‘The SOPA and PIPA bills that went down in flames earlier this year for their unbearable intrusiveness, used content piracy as an excuse to give the government powerful tools with which to censor Internet content. For 2012 the primary author of those bills has switched to a fallback tactic: using child porn as an excuse to create a vast surveillance network from which the government can demand data on every email sent, site visited or link clicked on by all but a fraction of one percent of the U.S. population.’

Read more: PCFIPA: SOPA replacement uses child porn as excuse to spy on 99.7 percent of Americans

‘“To protest SOPA, Wallstreet, our irresponsible leaders and the beloved bankers who are starving the world for their own selfish needs out of sheer sadistic fun, On March 31, anonymous will shut the Internet down,” says the group.’

Read more: Anonymous is shutting down the internet?

‘First there was SOPA, then there was PIPA. The Internet beat those back. Then along came ACTA inciting protests around the world. Up next is something far worse and far more secret – the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.

For those that don’t know about TPP, which is probably a large majority of the population, it’s a treaty being devised by the U.S. with eight other countries in the Pacific including Peru, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalem and Vietnam. What many people consider to be the most dangerous thing about TPP is that the negotiations for it are being conducted in absolute secrecy. The public is not being allowed to be involved with the process of this all too important treaty.’

Read more: Secret Internet Legislation: Is TPP Worse Than SOPA, PIPA & ACTA?

‘Poland’s prime minister said Friday that Warsaw would put on ice plans to ratify a controversial international online anti-piracy accord after massive off-and-online protests in his country. “I consider that the arguments for a halt to the ratification process are justified,” Donald Tusk told reporters.

“The issue of signing of the ACTA accord did not involve sufficient consultation with everyone who is part of the process,” Tusk said, adding that he would hold broad talks on what to do next. “The ACTA ratification process will be frozen as long as we haven’t overcome all the doubts. This will probably require a review of Polish law. We can’t rule out that, at the end of the day, this accord will not be approved.”’

Read more: #ACTA: Poland Freezes Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) Ratification

‘ACTA will be decided on the 26th of Jan. Sign the Petition to stop ACTA here: http://www.stopp-acta.info/english/get+involved/petition/petition.html Please spread the word. SOPA is dead but the US Government wont stop till they control the internet, lets show them that they cannot silence us. Credits of this video go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/btb617 Im just helping spread the word. Freedom of information.’

Watch on Youtube: [Video] ACTA Explained - Spread the Word | by Anonymous

[Image] How would you like this wrapped?

‘Much of the controversy surrounding The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) pertains to how they were drafted and their potential adverse consequences to the Internet itself, if not society generally. While a prolonged analysis or description of these proposals are beyond the scope of this article – but can be found quite easily online – they represent the latest attempts by the intellectual property (IP) industry (although ‘cartel’ might be a more appropriate term) to further extend its reach into cyberspace to enact what it believes are necessary measures to protect its copyrighted property such as movies, music, and software. Unfortunately, these legislative proposals were conceived and developed primarily by industry lobbyists with little input from Internet engineers, cybersecurity practitioners, or other subject matter experts who understand the technical, legal, and social consequences should these proposals, as written, become law. The secrecy surrounding the drafting of SOPA and PIPA are reminiscent of how these same industry organisations were adamant that the international development of 2011’s controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) occur in secret with little if any public consultation, comment, or discussion.’

Read more: ACTA, PIPA, & SOPA: How Hollywood’s Own Reality Undermines Its Position on Internet Policy

[Image] 5 Things you need to know about #ACTA…

SOPA Is Dead: Smith Pulls Bill http://mys.tc/1nt pipa internet censorship piracy

‘Lamar Smith, the chief sponsor of SOPA, said on Friday that he is pulling the bill “until there is wider agreement on a solution.” “I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith (R-Texas) said. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”’

Read more: SOPA Is Dead: Smith Pulls Bill