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Senate Bill to Subsidize Anti-Censorware Research

Posted by jamie on from the rider-to-support-the-perverted-arts dept.

Senators Wyden (D-Ore.) and Kyl (R-Ariz.) introduced the Global Internet Freedom Act earlier this month, setting aside $60 million over two years "to develop and deploy technologies to defeat Internet jamming and censorship." Of course they don't mean libraries and schools in this country -- they're talking about countries like China, as Kyl et al. explain in a National Review article a few days ago. I guess it wasn't confusing enough to (1) subsidize censorware and (2) criminalize researching it -- we also need to (3) subsidize researching it. How about forbidding American corporations from trading censorware goods or services to these "repressive governments," wouldn't that be a good start? Update: 10/30 03:37 GMT by J : Here's the Wired story from early this month on the version that was introduced in the House.

(Sen. Wyden also teamed up last month with Sen. Cox (R-Calif.) on a little bitty resolution standing up for your fair use rights before the tank parade of the DMCA.)

4 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. You can see it now... by MosesJones · · Score: 5, Funny


    Judge: So who ordered you to perform this research ?

    PhD: Err... the US Goverment

    Judge: Are you aware that this breaks the DMCA ?

    PhD: Not really, I mean the goverment asked me to do this, they wouldn't ask me to break the law would they ?

    Judge: US Goverment did you ask this PhD student to break the law ?

    US Goverment: I've never heard anything so ridiculous when would we ever do that ?

    Judge: Nixon ?

    USG: Apart from then

    Judge: Iran-Contra ?

    USG: Apart from then .... continue for two hours

    USG: Anyway the Goverment never got convicted then, so that means we have a precedent...

    Judge: Good point, Mr PhD Student I sentence you to 10 years in prison for violating the DMCA and 5 years for mis-use of federal funds.

    PhD: ?!

    USG: Nice touch.

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
  2. True, for if there is no sin to resist by Adam+Rightmann · · Score: 5, Funny
    what does that say about one's state of grace? As a Catholic, I recognize the sinfulness of pornography (in most cases), yet, when I refuse to succumb to the lure of such lurid depictions, I triump over sin. I would not have that opportunity if my interent connection was filtered, and I would eventually have a weakened moral system.

    The Vatican has one of the world's great collections of erotica (for research purposes), and you would be very hard pressed to find a more moral, less sinful group of men in the world.

    --
    A. Rightmann
  3. Re:Do I Need To Say It? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Our terrorists are "freedom fighters" dumb-dumb. If you can't see the difference, then you are obviously unsuited for an American political career.

  4. also confusing by Fjord · · Score: 3, Funny

    How about forbidding American corporations from trading censorware goods or services to these "repressive governments," wouldn't that be a good start?

    Sure. Let's fight repression with repression. It'll be like a war for peace.

    --
    -no broken link