hates the DMCA so much, why not actually try this?
;)
Short answer : because noone will want to be the first.
That's a nice little thing with human beings. Group actions are always welcome and overhyped and you always find everybody is ready to do it... until someone _has_ to do it, of course, and then the first one to actually act suddenly finds himself all alone while the others are watching "so ? did it work ? is he in jail ?".
Cringely is clearly aware of that, just like he knows the first reaction of many ppl is to flamemail him instead of getting something done about the problem at hand. Maybe he's trying to give us some kind of electroshock...
I may seem overpessimistic, but in that kind of action people are usually just all talk. Of course, I we had a leader things would be different, but clearly as a community we would never agree on a leader (flamewars, yes, leadership, no
Karma cannot be described by words alone.
Money got this law passed and money will make it go away.
Counter the RIAA's dollars by making a contribution to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and earmark the donation for fighting the DMCA.
Take some of that money you're saving by not buying CD's and poney it up to those than can help.
"We're sorry, but the website you're trying to reach has been disconnected."
If you are someone that WISHES that his suggestion could work, but isn't going to perform civil disobediance for one reason or another, then try this:
Think of the time it would take to find and download this movie, and instead spend half that time writting a letter to your representative.
If you've already written your representative, then write somebody else.
In the article it talks about the company hiding behind a PO box because of 'death threats'. Well, I wonder if they know that you can walk into the post office in question and tell them that the PO is being used for business and ask them for the forwarding address. They will give it to you. Ive done it before when trying to get an answer about a product that was being advertised thru a PO in my local city.
No, watch the public rage against the fact that the Evil Internet was able to lure an innocent teen into it's grasp and corrupt her, then they will demand even stronger laws to protect their kids since the DMCA et al weren't enough...
Wax-Museum Fire Results In Hundreds Of New Danny DeVito Statues
I've been swashdotted -- Elmer Fudd
Unfortunately, law enforcement officials don't have a sense of humor. IANAL, but I believe he is inciting to commit a crime, and incitement to (food) riot too. OTOH, it would be a great publicity stunt to get arrested.
There is a good chance his next column will be entitled:
or evenI partially agree with Cringley. A situation very similar to the speed limit scenario is already happening in Canada. Last month the Ministry of Transportation in Ontario started toying with the idea of raising the speed limit on the 401 highway from 100km/h (63mph) to 120km/h (75mph), because that is how fast people drive there nowadays. The Ministry says it's done some research with the help of the OPP (state troopers), and it's come to the conclusion that despite the higher average speed there are fewer accidents and fatalities, so the raising of the speed limit might be possible.
Naturally, there are some issues with this proposal (people will start driving even faster and more aggressively, accident rates will increase dramatically etc.), but those are not relevant here. What *is* relevant is that what Cringley describes is possible *if* EVERYONE does it. Truth is, almost everyone does. It's much easier to single out those who obey the official speed limit (most often American drivers passing through / visiting) than those who don't. Mind you, this didn't happen overnight, it took time -- first people averaged 105km/h, then 110 and so on. Kinda like what's happening with our constitutional rights right now (i.e. the first amendment, slowly being eroded by those with enough money). Right now, you can pretty much be sure you won't get pulled over unless you're going over 120, unless you stand out.
Personally, if everyone violated the DMCA on small scale (as in, don't copy 100 cds a day to make a profit from it), nobody would probably care. If Napster took longer to become the service that it was, it probably wouldn't have been as visible to the people at RIAA. But, it happened virtually 'overnight', made a big splash thanks to the media, got noticed relatively quickly, and viola! I betcha if someone started a nation-wide promotion of cheap, reliable radar detectors, those would become outlawed within weeks.
So, to recap, I think civil disobedience would be the way to defeat the monster, I'm just not sure about the proposed tempo.
Have EVDO, will travel.
No, when the speed limit was 55 and everyone drove 70, the police could pull over anyone they disliked. They didn't try to pull over everyone all at once. But speed limits are very different than copyright laws. When some of us started driving 55 (I kept right), the road became dangerous and they had to raise the limit.
The DMCA is only selectively enforced already. We can't make them enforce it.
'SBEMAIL!' is better than a goat!!
Just like with Dmitry, the "target" will always be a publicly unsympathetic, unsavoury hacker-type.
The precident that the RIAA/MPAA chooses to permit to proceed to the Supreme Court will only be the one that they have the maximum chance of success with. Until then, they are satisfied with the chilling effect and scare tactics, and in the case where there are civil/criminal charges laid, they will be dropped if they figure out halfway through that this is not the *right* case to go to the wall with.
That's the frustrating part: the Constitutionality of the DMCA will not be determined until a case regarding it is heard by the Supreme Court, but the case on which it is presented is one that the court will be loathe to find in favour of free speech. But, we can hope.
Look at the tomato! Isn't it sad? He can't dance! Poor tomato!
The term civil disobedience was made popular through a speech by Henry David Thoreau which later influence MLK and Gandhi. Gandhi took a slightly different approach which he also gave a separate name.
The best way to explain civil disobedience is with the words of Thoreau himself:
"If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government let it go, let it go; perchance it will wear smooth. Certainly, the machine will wear out. If the injustice has a spring or a pulley or a rope or a crank exclusively for itself, then perhaps you may consider whether the remedy is worse than the evil. But if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another then I say break the law . Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine. What I must do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn."
Obviously, not being able to copy movies surely doesn't constistute as making you "the agent of injustice to another." Instead of breaking the law, go out and vote for god's sake. How many of everyone hear complaining has 1) voted in the previous presidental and congressional elections and 2) attempted to educate fellow voters about the evils of laws like this?
If you really care, do something about it. Don't try to pretend that you are doing something about it by breaking the law.
int func(int a);
func((b += 3, b));
A fine idea, but not necessarily the moral one:
Something the **AA and all artists should keep in mind, for it is a battle we are losing ground to on many fronts:
Higher Logics: where programming meets science.
I believe he hit the nail on the head with:
/. does get mentioned it is usually with the word "hacker" or that some site was "slash dotted" like it had been subject to DOS on purpose. [and please let's not even start about the difference between "hacker", "cracker", "Blackhat", "Whitehat and "Grayhat"]
"But don't blame me for it. Most readers had never heard of BayTSP and had no idea how the DMCA was enforced until last week's column, "
We talk about the DMCA just about weekly here and in other forums, never seen by mainstream Americans. When
If we want to change the DMCA, we need to start talking to mom, dad and the neighbors. They need to understand that shortly they will be buying a CD of their favorite music that will only play on registered devices. That these devices will require replacement on a regular basis and they will will be paying for it. That the DVD they bought their grand-daughter forces her to watch more commericals before she can seen her movie, than a network Saturday morning. That the networks consider video taping programs theft and are working on making it illegal to fast forward through commericals and the device will prevent it and keeping the current vcr will not be an option.
They are soon going to hear Britney Spears tell them that downloading songs is a crime. They are going to hear it on TV and they are going to believe it is a crime (the distinction of ownership, and fair use is not going to be made by RIAA or MPAA).
We need Americans to start looking at the DMCA, the RIAA and the MPAA with the same eye they used when the tabacco companies told us "Smoking is not addictive." We need to do just as much to show them that if they are not concerned, their representatives will go to the mine and leave them with the shaft.
Let me be blunt. It is 2002. Post 9/11.
You cannot and will not get the PR and imagery of the 60's with the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam Protestors. Accept it and move on.
Today, DC was scheduled to be 'shut down' by IMF protestors. In the preceeding week, thanks to the media's constant drumming the the Chief's press conferences, John and Jane Public consider the protestors to be a big annoyance while driving to work, and thanks to the police for keeping those nasty people from disrupting my work routine.
If Cringley's so-called mass protest is pulled off, I suspect that the authorities will use the media to pass along the mantra: "These are hackers. These are thieves. These are bad people. We put bad people away."
Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
It is a copyright infringement under the "traditional" copyright laws.
Sending all your friends a copy of DeCSS would be such violation. Or giving people on the street floppies with DeCSS - this one would be more public and likely to get some media and authorities' attention, which is the goal.
You'll have your critical mass.
The real problem with the DMCA is not that it prohibits piracy. There are already laws against that, and be sure to use that to support your argument.
Rather than coming across as a bunch of unrepentant pirates, demonstrate against the DMCA itself...
Confess your reverse engineering activities, and use of unauthorized reverse engineered products:
DeCSS, Samba, modchips, permanent markers, etc.
Please fight the DMCA for what it is. The real problem we all face is the criminalization of reverse engineering and fair use. This sets the stage for totalitarian control of media in the hands of a few conglomerates.
This -- this is the funniest and most apropos post on Slashdot this year.
motivates them, rather than cement-headed greed.
If their sales go down, for any reason, they'll blame file sharing. The notion that people just don't want their crap will never occur to them.
What we need is for artists and consumers to bypass the IP oligarchs entirely. Don't sign that contract! Give away free samples over the Internet, of low fidelity. Sell tickets for live performances. Works for the Dead.
http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/marlowe Better a smartass than a dumbass.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
There is no way the EFF is going to compete against the RIAA's finantial resources. Find out if your local Senator/House Rep voted for this bill. Then find out if they took some money from the RIAA. If they did put a nice add in your local paper with those pieces of information. Use the words "sold our freedom" "Corrupt" and "Don't Re-ellect"
Polititions care about money but only in so far as it can get them more votes. If taking money from the RIAA for a bad law costs them more votes than it buys them, they won't do it next time.
-Eric
set softtabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 expandtab nocp worlddomination
It's also easier said than done when you have kids to support, who'll wind up in the poorhouse when the family breadwinner goes to jail.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
I really liked this idea at first, but I don't think that the sympathies of the general public would be with us until it is so easy to copy a DVD (since movies seem to really bother copywrite holders the most) that the average 42-year-old housewife can do it without instructions.
What I propose is a national gathering (perhaps in 2-4 locations simaltaneously) where folks can come together en masse to explicitly violate terms of the DMCA collectively in a public manner.
Would have modded you up, but then couldn't give you my email address =)
schlachtavius _at_ yahoo.com
Are you proposing it, or are you "proposing" it? Because if you're indeed proposing it, I'm in if it's well done, and I'll help organize. I'd probably be in for a California location. Perhaps we should throw up a site to direct people in this conversation to...
Okay, done. Check out the new Digital Mandate Consumer Advocacy group, at yahoo groups. We can start there as a place to gauge interest in a national act of civil disobedience.
If you're an armchair activist for tech issues, consider subbing our new group. The first thing we're gonna do is figure out who we've got, what issues we want to focus on, and how we might stage a massive protest. So sign up! We need you! I'll bring the Hi-C and rice krispy treats.
--schlach
The difference is that Cringely isn't asking people to smash Citibank windows and throw smoke bombs at the cops. Playing a DVD on Linux (say) doesn't piss off the neighbors quite in the same way, surprisingly enough.
sulli
RTFJ.
What it needs is a series of PSAs (Public Service Announcements) or similar ads that reach the general public...
And how, exactly, do you expect to get the to the public? Buy airtime on TV networks? I'm sure Ted Turner would be all giddy to run your ads.
The problem with fighting the people that control the media in the US, is that they can keep you from getting your message out. And don't be fooled for a second that the news organizations will do much to help your cause. That's the one flaw in this whole protest the DMCA idea, the news people covering it. They are going to spin it right into the dirt. I can hear it now, "Today, 300 people were arrested for illegal hacking. They were protesting laws that were enacted to protect computer systems from the threat of cyberterrorism." at this point they roll the interview with the geekiest looking 16 year old they could find, who, of course, is missing half his brain that day and says, "We're fighting the Man! They're trying to keep us down! Hacking Rulez!" Back to the reporter, "This just goes to show how widespread this problem really is. The children of today belive that stealing and trespassing are ok, and its all being done on the internet." Camera pans protest area, "The protest was held here, and was largly a forum for trading illegally coppied CDs and movies. Just about anything you want could be had here, and of course, in the spirit of this hacking fest, it was all free." Roll film of someone handing out burned DVDs "Any film you wanted could be had either free or very cheap. We even found videos of movies that are still in theaters, like this summers blockbuster (insert big movie here)." Back to reporter, "in all this was less a protest and more a meeting place of pirates and hackers."
Back to the studio "Wow. Thank you Jan, amazing how so many young people can be so misguided. And in other news..."
I wish people luck, but, other than Alan Greespan, they are fighting one of the most powerful forces in the US today.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Laziness is the father.
I would recommend having a day (say, the anniversary of DMCA implementation) where people protest every year. Digital Freedom day or something. You can organize events like distributing DeCSS, wear Digital Freedom t-shirts, and generally advocate Digital Freedoms. Do this until there's enough momentum behind it to start with the civil disobedience (I'd guess about 4 years). Then, have RXC's massive civil disobedience on the next Digital Freedom Day...perhaps to conincide with HDTV implementation.
What's happening now is just like speed limit enforcement.
Hm, I think that what's happening (or at least being proposed) now is a lot more like the government requiring a device in every car which would physically prevent you (by taking over the brakes/acceleration) from exceeding the locally posted speed limit..
The point is that while they can't go after all the people who are actually breaking the law, they can make it illegal to manufacture a widget which does not act as a proxy for the government (ie, enforce the law itself). Then they go after the widget manufacturers.
Since widget manufacturers (think GM or Intel) are less numerous and easier to find, the theory is that this is a more attainable goal.
Daniel
Hurry up and jump on the individualist bandwagon!
But massive public displays of pot smoking in the 60s didn't do much for reforming the laws. Civil disobedience may be overrated. All that happens is the cops make their quota going after the minorities and the poor - those without the political connections to give them trouble over it.
"with their freedom lost all virtue lose" - Milton
...is that it is illegal. The DMCA is a bad law, but downloading music and movies you don't own is illegal, should be illegal, and always will be illegal. Instead, download music and movies you actually own, so when/if push comes to shove about your downloads, you can whip out your original CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes. Use your rights to format shift, time shift, and make back-ups. The right to reverse engineer. Challenge the silly parts of the law, but I don't see the community making much headway by illegal copying.