Hollywood wants to hack your PC

[arcticandyb]

I can't remember where I saw it - it was either a news link from here to somewhere like CNN SciTech or something similar - but I read a recent article that proposed the exact opposite to this news story.

The bill proposed would remove any of the restrictions that stopped businesses like Napster from operating (in a legal way).

The heart of the bill would increase the number of legal backups a person can make from 2 to something like 250.  This way an Internet Radio site or Music Sharing site could keep copies of a song in all major formats for PC playing software.

My problem with this article is just because something is put before congress, hardly means that it will become law.  There are just as many supporters in Congress of Net based music sites as there are opponents.  So the reality is that neither bill will pass, or if it does will pass in an extremely watered down version, that has no real power to do anything.

The other thing is that most politicians are completely against any kind of internet censorship.  Some because they feel it would be a violation of freedom of speech, others because they would see unintended restrictions in free trade, and many because such laws are almost impossible to police without an extremely prohibitive cost attached.

Look at the recent laws passed in the UK that force any large internet provider to have the ability to monitor and record email and chat traffic.  Just about none of these companies are in compliance because no one has said how the technology and software required will be paid for.  The fines imposed for non-compliance wouldn't come close to the costs involved in setting this up, and most are refusing to even start unless the government pays for it up front.  Even if they start projects to implement these laws it could be years before any of them are finished.

This is the main reason why governments don't like technology legislation.  They have no idea what the cost is going to end up being or what how implications of those laws will end up affecting the businesses that support each party or party member.

So until I see it, I won't believe any restrictive legislation will happen.  It certainly won't happen any time soon - heck it's taken them over a year to get the crucial anti-terroism legislation moving - how many years do you think it will take for something like that mentioned in this thread?

[arcticandyb]

It’s clear that some senators/congressperson is in pay books of some trade federation.

I think you're onto something - do you think they're all allies of the Dark Side.. :-)

[arcticandyb]

@Red

As for voting Republican or Democrat, always keep in mind the secret bad guy in the new Star Wars movies, the one behind all the Dark Side stuff, and looks remarkedly similar to the Emperor in the old movies - well he is a Senator of the Old Republic.  Doesn't that make him a Republican Senator?

I think we should check the party membership files for suspicious names like Sen D. Vador Rep.

[arcticandyb]

I have to laugh when I hear things like "liberal media".. because the media here is anything but.

It absolutely amazes me that you are allowed to broadcast radio shows that are blatently biased towards one political party.  Absolutely no opposing point of view - just program after program of far right paranoia, which just before the last election, were doing nothing more than constant support shows for Dubbya.

And what are those morons Mike Reagan and Rush Limbar banging on about.

All they seem to do is take any quote made by a non-republican politician and twist it until it sounds like there's this communist agenda being forced on the American people by everyone except a few diehard rightwingers.  

The reason I have to listen to this #### is that when I drive home through mountain passes the only thing there is to listen to on the radio is AM stations.

So when I hear people like these bang on about how the media is biased against the right - I have to ask what media are they talking about?  Because all the news radio channels are firmly and unappologetically right wing, and it certainly isn't any of the TV news channels.  So where are these left wing media shows that I supposed to be bombarded with?  I haven't seen one - except for some t*sser called Bill Maher doing a show called Politically Incorrect, but that was so late at night it probably had as close to a zero audience as you could get - and fortunately has been cancelled because something he said got blown out of all proportion.  First time I've ever been pleased to see an over reaction to a stupid comment.