Threats against freedom: rm -r /freedom

[audiovoodoo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-16544335

I'm really starting to wonder what the hell to do. The BBC would never seek to charge me over that link but if it was to a US 'news' site such as FOX or CBS and they see fit, especially when SOPA hits in, then I could be on a plane.

If I still had any right of protest over here I would

 

[Pyroflea]

I'm worried sick about what's going to happen to our world. If this ridiculous bill does pass (PLEASE don't even get me started...), I fear the outcome.

 

[amdfangirl]

http://www.osnews.com/story/25507/Microsoft_Forces_OEMs_To_Lock_Devices_Into_Windows_8_Using_UEFI

On non-ARM systems, it is required to implement the ability to disable Secure Boot via firmware setup. A physically present user must be allowed to disable Secure Boot via firmware setup without possession of PKpriv. Programmatic disabling of Secure Boot either during Boot Services or after exiting EFI Boot Services MUST NOT be possible. Disabling Secure MUST NOT be possible on ARM systems.

 

[Pyroflea]

http://www.osnews.com/story/25507/Microsoft_Forces_OEMs_To_Lock_Devices_Into_Windows_8_Using_UEFI

On non-ARM systems, it is required to implement the ability to disable Secure Boot via firmware setup. A physically present user must be allowed to disable Secure Boot via firmware setup without possession of PKpriv. Programmatic disabling of Secure Boot either during Boot Services or after exiting EFI Boot Services MUST NOT be possible. Disabling Secure MUST NOT be possible on ARM systems.

But Microsoft would never do wrong

 

[audiovoodoo]

I'm worried sick about what's going to happen to our world. If this ridiculous bill does pass (PLEASE don't even get me started...), I fear the outcome.

What concerns me even more is that I now seem to be subject to both UK and US Law in one foul swoop. I have the ability to exert some influence on UK law. Last time I checked I didn't have any voting rights in the US. I can't say that what O'Dwyer did was a good thing but at the time it was legal in the UK, that he's never set foot in the US, had a UK registered domain and didn't host any content himself makes this case a complete insult to the very principles of democracy that this country rightfully held up to the world as an example of good practice.

I've already written to my member of parliament (MP) and also my European MP regarding this and the absurdity of the 2003 treaty that <insert rant filled with expletives> Blair signed us up to. I've asked them to clarify two key points:

1. What is the threshold. When SOPA comes into force would they support extradition for a single download?

2. Do they recognise NDAA and if so would they allow extradition requested against that US law.

It's come to something when I'd rather see Snooki running the planet than the muppets we now seems to be subjected to.

 

[audiovoodoo]

But Microsoft would never do wrong

Microsoft? Don't you think it's a bit of a coincidence that this comes out just as Intel announce Medfield?

Can anybody say Anti-Trust. This is clearly a move to help Intel get traction in the tablet sphere. Why the hell would you buy an ARM based unit which will not run legacy applications, especailly when you know there will be no option to move to CryogenMod or any Linux varient.

Microsoft will gain market share by helping ARM tablets through marketing (likely funded by their illigal extortion of Android licences) and gain a significan percentage. When anything over 30% of the market is locked down then they will kill it and let the Intel side take its place.

Over a 2-3 year period I'd short ARM stock.

 

[amdfangirl]

Right now I think it might be safer to live in Communist China.

With Stallman laptops...

http://www.lemote.com/en/products/Notebook/2010/0310/112.html

 

[audiovoodoo]

One thing you can be certain of, you're going to be screwed one way or other...

http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/01/chinas-pollution-is-so-insane-you-can-see-it-from-space/

 

[Pyroflea]

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/india-oks-censoring-facebook-google-microsoft-youtube/7308

Even more great news in the world! Combined with china, that's 2.5 Billion people cut off from reality.

 

[amdfangirl]

In the case of Facebook, that's probably a good thing, haha!

 

[audiovoodoo]

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/india-oks-censoring-facebook-google-microsoft-youtube/7308

Even more great news in the world! Combined with china, that's 2.5 Billion saved from excessive profiling on behalf of the US Government and corporate interests .

Fixed that for you.

Seriously - Facebook is the single biggest piece of evil ever to hit the net. I have more respect for virus authors than I have for an organisation that's valuing the data it can extract from its users at $150 a pop. When will people realise that for Facebook and Google you are the product it's you that they sell, not software or a web experience.

** Heads off to gain weight, a long beard and to devise recursive acronyms for future projects **

 

[Pyroflea]

While I do agree that Facebook is evil, it along with Twitter are hugely important methods of spreading news these days, whether or not people like to admit it. I don't support either company, but news spreads via social media faster than any other method. Should have been more clear in my initial post

I was initially just pointing out that country after country is starting to lock down and censor the internet, and we have a new member in the club.

 

[audiovoodoo]

I know, and I was being deliberately provocative in my reply.

One that you might not have seen but is well worth a watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwQhNE65wmg&feature=g-all-u&context=G21037f8FAAAAAAAADAA

It's 14 minutes but you get the message by 5 minutes in. Watching this I had to think that maybe to many people in power watched 'How to get ahead in advertising' while at business school.

 

[Pyroflea]

I know, and I was being deliberately provocative in my reply.

One that you might not have seen but is well worth a watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwQhNE65wmg&feature=g-all-u&context=G21037f8FAAAAAAAADAA

It's 14 minutes but you get the message by 5 minutes in. Watching this I had to think that maybe to many people in power watched 'How to get ahead in advertising' while at business school.

I just hate everybody.

Thank you for showing me this.

 

[amdfangirl]

I remember when my ISP gave me a strike for using p2p to download Linux ISOs. The system they had in place only detected p2p connections, not exactly what you were download. I was threatened with court proceedings for p2p'ing free software. The ISP tech support was like "nah, p2p is illegal, even if you are downloading free software, it violates copyright".

If SOPA passes, I can imagine the article headlines on Phoronix... "Aussie girl deported to US for sharing own Fedora remix".

 

[audiovoodoo]

Not sure if your country was daft enough to sign up to the extradition process we have or not. I know you've had some daft legislation on the table (how states over there have legalised prostitution but the government feels the need to protect people from on-line pornography does baffle me - especially when they employ brothel inspectors!) but you've never been quite the American lapdog we seem to be here in the UK.

 

[amdfangirl]

Ever since WWII Australia has been America's 51st state (52nd if you count Canada), since the ANZUS treaty, Australia just follows USA in exchange for protection.

 

[audiovoodoo]

I just hate everybody.

Thank you for showing me this.

I'm finding it very hard not to be a bitter and twisted individual after the reading I've been doing this week. If you value your sanity don't follow the same route and watch Ziteguist, Loose Change or any of the multitude of 9/11 documentaries out there. I'm not to proud to admit that I've been reduced to tears on hearing some of the tales in these films. It's not a popular thing to be a thinker

 

[audiovoodoo]

Ever since WWII Australia has been America's 51st state (52nd if you count Canada), since the ANZUS treaty, Australia just follows USA in exchange for protection.

I'll trust you on that one. To be honest we only ever hear about you guys when the Cricket or Rugby is on... and we happen to be winning for a change. Rest of the time we just have the marketing and a whole load of people saying it's a nicer place to live than here.

 

[Pyroflea]

I'm finding it very hard not to be a bitter and twisted individual after the reading I've been doing this week. If you value your sanity don't follow the same route and watch Ziteguist, Loose Change or any of the multitude of 9/11 documentaries out there. I'm not to proud to admit that I've been reduced to tears on hearing some of the tales in these films. It's not a popular thing to be a thinker

I've seen Zeitgeist already, among others. I can completely relate to how you feel. I watched a video today that just put me into a fit of rage. I need to stop involving myself with politics.

 

[audiovoodoo]

So, we now have a US media empire taking legal action against the Irish government. Oh great, those billions of Euros we gave them to save the economy over there now look to be going transatlantic..

http://torrentfreak.com/emi-sues-irish-state-for-not-implementing-piracy-blocking-provisions-120112/

And this is what we can expect to see if SOPA becomes reality...

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111005/10082416208/monster-cable-claims-ebay-craigslist-costco-sears-are-rogue-sites.shtml

Those Myan folks might well be proved right...

 

[amdfangirl]

So wait, MS to just say that Fedora infringes SOPA, pull it down and get total dominance over the OS market.

These days it seems the US gov't is run by mega corporations.

 

[Ijack]

I think it's more likely to be Apple than Microsoft.

 

[audiovoodoo]

It was late last night, the monster example is actually more PIPA than SOPA. If you read the comments on the article you see the two clear camps forming. On one side people point out that just because it's on a list by Monster does not mean that it would stand up in court. On the other side it's a clear example of what some companies want to do with it and how they want to regain complete control of the supply channel. Really it's the clearest sign that a lot of companies don't understand the modern market place they are part of and how to adapt to to.

The US has been run by corporations since the end of the second world war. Just look how much money they donate to both sides of the political field. It's one thing I think the UK system has right. We limit the war chest of any party candidate in an effort to stop undue influence. That being said there is an alarming correlation between party donors and those receiving civil honours (OBE, CBE, Knighthood etc).

Apple has way more control of its supply chain than MS has. By making both the HW and SW components and offering a direct sales channel they are avoiding a lot of the issues that MS faces; One of the reasons they tend to have a more stable product is the limited and known target platform. It's not often I defend them but the iPhone situation has more to do with the carriers than it does the product itself. I'd still not be surprised to see Google or Apple get into the service area to gain complete control of the user experience, and more importantly the data.

 

[audiovoodoo]

I watched a video today that just put me into a fit of rage. I need to stop involving myself with politics.

Quite the opposite. You and I need to think of ways that we as people can take the power back from the corporations and act on them. The trouble is that so much of the post 2001 legislation has been designed to daemonise those that seek to question. Lots of people threw in the towel over fears of what their actions could result in personally. I can't blame them for that, but then we'd never have seen this without people with stronger convictions