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DHS Wants Mozilla To Disable Mafiaafire Plugin, Mozilla Resists
Davis Freeberg writes "The Department of Homeland Security is hard at work again, protecting the industry from websites that the big studios don't want you to see. This time they're targeting the Mafiaafire plugin by asking Mozilla to disable the addon at the root level. Instead of blindly complying with the government's request, Mozilla has decided to ask some tough questions instead. Unsurprisingly, when faced with legitimate concerns about the legality of their domain seizure program, the DHS has decided to clam up."
It's good to see that Mozilla is holding strong to their core values. DHS needs more people willing to question what they do. Blind compliance to government demands is anti-American and it saddens me to see so many people simply fall in line.
This will drive a record number of people to install the plug in...
Thanks DHS, we appreciate the endorsement and confirmation of its efficacy!!!
Of all places, why would the DHS think that Mozilla would cooperate with their domain seizure program?
Palm trees and 8
for what its worth..
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/mafiaafire-redirector/
Streisand effect. Before today, I never heard of the Mafiaafire plugin... but I'm going to look into it right now.
probably download it, even if I don't use it whatever it may be.
that somebody started questioning the heavy handed tactics of big media companies
There are some trust issues with the redirect lists but other than that it is nice
I'm glad to see that DHS has lots of free time on their hands, now that OBL is dead.
But if they aren't going to spend time on homeland security, we should disband the monster.
Probably should anyway...
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Yeah if they can fix that up I will install it, now that I have heard about it... not that I even think I am likely to run into a banned domain.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Thanks for the Streisand effect DHS
Good call. Whatever you want to call the system of government, one thing it *isn't* supposed to be is an autocracy. Remember, they're working for you, on your dime.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
Even though this doesn't look like it's going to trial, you might want to consider saying "thank you" by donating.
Those who fail to understand communication protocols, are doomed to repeat them over port 80.
This story is one of the main reasons why. Instead of doing the job the government was created to do (protect individual rights from thieves, murderers, etc), the politicians/bureaucrats are the ones doing the infringing on those rights.
"If it were possible to have no government, we would do so. It is only to protect our rights that we resort to any government at all." - Thomas Jefferson.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
Remember, they're working for you, on your dime.
HAHAHAHAHAHAAA! Funniest thing I've heard all day. Will anyone who thinks our government is working for us speak up?
[crickets]
Thought so...
A search for addons called MAFIAAFIRE is yielding no results.
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
A link to the extension from the article:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/mafiaafire-redirector/
They put some DHS code into mafiaafire right before they did this, to subvert subversive people.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
fireICEis a rewrite that gets rid of the nag screen and addresses some of the privacy concerns the author had with the original MafiaaFire.
"Frequently wrong, never in doubt."
It's nice to remember that we can easily install Firefox extensions that are not hosted at Mozilla.org. There is no way to forbid users from installing any particular extension -- even if Mozilla is required to remove the extension in the official listing, we can get it somewhere else.
This is why he was dumped off the back of a ship with no witnesses. Its hard to be a martyr with no proof of death...
"There ought to be limits to freedom." -George W. Bush
Why is the Department of Homeland Security involved in copyright enforcement at all? It's not a national security issue. I can see parts of the Justice Department being involved, and certainly the FCC and the department of commerce. But Homeland Security? Aren't they supposed to defend the country from physical attacks by enemies? Forgive me if this has been asked and answered.
"If it's real, then it gets more interesting the closer you examine it. If it's not real, just the opposite is true." -
There's now a fork called FireICE so DHS now has an additional extension to suppress.
Way to go, Mozilla, for standing up to these tyrants! I might just write Mozilla an email, congratulating them for it.
As for the take-down notice itself...having never heard of the add-on before, I've just installed it. Good job, DHS guys! (Who says they don't promote freedom?)
Rights are like muscles, if you fail to exercise them, they become weak.
One of the commenters on the FF extension suggested that the extension introduces a serious vulnerability into your browser - by downloading the XML file containing the list of sites to be redirected, you are basically offering that website the ability to redirect "youtube.com" to "nastysexxxxxychix.com" or whatever. Certainly this would be unpleasant on a work computer, but it could also be used to send you to a malicious site. He also pointed out that every 15 times the extension is actually called you are sent to a "Help Us" page where they probably ask for donations.
The same commenter forked the extension to another called FireIce which has a hardcoded list of sites. I think the ideal way would be with a user-configurable list which the user can easily update from a website as desired, rather than automatically downloading an XML file without user input.
This other extension - which I haven't tried and cannot endorse - is at https://addons.mozilla.org/da/firefox/addon/fireice/
Just my $0.55 (US inflation, 1774-2008, for $0.02)
Probably just a junior flunky demanding the takedown without any backing from his superiors.
The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
Now that Osama bin Fucktard is gone, it is time to take this police state back.
And you couldn't do that while Osama was alive because... ?
Once you own a few senators, or a television network, maybe if you sit on the Federal Reserve Board, then I'd consider you "wealthy ruling class".
They feared that it could be used to suppress protest or support unpopular rule.
Mafiaafire appears to be unlisted, as browsing through the list of extensions reveals no such program. Did Mozilla cave in to DHS demands despite their initial refusal, or was the software never listed in the first place?
Unlawful domain seizures. Takedown demands. DHS has too much power and too little oversight.
Social Security was absolutely done improperly. The money wasn't saved in any fashion whatsoever for the future. The "trust fund" consists of money loaned to the US government, which already borrowed and spent it all.
It is an unsupportable ponzi scheme and will collapse if left in its present form.