thedailywhat:

CISPA Update of the Day: CISPA, the Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act that passed the House in April, likely is headed for a Senate vote in early June.

To drum up opposition to the legislation, which would create “a ‘cybersecurity’ exemption to all existing laws,” Fight for the Future, Democrats.com, The Liberty Coalition, and the Entertainment Consumers Association have created a new website called Privacy Is Awesome. The site outlines the top five ways to help defeat CISPA:

• Call your senators and tell them to oppose the Lieberman-Collins bill (CISPA), and ask for a constituent meeting during the Memorial Day recess to help change their mind.
• Email senators offices about CISPA, expressing your opposition.
• Keep calling senators until they plan a constituent meeting.
• Donate to anti-CISPA organizers — the same teams that helped defeat SOPA/PIPA.
• Share your opposition online — Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is spearheading opposition to the legislation, concluding a recent Senate floor speech with:

I believe these bills will encourage the development of a cyber security industry that profits from fear and whose currency is Americans private data. These bills create a Cyber Industrial Complex that has an interest in preserving the problem to which it is the solution.

Watch the full video here. It’s terrific.

[death+taxes}

youranonnews:

COME TOGETHER TO STOP CISPA!

WHAT IS CISPA?

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (H.R. 3523) is a bill introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Reps. Mike Rogers (D-MI) and C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D-MD) in late 2011. It amends the National Security Act of 1947 to allow private companies and US government intelligence agencies to share information regarding perceived cyber threats.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH CISPA?

1. CISPA’s language, particularly in reference to how it defines “cyber threat,” is far too broad. 

The bill’s definition of a “cyber threat” is so vague that it may potentially allow CISPA to encompass a far broader range of targets and data than initially contemplated by its authors. “Cyber threat” is a critical term in the bill, and is defined therein as:

…information directly pertaining to a vulnerability of, or threat to a system of network of a government or private entity, including information pertaining to the protection of a system or network from —

(A) efforts to degrade, disrupt, or destroy such system or network; or

(B) theft or misappropriation of private or government information, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information.

Under this overly broad, vague definition, whistleblowers and leakers such as Wikileaks, tech blogs carrying the latest rumours and gossip from companies, news and media sites publishing investigations, security researchers and whitehat pen testers, torrent sites (including our beloved Pirate Bay), and of course, yours truly, Anonymous, would all be ripe targets.

Additionally, as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) notes, CISPA’s broad definition of “cybersecurity” is so vague that it leaves open the door “to censor any speech that a company believes would ‘degrade the network.’” Going one step further, the bill’s inclusion of “intellectual property” provides for the strong possibility that both private companies and the federal government will likely be granted “new powers to monitor and censor communications for copyright infringement.” (Full EFF letter here)

2. CISPA demonstrates a complete disregard for reasonable expectations of privacy protection and essential liberties by providing for unaccountable sharing of user data.

As laid out, CISPA allows a large, nearly unchecked quantity of any and all information on a target to be obtained and shared between private companies and government agencies. The bill’s text states, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a self-protected entity may, for cybersecurity purposes…share such cyber threat information with any other entity, including the Federal Government.”

Why is this problematic? As it stands, CISPA’s text allows for a slippery slope of information and data that could be shared amongst private companies and the federal government without any regard for a target’s personal privacy protections. Such information could very well include account names and passwords, histories, message content, and other information not currently available to agencies under federal wiretap laws.

In a position letter addressed to Congress on 17 April 2012, CISPA critics point out:

CISPA  creates  an  exception  to  all  privacy  laws  to  permit  companies  to  share  our   information  with  each  other  and  with  the  government  in  the  name  of  cybersecurity.   Although  a  carefully-­‐crafted  information  sharing  program  that  strictly  limits  the   information  to  be  shared  and  includes  robust  privacy  safeguards  could  be  an   effective  approach  to  cybersecurity,  CISPA  lacks  such  protections  for  individual   rights.    CISPA’s  ‘information  sharing’  regime  allows  the  transfer  of  vast  amounts  of   data,  including  sensitive  information  like  internet  use  history  or  the  content  of   emails,  to  any  agency  in  the  government  including  military  and  intelligence  agencies   like  the  National  Security  Agency  or  the  Department  of  Defense  Cyber  Command. 

3. The broad language in CISPA provides for the uncertain future expansion of federal government powers and a slippery slope of cybersecurity warrantless wiretapping. 

Of particular concern is the word “notwithstanding,” which is a dangerously broad word when included in legislation. The use of “notwithstanding” will allow CISPA to apply far beyond the stated intentions of its authors. It is clear that the word was purposefully included (and kept throughout rewrites) by the bill’s authors to allow CISPA to supersede and trump all existing federal and state civil and criminal laws, including laws that safeguard privacy and personal rights.

The fact that the sponsors and authors of CISPA claim that they have no intentions to use the overly broad language of the bill to obtain unprecedented amounts of information on citizens should be of little comfort to a concerned onlooker. As it stands, if CISPA passes in Congress and is signed into law by the President, its broad language WILL be law of the land and WILL be available for use by agencies and companies as desired. Why should our only protection against rampant cyber-spying be us trusting the government or companies NOT to take CISPA over the line of acceptable (if any) data collection?

WOW, CISPA SUCKS! HOW CAN I HELP STOP IT?

Below are some various ways that YOU can get involved in the online and real world struggles against CISPA. It will take all of us to stop this bill, but we did it before with SOPA, PIPA, and [hopefully] ACTA, and we’re confident that it can be done once more with CISPA. The voice of the People WILL be heard loud and clear, and you can help because your voice matters. It’s time to stand up for your rights because, in the end, who else will? Internet, unite!

• Educate a Congressman about the Internet and pitfalls of CISPA - here
• Call a Congressman directly about the bill - here
• Email a Congressman directly about the bill - here
• Sign and pass around online petitions - here || here || here
• Spread awareness. Tweet, blog and post about CISPA. Use the hashtags #StopCISPA and #CISPA so everyone can follow. Change your profile picture to an anti-CISPA image or add a STOP CISPA banner.
• Tweet to CISPA’s proponents, @HouseIntelComm and @RepMikeRogers and let them know about the pitfalls of CISPA.
• Let CISPA’s sponsor, Rep. MikeRogers, know how much his bill fails - here
• Check out Fight For The Future’s #CongressTMI movement in regard to CISPA - here
• Join the Twitter Campaign and Contact a Representative about CISPA - here
• Protest. Organise in front of Congress and let them know what happens when they try to govern the Internet and strip our liberties in the name of national security. If you organise an IRL protest, please contact us @YourAnonNews so we can facilitate spreading the word on it and helping boost attendance.

I WANT TO LEARN EVEN MORE ABOUT CISPA! TELL ME MORE!

Ok…clearly you like reading and knowing the issues thoroughly. We’re proud of your dedication and passion to better educating yourself and others about this concerning bill. Below are additional helpful resources that you can check out to get an even better understanding of CISPA and how it will affect the world of tomorrow should it pass and become law.

• Full text of CISPA, including recent rewrites and Amendments - here
• Full list of CISPA co-sponsors - here
• Full list of companies and groups that explicitly support CISPA - here
• INFOGRAPHIC on CISPA - here
• Center for Democracy & Technology’s CISPA Resource Page - here
• Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Statement on CISPA and its Intellectual Property Implications 
• Video news report from RT, ‘CISPA is a US cyber-security loophole’ - watch
• CNET In-Depth: Even an attempted rewrite of CISPA failed to safeguard civil liberties and privacy - read
• CISPA is pushed by a for-profit cyber-spying lobby that stands to profit immensely from the bill becoming law in the US - read
• Why CISPA Sucks - read
• A brilliant series of TechDirt articles on CISPA shed some light on the bill and point out exactly where its flaws are found -
  
  - CISPA is a Really Bad Bill, and Here’s Why - read 
  - Did Congress Really Not Pay Attention to What Happened with SOPA? CISPA Ignorance is Astounding - read 
  - Forget SOPA, You Should Be Worried About This Cybersecurity Bill - read

NOTE: Even Obama seems to dislike CISPA — On 17 April 2012, the White House issued a statement criticising CISPA for lacking strong privacy protections and failing to set forth basic security standards.

thedailywhat:

Follow-Up of the Day: Internets Revolt as Facebook Backs CISPA: Facebook (and also Microsoft, Verizon, AT&T, Intel…) has come out in support of CISPA — SOPA’s evil twin that essentially would obliterate online privacy — and thewrath of the web has reached a fever pitch.

What’s the best way to fight back?

Sign the petition by Demand Progress:

“Internet users were able to push GoDaddy to withdraw its support of SOPA. Now it’s time to make sure Facebook knows we’re furious.”

And/or share your opposition on Facebook, natch.

[knowyourmeme]

lampfaced:

banedoyle:

occupyallstreets:

CISPA Replaces SOPA As Internet’s Enemy No. 1 (Must Read)

The Internet has a new enemy. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA), also known as H.R. 3523, is a “cybersecurity” bill in the House of Representatives. While CISPA does not focus primarily on intellectual property (though that’s in there, too), critics say the problems with the bill run just as deep. 

As with SOPA and PIPA, the first main concern about CISPA is its “broad language,” which critics fear allows the legislation to be interpreted in ways that could infringe on our civil liberties. The Center for Democracy and Technology sums up the problems with CISPA this way:

    •    The bill has a very broad, almost unlimited definition of the information that can be shared with government agencies notwithstanding privacy and other laws;
    •    The bill is likely to lead to expansion of the government’s role in the monitoring of private communications as a result of this sharing;
    •    It is likely to shift control of government cybersecurity efforts from civilian agencies to the military;
    •    Once the information is shared with the government, it wouldn’t have to be used for cybesecurity, but could instead be used for any purpose that is not specifically prohibited.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) adds that CISPA’s definition of “cybersecurity” is so broad that “it leaves the door open to censor any speech that a company believes would ‘degrade the network.’”

Moreover, the inclusion of “intellectual property” means that companies and the government would have “new powers to monitor and censor communications for copyright infringement.”

Furthermore, critics warn that CISPA gives private companies the ability to collect and share information about their customers or users with immunity — meaning we cannot sue them for doing so, and they cannot be charged with any crimes.

According to the EFF, CISPA “effectively creates a ‘cybersecurity’ exemption to all existing laws.”

“There are almost no restrictions on what can be collected and how it can be used, provided a company can claim it was motivated by ‘cybersecurity purposes.’” the EFF continues.

“That means a company like Google, Facebook, Twitter, or AT&T could intercept your emails and text messages, send copies to one another and to the government, and modify those communications or prevent them from reaching their destination if it fits into their plan to stop cybersecurity threats.”

Read the full text of CISPA here, or the full official summary at the bottom of this page.

Read More

SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE THE INTERNET FROM CISPA

…

Just… sign the petition.

*headdesk*

……

banedoyle:

occupyallstreets:

Obama And ISP’s To Launch Largest Digital Spying Scheme In History (Must Read)

If you download potentially copyrighted software, videos or music, your Internet service provider (ISP) has been watching, and they’re coming for you.

Specifically, they’re coming for you on Thursday, July 1.

That’s the date when the nation’s largest ISPs will all voluntarily implement a new anti-piracy plan that will engage network operators in the largest digital spying scheme in history, and see some users’ bandwidth completely cut off until they sign an agreement saying they will not download copyrighted materials.

Word of the start date has been largely kept secret since ISPs announced their plans last June. The deal was brokered by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and coordinated by the Obama Administration. The same groups have weighed in heavily on controversial Internet policies around the world, with similar facilitation by the Obama’s Administration’s State Department.

The July 12 date was revealed by the RIAA’s CEO and top lobbyist, Cary Sherman, during a publishers’ conference on Wednesday in New York, according to technology publication CNet.

The content industries calls this scheme a “graduated response” plan, which will see

-Time Warner Cable

-Cablevision

-Comcast

-Verizon

-AT&T

and others spying on users’ Internet activities and watching for potential copyright infringement. Users who are “caught” infringing on a creator’s protected work can then be interrupted with a notice that piracy is forbidden by law and carries penalties of up to $150,000 per infringement, requiring the user to click through saying they understand the consequences before bandwidth is restored, and they could still be subject to copyright infringement lawsuits.

Read More

Response: This is much worse than SOPA/PIPA and ACTA. It doesn’t necessarily censor the internet but it spys on everything you do. Your ENTIRE web history will be watched and recorded and might even assist the government. This was coordinated by Obama and his administration with the help of the MPAA and RIAA.

What is so dangerous about this is that this is not a law it is a policy adopted by several companies. That means this will not be debated in Congress and you will agree to be spied on by signing a contract with the company.

Internet censorship is becoming a reality and now the corporate elite will legally be able to spy on you. If we spread this and cause an uproar like what we did with SOPA, maybe they will back down. Either way people NEED to know about this.

Spreading the word but also adding a few points from the Cnet article (the one NOT paraphrased here and only linked to) that may calm a few followers down if they see this.

First off, they only list the above providers and “others”, leading me to believe that this policy is NOT going to be implemented by all ISP companies.

“Most of the participating ISPs are on track to begin implementing the program by July 1.” BEGIN IMPLEMENTING, meaning that for the moment nada is happening. This also means it is not instant. This also means that, most likely, they WON’T look at what you have done in the past (this is a guess, don’t take my word guys).

“Setting up an antipiracy program like this could take a year. He told CNET following his panel that the process isn’t as easy as turning on a switch.” Again, not instant.

“Each ISP has to develop their infrastructure for automating the system,” Sherman said. They need this “for establishing the database so they can keep track of repeat infringers, so they know that this is the first notice or the third notice. Every ISP has to do it differently depending on the architecture of its particular network. Some are nearing completion and others are a little further from completion.” I take this as “this will be harder for each company and some may not even be close to ready by the start date”.

“[It] requires that ISPs send out one or two educational notices to those customers who are accused of downloading copyrighted content illegally. If the customer doesn’t stop, the ISP is then asked to send out “confirmation notices” asking that they confirm they have received notice. At that time, the accused customers will also be informed of the risks they incur if they don’t stop pirating material. If the customer is flagged for pirating again, the ISP can then ratchet up the pressure. Participating ISPs can choose from a list of penalties, or what the RIAA calls “mitigation measures,” which include throttling down the customer’s connection speed and suspending Web access until the subscriber agrees to stop pirating.” It seems more like they are going to fling out notices first, let you slide, and THEN bust your ass if you do it anyway. They also mention nothing about turning your net off, just making it shit.

“not one of the service providers has agreed to permanently terminate service.” AH LOOK! THEY CAN’T SHUT OFF YOUR SERVICE AFTER ALL (yet).

This is more for me to calm myself down than anything else, I tend to over do it when I freak out. So I did some digging. I don’t agree with ANY of this (but ISPs already track you technically, this just makes it so they can let you know they KNOW what you are doing), but I see what this is coming from and why, and considering downloading copyrighted content is illegal I can kinda understand it.

Doesn’t mean I’m not freaked out and pissed off to hell and back about the sheer INVASION OF PRIVACY, but it makes me less so. Sort of.

FOR FUCK’S SAKE.

banedoyle:

KONY 2012 HAS UGANDAN PEOPLE OUTRAGED!

deansdickfreckles:

blackridinhood:

There is growing outrage in Uganda over a viral internet film viewed by more than 32 million people in four days that suggests Africa’s longest-running conflict is still raging in the country’s north.

The 30-minute video, Kony2012, was produced by three American videographers campaigning for greater efforts to capture Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

But Kony and his diminishing troops, many of them kidnapped child soldiers, fled northern Uganda six years ago and are now spread across the jungles of neighbouring countries.

“What that video says is totally wrong, and it can cause us more problems than help us,” said Dr Beatrice Mpora, director of Kairos, a community health organisation in Gulu, a town that was once the centre of the rebels’ activities.

“There has not been a single soul from the LRA here since 2006. Now we have peace, people are back in their homes, they are planting their fields, they are starting their businesses. That is what people should help us with.”

See link for more

hello internet why does this not have more notes

This is why you do research and spread the word instead of just saying “HEY PROBLEM HEY HEY LISTEN THIS IS A PROBLEM YOU ARE HORRIBLE FOR NOT HELPING HEY FIX THIS PROBLEM”.

Somehow I was already under the impression that he was out of Uganda, but still. Spreading this cus it needs to be known, hopefully this’ll be the last of any Kony 2012 you’ll be seeing from me.

There are so many great comments to that last post on my dash, but I don’t want to reblog the same thing five times to show them all. Just really, look into something before you support it.

I’ve always believed the more perspectives you can see from the more truth you’ll know about what you’re seeing. It sounds simple, but just look at how many people jumped into supporting that organization without thinking beyond what a video told them, myself included oops.

In the end, I think what they’re trying to do, the whole bringing attention to what’s going on, is something worthwhile, but some of their previous actions and what has happened because of them are less than…appreciable is the word? Ugh.

resistapathy:

Not only are their spending habits as a non profit horrible (Mainly cause the organization has so far only been successful as sending rich white kids to Africa)

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429

But If you watch their first documentary, its basically a bunch of privileged kids running into Africa to try and “Save” Africans.

http://www.wrongingrights.com/2009/03/worst-idea-ever.html

Which putting aside the orientalism and blatant racism aside, the problem with that is they have NO CLUE what they are doing. The end up using American sympathy to pressure the Ugandan government to try and meet with Kony to work out a truce, he agrees, and they celebrate as saviors of Africa. The Ugandan government would not have done that had a bunch of white kids caused such a ruckuses, Kony ended up using the cease fire as a way to build up more troops, and shift his military, resulting in the rape, killing, and kidnapping of thousands of people. Their second move was to pressure the OBama admin to send troops there… which derailed a second peace process and resulted once again in the killing and raping of hundreds of people in retaliation.

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/136673/mareike-schomerus-tim-allen-and-koen-vlassenroot/obama-takes-on-the-lra

More reading-

http://ilto.wordpress.com/2006/11/02/the-visible-problem-with-invisible-children/

http://c2052482.r82.cf0.rackcdn.com/images/737/original/FY11-Audited%20Financial%20Statements.pdf?1320205055

If you have anything to add to this, or would like to correct me on anything please feel free  to hit me up. 

Hmm hmm the more you know. I’ve already reblogged the video passing around and another article, but a different perspective on this is always welcome. Please consider this if you were planning on lending your support. I know I’m not as gung-ho about it.

marcolikesdirt:

imfallinginandoutagain:

REBLOG. EVERYONE. Joseph Kony is the world’s worst war criminal. In 1987 he took over leadership of an existing rebel group and renamed it the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

The LRA has earned a reputation for its cruel and brutal tactics. When Joseph Kony found himself running out of fighters, he started abducting children to be soldiers in his army or “wives” for his officers. The LRA is encouraged to rape, mutilate, and kill civilians–often with blunt weapons.

The LRA is no longer active in northern Uganda (where it originated) but it continues its campaign of violence  in Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. In its 26-year history, the LRA has abducted more than 30,000 children and displaced at least 2.1 million people.

What is the goal of KONY 2012?

Invisible Children has been working for 9 years to end Africa’s longest-running armed conflict. U.S. military advisers are currently deployed in Central Africa on a “time-limited” mission to stop Kony and disarm the LRA. If Kony isn’t captured this year, the window will be gone.

We are taking action to ensure these two things:

1) That Joseph Kony is known as the World’s Worst War Criminal.

2) That the U.S. military advisers support the Ugandan Army until Kony has been captured and the LRA has been completely disarmed. They need to follow through all the way and finish what they have started.

Why are we making Joseph Kony “famous”?

Invisible Children’s KONY 2012 campaign aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice. In this case, notoriety translates to public support. If people know about the crimes that Kony has been committing for 26 years, they will unite to stop him.

Secondly, we want Kony to be famous so that when he is stopped,  he will be a visible, concrete example of international justice. Then other war criminals will know that their mass atrocities will not go unnoticed or unpunished.

Everybody please, please, please, don’t just look over this.

Read / REBLOG /and WATCH this:

http://vimeo.com/37119711

http://vimeo.com/37119711

http://vimeo.com/37119711

NO child should live in fear, and you CAN make a difference, reblog this!

(Source: writeyourlifexxx)

madeofeyebrows:

thegoodsonisbad:

thestray:

steveagee:

please watch this and don’t click “like”, click “reblog”. 

I had to pause this a couple times to cry for 5 minutes. You need to watch this. It’s beyond important.

as much as i may make fun of tumblr, if this site has shown me anything its that people know how to spread the word effectively

so reblog if you can, dudes

Gave me a strong case of the “Paladin Rage”.

But no, in all seriousness, this is important.

Even if you don’t watch it all the way through, even if you don’t watch it at all, please hit “reblog” and share this.

accessnow:

Honestly, Canada is pretty awesome. Hockey. The Canadian Rockies. Rachel McAdams.

Not to mention that they look out for other people as well. They stood with the US against PIPA/SOPA and with the world against ACTA. But now Canada needs our help. 

Recently, the Harper government introduced Bill C-30, which would give law enforcement unlimited and warrantless access to user data online. It would also force ISPs to change the fundamental nature of the internet to implement constant surveillance. 

Public outcry has lawmakers backtracking, but we can deliver the knockout punch. Sign the Access petition against C-30, and call on the Harper government to respect the rule of law and respect the privacy of their citizens.

Sign here: https://www.accessnow.org/page/s/a-license-to-snoop

Just got this in an email

In just a few hours, new policies will take effect at Google, endangering your privacy.

Tech publication Gizmodo reports, “things you could do in relative anonymity today [like your web searches], will be explicitly associated with your name, your face, your phone number come March 1st.” And this applies retro-actively if you don’t act today.

You can protect yourself in just 1 minute! Click here for a step-by-step guide to protecting your privacy from Google’s changes.

sharing with my followers because your privacy matters! They had searches from 2008…even showed which pages of which Google Books I viewed and when…spooky.

This as well as Google’s new feature that alters what results show up even when you have SafeSearch off and its feature to make “official sites” the most relevant results is just…ugh. Anyone know of other search engines that aren’t (going) bad?

(Source: fuckyeahfeminists)

occupyallstreets:

Bulgaria Refuses To Ratify ACTA!

Bulgaria has become the sixth country that has refused to support the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

The agreement is sponsored by the US and Japan, and meant to toughen intellectual property rights enforcement, but critics say limits freedom of speech on the Internet.

Bulgaria’s Economy and Energy Minister Traicho Traikov says Sofia will not ratify the agreement until the EU member states elaborate a joint position on the document.

Bulgarian authorities have made the decision to halt the already signed agreement after street protests.Thousands marched through the capital Sofia and 16 other cities.

Initially, the ACTA agreement was signed last October by Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the US.

In January, the EU and 22 of its member states signed the agreement, bringing the total number of signatories 31.

But after dozens of thousands of protestors rallied against ACTA in European capitals, several countries have taken time-out.

Last week Germany said it was postponing the adoption of the ACTA after protests by internet activists. Before that Poland also backed off ratifying the agreement.

Source

thedailywhat:

One Does Not Simply Protest ACTA of the Day: Gandalf spotted at today’s anti-ACTA protest in Cologne — one of many taking place around Germany.

The German government yesterday announced that it had reservations about signing the controversial copyright enforcement legislation, and would not make a decision until after the European Parliament voted on the treaty.

ACTA must be approved by all EU member states in order to take effect.

[nerdcore.]

quillusquillus:

February 11th is the date set for a massive online and real-world protest against ACTA. If you don’t know, ACTA is a restrictive trade agreement that has the potential to entirely change the way media is available on the web. In a negative way.

Please, take a moment to do…

(Source: killacta.org)