It seems almost impossible to overestimate the raw, feral greed of US Entertainment Corporations.
These Corporations aren't pushing for a way to charge internet users for viewing or hearing their content. Rather, they seem intent on prosecuting any internet user for any access to their content.
If these Pinnacles of Greed have their way and you or I stumble onto some youtube video that contains a Brittany Spears song, we won't get charged a few bucks - we will get sued and probably will get hit with one of our 3 strikes before our lifetime internet ban! All so they get the outrageous fine.
Any alternatives to ISP driven internet here in the US? Let me know because when these sharks are done carving the internet into ribbons it won't be worth accessing, let alone paying $70 / month for.
We're going to aggressively protect BIG MEDIA,' Obama said in his speech, 'Our single greatest asset is THEIR MONEY! [...] It is essential to our prosperity AS POLITICIANS AND BENEFACTORS and it will only become more so in this century.
Interesting. I had to look that one up and I don't remember the term from college economics.
From what I read a social market economy is merely regulated capitalism in which regulation works to achieve various desirable goals. And we do have a lot a regulation in places. Some of this is designed to achieve goals too. However, it does not seem we are making the coordinated effort we required by the definition and we are arguably failing to regulate entire segments of the economy properly. I think that definition is a partial fit at best.
As for capitalism, this too requires regulation due to the tendency for various industries to produce harmful results. But in that case the regulation shows up when there is a clear need - not before. I believe this characterizes a lot of what occurs in the US.
The US is first and foremost a Capitalist nation. As such, giving citizens anything they could be made to pay for is completely alien. (Just consider the "Healthcare Reform" Bill.)
Unless of course a major Corporation was to pay Congress to do this - but why would that ever happen?
Standing tall in the land of the rich and the poor
This may be a disturbing observation but Big Media is pulling off a stunning achievement here.
Not content to work with the laws of various countries, they bought the cooperation of powerful legislators and created a mechanism to force adoption and compliance to a very restrictive set of laws.
These laws will work to penalize movement and use of copyrighted works but at the same time will have a chilling effect on the internet as a whole. They will probably force ISP's to block many services they will now be responsible for as well. At the same time paid access to copyrighted material becomes one of the few practical methods to access information.
Of course enforcement will only be as good as the ISP's and their detection software, but for most internet users that will prove good enough.
I very much hate seeing what Big Media is doing here but it really is a masterful plan. There are a lot bigger and richer special interests that can't hold a candle to Big Media. And shit - it seems like it will all work.
For those of us who love what the internet has to offer in terms of information, entertainment and news the very idea of the Internet becoming "the CorporateNet" is depressing.
After the takeover we will still be able to do many things - after we have logged in with our credit card.
Then CorporateNet can charge us for every download and access (and it will not be cheap!)
What can we do? If we fight like hell we can delay things for a while, but eventually money will rule out. So be prepared.
1. A government run Insurance option which they might have problems running.
Or
2. Corporate For-Profit Insurance Companies which have a demonstrate record of denying funds for life critical procedures, for refusing to pay huge bills for procedures which bankrupt patients and for canceling policies for the crime of becoming very sick.
Better the devil you know than the one you do not?
Thank you for this information. Very informative but not at all comforting!
So this means:
1. The countries implementing 3 strikes rules are going beyond the letter of ACTA to punish anyone accused of (but not necessarily guilty of) some "copyright violation".
2. You assert that ACTA is actually an executive agreement, not a Treaty and therefore will be shoved right down our throats (or other orifices) without any chance to comment or stop it unless our laws somehow allow it. If this is true we are well and royally screwed indeed!
Interesting how 3 strikes laws like those mandated in the ACTA Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty (championed by Obama) are showing up in various countries.
Now here comes Obama with a new initiative for the US to regulate the internet and two of it's goals are "copyright protection, and Internet governance".
Seems a fair guess that one of the first things that will occur is an ACTA style 3 strikes rule that must be enforced by all ISP's. Will BitTorrent be banned by those ISP's? It seems likely, since in spite of the legal applications, that would make life so much easier for the ISPs.
Our Internet freedoms are slowly disappearing as governments regulate them away on behalf of the Corporations! Internet users are allowed no voice.
Soon the Internet will be the CorporateNe" and we will have to enter Credit Card info just to log on!
Remember: we ALL need quality Healthcare, rich white guys included.
It's just that a "Healthcare Reform Bill" built around a basis of mandatory Insurance using the services of a legal Heath Insurance monopoly, with almost no cost controls, will only give you a little of what you need!
And while you are getting a little Healthcare, this solution will be reaching behind you and picking your pocket!
With all the smart people and the examples of so many other countries that do it right, how could we have got things so wrong?
The answer is corruption. The Health Insurance Cartel spent > $560 Million on Congressmen alone. Who know if they invested in Obama too? It certainly seems possible.
Think of all the politicians who have rode into office using "think of the children" to convince voters of their uprightness!
Think of how brave and noble the politicians appear when using this simple trick. And since many of them do not seem to be particularly bright, they go on to attack other freedoms because someone might do something horrible if they continue to have freedom.
These fellows are the ones who would have the internet locked down if they could and who will take credit when every connection is databased and cataloged.
And most likely their law will be a stupid, overly restrictive law with no tolerance for data that could innocently get there - like web page redirects, pop-ups with dangerous addresses and other web page issues that can be encountered from normal surfing. Will surfing the internet even be possible then?
After the politician gets through with the Internet we will have to get all our web links from sanitized sources to avoid triggering the 3 strikes rule (under the swiftly approaching ACTA Secret Treaty) or maybe as little as 1 strike under this scenario.
When I miss the real internet I for one will curse the names of those politicians.
Hopefully I will still be able to use the internet to raise opposition to the bastards! It will probably be one of the few things I can still do on the internet.
Just like police can "add something" to normal evidence, incriminating evidence can invisibly be inserted in your ISP records.
And when it happens you magically turn out to be a child raping pedophile terrorist! And the US knows just what to do with that sort of people!
You will get lifelong sex offender status and all that entails and quite possibly Guantanamo.
Are you really OK with the police getting this kind of information? If so, don't speak your mind politically and keep a low profile so they don't "do a number on you".
"the retrieval of headkase's personal information" - that wont' be the worst thing about this ISP history policy.
Since the information will not be secure there is nothing to stop headkasse from ending up with a few "extra" records - maybe for child porn, terrorism, etc.
Then he will end up in court arguing that he is not a pedophile or building bombs. The "evidence' would then give him lifelong sex offender's status not to mention other penalties and a trip to Guantanamo to find out if they are still water boarding!
This new rule will make a perfect tool for political and general oppression!
Sweeping new powers for the US Government never ends well.
Obama is the main US champion of the awful ACTA Treaty which will bring in similar ISP monitoring and policing to deny copyright infringer's internet access.
Slashdot Mirror
It seems almost impossible to overestimate the raw, feral greed of US Entertainment Corporations.
These Corporations aren't pushing for a way to charge internet users for viewing or hearing their content.
Rather, they seem intent on prosecuting any internet user for any access to their content.
If these Pinnacles of Greed have their way and you or I stumble onto some youtube video that contains
a Brittany Spears song, we won't get charged a few bucks - we will get sued and probably will get hit
with one of our 3 strikes before our lifetime internet ban! All so they get the outrageous fine.
Any alternatives to ISP driven internet here in the US? Let me know because when these sharks are
done carving the internet into ribbons it won't be worth accessing, let alone paying $70 / month for.
So we bought it. Now all politicians beg for our Millions and are eager to please our every whim.
You know you are dealing with a US solution to a problem when it takes a huge bite out of your wallet as it helps you!
We are a country based on free enterprise after all.
And the assumption is that all Americans can all afford to pay more.
---
Standing tall in the land of the rich and the poor.
We're going to aggressively protect BIG MEDIA,' Obama said in his speech, 'Our single greatest asset is THEIR MONEY! [...] It is essential to our prosperity AS POLITICIANS AND BENEFACTORS and it will only become more so in this century.
First comes government cheese. Then comes government health care.
Then comes the giant Bill for government health care.
Don't worry, if you don't like it you can always go live free in government prison.
You will not like that though!
--
Standing tall in the land of the poor and the rich
Interesting. I had to look that one up and I don't remember the term from college economics.
From what I read a social market economy is merely regulated capitalism in which regulation works to achieve various desirable goals. And we do have a lot a regulation in places. Some of this is designed to achieve goals too. However, it does not seem we are making the coordinated effort we required by the definition and we are arguably failing to regulate entire segments of the economy properly. I think that definition is a partial fit at best.
As for capitalism, this too requires regulation due to the tendency for various industries to produce harmful results. But in that case the regulation shows up when there is a clear need - not before. I believe this characterizes a lot of what occurs in the US.
The US is first and foremost a Capitalist nation. As such, giving citizens anything they could be made to pay for is completely alien.
(Just consider the "Healthcare Reform" Bill.)
Unless of course a major Corporation was to pay Congress to do this - but why would that ever happen?
Standing tall in the land of the rich and the poor
This may be a disturbing observation but Big Media is pulling off a stunning achievement here.
Not content to work with the laws of various countries, they bought the cooperation of powerful legislators and created a mechanism to force adoption and compliance to a very restrictive set of laws.
These laws will work to penalize movement and use of copyrighted works but at the same time will have a chilling effect on the internet as a whole. They will probably force ISP's to block many services they will now be responsible for as well. At the same time paid access to copyrighted material becomes one of the few practical methods to access information.
Of course enforcement will only be as good as the ISP's and their detection software, but for most internet users that will prove good enough.
I very much hate seeing what Big Media is doing here but it really is a masterful plan. There are a lot bigger and richer special interests that can't hold a candle to Big Media. And shit - it seems like it will all work.
For those of us who love what the internet has to offer in terms of information, entertainment and news the very idea of the Internet becoming "the CorporateNet" is depressing.
After the takeover we will still be able to do many things - after we have logged in with our credit card.
Then CorporateNet can charge us for every download and access (and it will not be cheap!)
What can we do? If we fight like hell we can delay things for a while, but eventually money will rule out. So be prepared.
Which would be better:
1. A government run Insurance option which they might have problems running.
Or
2. Corporate For-Profit Insurance Companies which have a demonstrate record of denying funds for life critical procedures, for refusing to pay huge bills for procedures which bankrupt patients and for canceling policies for the crime of becoming very sick.
Better the devil you know than the one you do not?
Right you are! Obama was not the architect but has been the enthusiastic proponent of this "Treaty" since he gained office.
Don't forget that Obama supported ACTA's secret status to discourage opposition.
Don't forget that Obama received a large amount of contributions from Big Media during his campaign.
Thank you for this information. Very informative but not at all comforting!
So this means:
1. The countries implementing 3 strikes rules are going beyond the letter of ACTA to punish anyone accused of (but not necessarily guilty of) some "copyright violation".
2. You assert that ACTA is actually an executive agreement, not a Treaty and therefore will be shoved right down our throats (or other orifices) without any chance to comment or stop it unless our laws somehow allow it. If this is true we are well and royally screwed indeed!
The only reason the Government gets involved in anything is when they are paid to do so by their Corporate Masters.
And it is a well known fact that Corporations want to eliminate those pesky Internet freedoms and force us to pay for every click or download.
Luckily for them, Obama's just the man for that job!
Actually the new bosses are turning health care over to a Monopoly with a long history of patient abuse for undisclosed sums.
I wish your version was true! We would be better off even in Government hands.
Most of these changes are being driven by huge Corporations.
So instead of Biometric ID expect to enter a Credit Card to log on!
Interesting how 3 strikes laws like those mandated in the ACTA Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty (championed by Obama) are showing up in various countries.
Now here comes Obama with a new initiative for the US to regulate the internet and two of it's goals are "copyright protection, and Internet governance".
Seems a fair guess that one of the first things that will occur is an ACTA style 3 strikes rule that must be enforced by all ISP's.
Will BitTorrent be banned by those ISP's? It seems likely, since in spite of the legal applications, that would make life so much easier for the ISPs.
Our Internet freedoms are slowly disappearing as governments regulate them away on behalf of the Corporations! Internet users are allowed no voice.
Soon the Internet will be the CorporateNe" and we will have to enter Credit Card info just to log on!
Remember: we ALL need quality Healthcare, rich white guys included.
It's just that a "Healthcare Reform Bill" built around a basis of mandatory Insurance using the services of a legal Heath Insurance monopoly, with almost no cost controls, will only give you a little of what you need!
And while you are getting a little Healthcare, this solution will be reaching behind you and picking your pocket!
With all the smart people and the examples of so many other countries that do it right, how could we have got things so wrong?
The answer is corruption. The Health Insurance Cartel spent > $560 Million on Congressmen alone. Who know if they invested in Obama too? It certainly seems possible.
How could they allow you freedom and privacy?
With your freedom you could do something unapproved, so the logs are needed to convict you and support your harsh punishment.
I suppose if we don't like it we are supposed to move to a free country like maybe Canada.
Welcome to 1984 - it took awhile but now it's here!
Why does the US seem to go after the user, not the supplier?
Some drug suppliers are prosecuted of course but it appears to be mainly users that are imprisoned for long years.
Viewers of child porn (who need psychiatric help) also are imprisoned for long sentences but who goes after the sites?
Maybe the real goal is to fill the prisons and make the companies that service and run them richer. Seems like it must be working too.
Think of all the politicians who have rode into office using "think of the children" to convince voters of their uprightness!
Think of how brave and noble the politicians appear when using this simple trick. And since many of them do not seem to be particularly bright, they go on to attack other freedoms because someone might do something horrible if they continue to have freedom.
These fellows are the ones who would have the internet locked down if they could and who will take credit when every connection is databased and cataloged.
And most likely their law will be a stupid, overly restrictive law with no tolerance for data that could innocently get there - like web page redirects, pop-ups with dangerous addresses and other web page issues that can be encountered from normal surfing. Will surfing the internet even be possible then?
After the politician gets through with the Internet we will have to get all our web links from sanitized sources to avoid triggering the 3 strikes rule (under the swiftly approaching ACTA Secret Treaty) or maybe as little as 1 strike under this scenario.
When I miss the real internet I for one will curse the names of those politicians.
Hopefully I will still be able to use the internet to raise opposition to the bastards! It will probably be one of the few things I can still do on the internet.
Just like police can "add something" to normal evidence, incriminating evidence can invisibly be inserted in your ISP records.
And when it happens you magically turn out to be a child raping pedophile terrorist! And the US knows just what to do with that sort of people!
You will get lifelong sex offender status and all that entails and quite possibly Guantanamo.
Are you really OK with the police getting this kind of information? If so, don't speak your mind politically and keep a low profile so they don't "do a number on you".
"the retrieval of headkase's personal information" - that wont' be the worst thing about this ISP history policy.
Since the information will not be secure there is nothing to stop headkasse from ending up with a few "extra" records - maybe for child porn, terrorism, etc.
Then he will end up in court arguing that he is not a pedophile or building bombs. The "evidence' would then give him lifelong sex offender's status not to mention other penalties and a trip to Guantanamo to find out if they are still water boarding!
This new rule will make a perfect tool for political and general oppression!
Sweeping new powers for the US Government never ends well.
Our freedoms are taken from us and Security (mainly against us) is offered instead.
Now where have I read about this situation before? Better search the net while it still works for me.
Why not?
Obama is the main US champion of the awful ACTA Treaty which will bring in similar ISP monitoring and policing to deny copyright infringer's internet access.
Unjust laws should be repealed.
But consider how possible that really is.
Passing a US law in the first place is a huge effort but repealing it is far more work.
Repeal can never happen unless citizens demonstrate a overwhelming support for repeal.
This is why almost all of the laws that have been passed remain in force unless they were superseded by another law.
And if you think repeal is tough, imagine how hard it would be to change the anti-internet freedom ACTA treaty.