Saturday, January 21, 2012

Two Lessons From the Megaupload Seizure: Glenn Greenwald


Two Lessons From the Megaupload Seizure
Glenn Greenwald
Jan 21, 2012

Two events this week produced some serious cognitive dissonance. First, Congressional leaders sheepishly announced that they were withdrawing (at least for the time being) two bills heavily backed by the entertainment industry — the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House – in the wake of vocal online citizen protests (and, more significantly, coordinated opposition from the powerful Silicon Valley industry). Critics insisted that these bills were dangerous because they empowered the U.S. Government, based on mere accusations of piracy and copyright infringement, to shut down websites without any real due process. But just as the celebrations began over the saving of Internet Freedom, something else happened: the U.S. Justice Department not only indicted the owners of one of the world’s largest websites, the file-sharing site Megaupload, but also seized and shut down that site, and also seized or froze millions of dollars of its assets — all based on the unproved accusations, set forth in an indictment, that the site deliberately aided copyright infringement......


.....(1) It’s wildly under-appreciated how unrestrained is the Government’s power to do what it wants, and how little effect these debates over various proposed laws have on that power.

.....(2) The U.S. really is a society that simply no longer believes in due process: once the defining feature of American freedom that is now scorned as some sort of fringe, radical, academic doctrine. Article

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.webpronews.com/file-sharing-is-now-legal-in-portugal-2012-09

Himself said...

Portugal seems to be overtaking the Netherlands as THE progressive European country.

Anonymous said...

Credit where credit's due. NL

By the way, an Englishman taught me the abbreviation of Netherlands.

Anonymous said...

And, plenty more in the sidebar.

Himself said...

Credit where credit's due. NL

Mais oui.

By the way, an Englishman taught me the abbreviation of Netherlands.

Not this Englishman surely?

Wasn't I confused over Nl / NL ?

And, plenty more in the sidebar.

You've lost me.

Anonymous said...

And while we’re on the subject of confusion:

This Englishman, surely. It’s the type, lowercase l, uppercase I, it doesn’t make sense, as you can or cannot see. I think the lowercase l is slightly higher than the uppercase I as in Northern Ireland. We’ll see, after proving not to be a robot.

Okay, very interesting (British meaning).

With the greatest respect (what others understand). X

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=5672

Anonymous said...

Hi H, do you also see the same comment and a different type I in It, I and Ireland? M

http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8393578624305189946&postID=7496180213236819159&isPopup=true

http://onlyinamericablogging.blogspot.com/2012/01/two-lessons-from-megaupload-seizure.html

Anonymous said...

Gus Cairns says:

A German friend pointed out another thing we Brits do: a long drawn-out "hmmmmm.." noise which sounds like "I am thinking about your interesting comment" but actually means "I am not even bothering to think about your idiotic contribution".

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=5672

Himself said...

Mornin' Chuck

Have pity, I've only just woken up.

Later then?

Confused in Cambridge!

Himself said...

22:22

I think I know what you mean now.

When I looked at Nl large N small l, I just read it as Northern Ireland.

But it is as you say, all in the type face.

I think.

Himself said...

Yes that's it, small l has legs on it when you type it, but converts to a straight line on publishing.

Anonymous said...

This case has been solved. Patience is a virtue.

Himself said...

It surely is. :) A winky thing I think?