The internet is fighting a war many people don’t even know exists. I say the internet, and not the people of Canada, because for the most part, countries all over the world are fighting to maintain internet freedom and privacy, not just just us Canadians. ACTA has been passed in several countries, including Canada, many countries including our own did so as quietly as possible. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is essentially an international standard for copyright and intellectual property rights enforcement.
While copyright has long been overdue for some modernization, people around the world are protesting what these bills mean for the future of the internet, including the inventors of the internet. I am happy to say that the obliteration of SOPA helped prove that people are aware of their rights on the internet, and don’t want to risk their freedoms in order for multi million dollar corporations to make more money. But that isn’t going to stop lobbyists from trying push these changes through.
Stop Bill C-11 – Canada’s very own SOPA
This post isn’t about the battle around the world. This post is about the war at home, here in Canada. Canada’s internet is at risk of becoming ruled by the government and the internet service providers. Not only that, but the digital locks that are proposed in Bill C-11 (what used to be Bill C-32, however revised and renamed) are completely ludicrous! Essentially if this bill passes, purchasing an album from a store, and ripping it using itunes to have a digital copy on your iPod or iPhone would be considered “illegal”. If you’re a HBO junkie like Andy & I, you’ll be sad to hear that using your PVR to record shows would also become a very hefty “no-no!”. There’s more to it than just digital copies. Essentially these digital locks would trump any digital rights consumers have, such as making backups and transfering media from one device to another.
What’s scarier than all of this is that the lobbyists behind the music and movie industries want this bill to look more like SOPA. They want to include website locking, they want to see increased liability for pirating, which would include websites like youtube, vimeo, grooveshark, or any other websites that allow media uploads. Essentially if Bill C-11 passes, the flood gates will be open to new bills that could see the entire internet fizzle out into one giant legal battleground.
In an effort to do our part, we teamed up with one of our friends in Saskatchewan (what’s up centracore!) who is a passionate computer nerd who understands what Bill C-11 could mean for the future of the internet in Canada. We created Dear Bill C-11, a very in your face website that is intended to provide a simple summary of what Bill C-11 is and what you as a Canadian can do to protest this ridiculous bill. Together we were able to bring some serious attention to bill C-11, including over 2746 upvotes and 264 comments on a reddit post in /r/technology! We even made it on the front page!
[divider]What can you do to protest Bill C-11? [/divider]
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If you’re a Canadian
- Write your local MP [Do you Need a C-11 Email Template?]
- Sign this Petition
- Join this Facebook Group & Share the crap out of it.
- Tweet @PMharper and share your thoughts via #StopBillC11
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If you’re not Canadian
- Join this Facebook Group & Share the crap out of it. Many Canadians still don’t know this Bill exists.
- Tweet @PMharper and share your thoughts via #StopBillC11
- Give us some UpVotes on Reddit to keep the post alive
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