Today is a dark day for freedom of information · 6:36am Jul 2nd, 2013
Goodbye to online freedom of information and speech, at least in Russia (and possibly the rest of the post-Soviet bloc).
Source (translated): habrahabr.ru/company/yandex/blog/184182/
The draft law on arbitrary blocking of websites has been passed.
Today, the bill passed its second and third reading in the Duma [Russian government]. The final version is even worse than the intermediate versions -- all of the amendments added by the Internet industry, hoping to add some measure of common sense, were completely ignored.
The current text of the draft prohibits posting links to pages that could potentially violate the exclusive [copyright] rights, and establishes responsibility for such actions. The phrasing of the law is so vague that it could apply to anyone - to search engines, to bona fide resources and the people in general.
That's part of it: "... [both] the person who provides the opportunity for placing the material or information necessary to obtain it using the information and telecommunications network [and] the person who provides the ability to access to the material in this network - an information mediator - is/are responsible for the/any violation of intellectual property rights in the information/telecommunications network on the same basis as provided in this Code, if found guilty." Apparently, according to lawmakers, before placing any reference anywhere - for example, in the comments on the social network - every person must obtain the consent of all the possible owners.
The article containing this phrase was added to the general provisions of the fourth part of the Civil Code. Therefore, it extends to all objects of exclusive rights, including literary works, photographs, music, patents, trademarks, etc. In addition, the article states that the notification about blocking any content or links to content can only contain IP-addresses. This approach is technically illiterate and endangers the very existence of search engines, and any other Internet resources.
This version of the bill is directed against the logic of the functioning of the Internet and will affect everyone - not just internet users and website owners, but also the content owners. This method is not a fight against pirates - it's a fight against the Internet itself. Forever close the highway upon which one accident occurred, it seems.
According to procedure, the law will come into force on the 1st of August. Since then, everyone who posted some link somewhere, may be held liable "on the same basis."
But the story does not end there. In Autumn, deputies are apparently going to continue the lawmaking in this area and introduce a mechanism to spread to other objects of copyright (in the current bill, only "films, including films, television movies"). Despite the current situation, we will not abandon attempts to convince the State Duma of the possibility of solving the problem of piracy without compromising the development of the [Russian] Internet.
flibusta.net, coollib.net and many other Russian websites (especially free libraries) are blacking out to help the protest. Please, spread the news.
....... WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!?! THIS IS WORST THEN SOPA AND PIPA!!!
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SOPA, ACTA, PROTECT-IP, CISPA, now this...
1182910 oh please tell me there's a petition to stop this! please, tell me there's a petition!
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Look at the bottom of the blog post.
flibusta.net, coollib.net and many other websites are blacking out in protest.
1182915 when was the last time blackout's he-- never mind.
man, don't they learn anything? All this is going to do is get people mad and make people rise up. Just look at what happened in Brazil.
This is indeed a sad day for all russian people.
However, I do believe that those who passed this law will fail. Why? Because you cant "block" what's alive. The Internet is the digital subconsciousness of mankind and as such has its own ways.
Also, I believe that Anonymus member worldwide are right now firing up their rigs and servers for the most massive DDoS attack ever witnessed by the net.
(For those at the FSB or any other russian government agency responsible: I am in no way affliced with Anonymus nor do I know anything about an impending attack. This assumption is based mainly on obersovation of similar cases.)
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denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4597-1335650883700.png
Uh oh. you better remove that link you posted. 1182954 And the link to the picture.
And possibly anything else.
I believe there to be two sides to this, one good thing to this is that people won't be as lazy to find information, get them to explore and possibly see new things. Can't say no to Russia.
And for example China has restrictions in place as well so it really shouldent be a huge shocker as most people are thinking.
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Would you like it if your home country got a Great Firewall too?
I think not...
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No, but there is a reason for everything.
I assume this is already in place because I can't upload any pictures to my story,
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fimfiction.net's bugs and various issues have absolutely nothing to do with this...
1189011
Ok, just making sure. Don't want to freak out right, am I right?