Titan Network: SOPA Blackout
And it's not over yet.
![](http://s3.amazonaws.com/propublica/assets/images/sopa-opera-count.png)
(My district's Representative opposition to SOPA/PIPA was confirmed by his office when I called on Wednesday. As for my senators, well, the one who was undecided had clearly instructed his staff to stall, and the other (a co-sponsor of PIPA) just had his office's telephone lines going directly to voice mail.)
And this is the infographic of what democracy in action looks like:
![]() (My district's Representative opposition to SOPA/PIPA was confirmed by his office when I called on Tuesday. As for my senators, well, the one who was undecided had clearly instructed his staff to stall, and the other (a co-sponsor of PIPA) just had his office's telephone lines going directly to voice mail.) |
Also the only reason for the change has nothing to do with education of what the bill does or anything like that. It has to do with public awareness of the bills and who the supporter/opposers are. Most of those "opposers" will be back trying to pass this crap again within the year, if not within the month, under a different name or once the public has lost interest... largely because a majority of them don't care and/or want the lobbyist bribe money...
The only way to keep this stuff from happening permanently is Vigilance and Education... Unfortunately, people have gotten the idea that lively discussion about Politics and Religion is a bad thing so Vigilance and Education is slowly being worn down because people can't learn about what is going on, formulate an informed opinion, or communicate that opinion with others.
Personally, I think that it's petty and juvenile. But morality aside and talking only strategically... There are three huge problems you're overlooking in glorifying what Anonymous is doing:
1) These efforts have a high chance of backfiring and turning public opinion against them. Sure, they've pulled off some "Robin Hood"-esque endeavors, but all it takes is for one highly visible, sympathetic figure to get hurt along the way or one scummy member to do something in its name that negatively affects lots of people for the public to suddenly shift their opinion of Anonymous from Robin Hood to Osama bin Laden. The latest effort in getting people to unwillingly become part of a DoS attack is one such example. When innocent people start getting shut off from the Internet because of something that Anonymous did to them, how will that bolster Anonymous's reputation? 2) These efforts give lawmakers exactly what they're looking for in ammunition to further curtail our rights. Right now, there are a lot of good things about an open Internet: free speech, democratization of access, etc. There are also a lot of bad things: scams, trolls, propagation of hate, etc. With bills like SOPA and PIPA, the lawmakers try to make the argument that yes, it will cut down on the good Internet stuff, but they NEED that power because the bad Internet stuff is so, well, bad--the trade-off is worth it. When people become more afraid of Anonymous than they are of the people Anonymous is fighting, a severe overreaction isn't just possible, it's inevitable, and with public support at that, and that's not good for anyone. 3) Within such an unstructured group such as Anonymous, there's no one to act as a "safety valve," a conscience, a last best chance to keep from doing something really stupid. As a result, the group can be relatively easily co-opted by those who do not have the group as a whole, or the public as a whole, interest at heart. Sure, it's kind of amusing in a dark kind of way when Visa or the RIAA or the DoJ gets shut down. But what happens when someone decides that a hospital site should be taken down? Or a charity? Or the Titan Network? We have literally thousands of port probes and hacking attempts every day, one of which was depressingly successful. Will you be as gung ho to support their efforts when some random schmo takes a shot at something you need, use, or support? Now, don't misunderstand me. I don't hate Anonymous. Some of the things they've done have actually been extremely worthwhile. But at the same time, the ends do NOT justify the means, and they HAVE hurt innocent people. This is why I don't support them, either. |
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Incidentally, here's the official list of SOPA supporters that the House Judiciary Committee posted earlier. This includes several corporations directly involved in both comics and video games, such as Disney, the Entertainment Software Association, Marvel Entertainment, and Time Warner (Gizmodo has a marked-up version with all of their contact information, for those interested).
Ever notice how the media shifts from ''Anonymous did this!"' to '' Protests around the world...'' almost immediately after? Why? Because attention that was needed had been done by a few so the bigger picture would be grasped.
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I think Tony V has it exactly correct, hacker attacks are only like to make policy makers more in favor of more internet regulation. It was the overwhelming public outcry against these measures that swung congress' opinion, not the fear of cyber terrorism.
Edit: I also think it's a bit off the mark to suggest the story doesn't have enough teeth to get the public's interest without something more exciting like Anonymous' hacker attacks to capture their attention first. This is a very big, very volitile issue that people really care about. It was a no-brainer for the media to cover the story even without the hacker attacks--and in fact, they were covering it before the attacks happened (which for the most part, seemed to me to be treated as a separate if related story).
Why limit it to chimps?
Told you guys.
They are legion lol. Anonymous is not some ragtag group, they are not really hactivists, they are not ''a person..'' and the fault can't purely be blamed on them alone. In the sake of War throughout history did talking always get the message across? No? Yeah. Could there been an agreement on both sides if the parties were willing to reach some middle ground? Possibly, but as we all know neither side usually wants to walk 500 miles to reach said ground. They want some leverage over the other side, or to keep what the other is saying No to the most. In this case, you can do the blackouts, you can have protests, you can meet with your mayor or governor, send letters to your senate but is that really going to solve anything? Partially, yes. However, in this day and age you have to show a little muscle, a little flex, and cunning. I for one do not see this as a catastrophe or nerd's revenge but rather a militant demonstration using the tools available. Strategy. Sun Tzu's upgraded model. There's many ways to get to your enemy defensively, but every now and again you have to prove a point through cyber warfare so to catch the media's attention. Ever notice how the media shifts from ''Anonymous did this!"' to '' Protests around the world...'' almost immediately after? Why? Because attention that was needed had been done by a few so the bigger picture would be grasped. Black Outs did their part, but for the News to catch on you need something exciting that makes people go, '' OH I HAVE TO WATCH THAT..'' as opposed to, '' Oh, they're rallying peacefully? Lets see what else is on. '' It's the mind set of the peoples today, just like in the news a mass majority won't watch something or read about something if it doesn't have a formidable action involved in either a gruesome manner or destructive way. Yup. Welcome to 2012, and Anon is just warming up. ![]() |
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Shadow_Mokadara
I think Tony V has it exactly correct, hacker attacks are only like to make policy makers more in favor of more internet regulation. It was the overwhelming public outcry against these measures that swung congress' opinion, not the fear of cyber terrorism.
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Cyberterrorism is one of the canonical justifications used for gaining more power and control over the internet. I can verify this personally. Anonymous supposedly stands for unrestricted and unmonitored free speech and access to the internet, and they consistently perform deleterious actions that can only be controlled by monitoring and regulating access to the internet. That's like someone saying they oppose a gun control law, and to protest that they will shoot up one school a week until its repealed.
Anonymous and groups like them don't want the internet to be policed, and to promote that agenda they become the most dangerous internet criminals in need of policing. No matter how many times I say it to myself, it never sounds any less idiotic. Peaceful protests have demonstrated that we probably never needed them, and if we ever did need them we've certainly outgrown them. And when I say "them" I mean all groups that believe unfocused, attention grabbing violence is necessary, on the internet or otherwise.
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(Please support the best webcomic about a cosmic universal realignment by impaired angelic interference resulting in identity crisis angst. Or I release the pigmy water thieves.)
I think Tony V has it exactly correct, hacker attacks are only like to make policy makers more in favor of more internet regulation. It was the overwhelming public outcry against these measures that swung congress' opinion, not the fear of cyber terrorism.
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By the way, Rep. Lamar Smith, echoing Reid's statement, still strikes a note of defiance even as he declares a postponement on PIPA:
"I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy. 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. {...} The online theft of American intellectual property is no different than the theft of products from a store. It is illegal and the law should be enforced both in the store and online."
Told you guys.
They are legion lol. Anonymous is not some ragtag group, they are not really hactivists, they are not ''a person..'' and the fault can't purely be blamed on them alone. In the sake of War throughout history did talking always get the message across? No? Yeah. Could there been an agreement on both sides if the parties were willing to reach some middle ground? Possibly, but as we all know neither side usually wants to walk 500 miles to reach said ground. They want some leverage over the other side, or to keep what the other is saying No to the most. In this case, you can do the blackouts, you can have protests, you can meet with your mayor or governor, send letters to your senate but is that really going to solve anything? Partially, yes. However, in this day and age you have to show a little muscle, a little flex, and cunning. I for one do not see this as a catastrophe or nerd's revenge but rather a militant demonstration using the tools available. Strategy. Sun Tzu's upgraded model. There's many ways to get to your enemy defensively, but every now and again you have to prove a point through cyber warfare so to catch the media's attention. Ever notice how the media shifts from ''Anonymous did this!"' to '' Protests around the world...'' almost immediately after? Why? Because attention that was needed had been done by a few so the bigger picture would be grasped. Black Outs did their part, but for the News to catch on you need something exciting that makes people go, '' OH I HAVE TO WATCH THAT..'' as opposed to, '' Oh, they're rallying peacefully? Lets see what else is on. '' It's the mind set of the peoples today, just like in the news a mass majority won't watch something or read about something if it doesn't have a formidable action involved in either a gruesome manner or destructive way. Yup. Welcome to 2012, and Anon is just warming up. ![]() |
For reasons why they're not helping anyone, read TonyV's post.
@True Metal
Co-leader of Callous Crew SG. Based on Union server.
It's petty digital terrorism. Nothing more. You even use a lot of the same arguments that terrorist use the justify their actions.
For reasons why they're not helping anyone, read TonyV's post. |
Your views, and those others who ''put down'' anon's actions are nice, for you and yours. I'll keep to mine as seeing them in the right, and as for taking things down, well, being of a strategic mind with a slight '' see the world as pawns'' kind of ordeal; friendly fire happens all the time. Meh. Oops.
Anon will always be anon in the public eye, be it good or bad. I'll support them through thick and thin. They're adorable to me.
P.S
New-frog to a Chan Girl
![Cool](images/smilies/cool.gif)
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(Please support the best webcomic about a cosmic universal realignment by impaired angelic interference resulting in identity crisis angst. Or I release the pigmy water thieves.)
In the continuing rout of SOPA/PIPA, the Entertainment Software Association has backed off their support of the legislation, having spent $190,000 previously lobbying for it:
"Although the need to address this pervasive threat to our industry's creative investment remains, concerns have been expressed about unintended consequences stemming from the current legislative proposals. Accordingly, we call upon Congress, the Obama Administration, and stakeholders to refocus their energies on producing a solution that effectively balances both creative and technology interests. As an industry of innovators and creators, we understand the importance of both technological innovation and content protection and are committed to working with all parties to encourage a balanced solution."
I'd like to think Penny Arcade had a tiny amount to do with shaming this "hatesink" business organization into backing off.
Anonymous and groups like them don't want the internet to be policed, and to promote that agenda they become the most dangerous internet criminals in need of policing.
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Obviously this would be quite an undertaking to set something like that up properly, but it can be done via 2 ways. The Governments of the world recognize this and manifest it or we, the people, do it.
A cyber police is needed because the police's mission is not just to apprehend criminals and to investigate, but also to maintain order and protect. Applying this approach to the internet would make things a lot better, though elaboration would probably be necessary...
edit: on a side note here is the view of someone yo might know as the distressed watcher about the whole SOPA thing and MegaUpload thing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvsC2...b0FUAAAAAAAEAA
I'd like to think Penny Arcade had a tiny amount to do with shaming this "hatesink" business organization into backing off.
![]() |
Every artist, writer, musician, actor, editor, actual worker thinks this is an incredibly bad thing and in no way thinks it is legitimate that I've heard from.
Groups like the MPAA, ESA, RIAA, and other such scum of the earth that get tons of money from being litigious f**k-wits and actually serve no one but their own interests support the bills.
Companies like CBS, ABC, Fox, whatever support it and want to legitimately destroy a lot of the progress that has been made in the last half century. I can understand their position in a way... I mean when you are the king it's hard to go "show your a better ruler than I and I'll step down"
Any group that isn't a media conglomerate... like
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) ... seriously wtf? are just dumb and don't have a clue about what they are supporting or do and have other more sinister motives which I'll refrain from getting into, but it has to do with actually wanting the free speech thing done away with where as the other just want the moneys.
Woah awesome I can post here on a free to play account.
Anyways, I'm glad to see that the opposition and awareness for this bill has grown so much. When I first started speaking out against it a good 1-2 months ago, people were generally more apathetic/uninformed about it. It's a good thing that bills like this are becoming a liability for political candidates as well as businesses, that is how it should be.
I also want to point out that this is not the first nor the last, nor the worst piece of legislation like this to come our way. Obviously, the NDAA is a big deal, and it was even big enough of a deal that Romney was booed at the SC Republican debate for supporting it, and he doesn't get booed often. Not interested in getting into the details of the election, but it is a good thing that people are becoming concerned about these kinds of legislation.
There are other things that they are trying to now pass on the heels of the NDAA that I think people should be concerned about, such as the bill that would give the President the ability to strip Americans of their citizenship (Forget the exact name, but it's another obscure bill that is not being covered by mainstream news).
So, in any event, getting this bill tabled for now is certainly a victory for the people, but I think the worst thing people who were so opposed to it could do is to count your blessings and assume that we are safe from any future bills - that could be much worse - because this one is now not very likely to pass.
I also think anybody who believes that Anonymous had much to do with this in reality is being a bit naive. I like Anonymous' message and I think their intentions are certainly good, but their empty threats against the government and (minor) cyber attacks are actually hurting the cause, not helping it. They are essentially giving the government an excuse to rally people against the "dangers" of a free internet, despite their intention being the opposite. Cyberattacks/terrorism/warfare/whatever can only do so much, if people actually want something done, it needs to be done in physical reality. We can't just sit around and hope somebody else will do it for us.
Also, I think you all should check out the new OPEN legislation that is backed by Google and a few decent US legislators that I think is making a much more honest attempt at anti-piracy legislation.
Anyways, off my soap box and back to not playing CoH.
@TheKatalyst
My **** is bleeding.
And to just further everything along a little bit:
This is what the MPAA says about politicians who take their money
linkage
You take our money, you do what we tell you do; or we will destroy you.
Yeah, democracy at its finest (and the UK is going a similar way as well >.<)
I also think anybody who believes that Anonymous had much to do with this in reality is being a bit naive. I like Anonymous' message and I think their intentions are certainly good, but their empty threats against the government and (minor) cyber attacks are actually hurting the cause, not helping it. They are essentially giving the government an excuse to rally people against the "dangers" of a free internet, despite their intention being the opposite. Cyberattacks/terrorism/warfare/whatever can only do so much, if people actually want something done, it needs to be done in physical reality. We can't just sit around and hope somebody else will do it for us.
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Seriously though, Anon is and has been against SOPA/PIPA before they even had names or when it wasn't exactly known. There were so many hints from such an earlier time when the Government first made a move to silence websites. They met a brick wall.
A minor threat? Empty? Terrorism? Those words are in themselves incoherent, they do not do justice to what has actually been done in the past, and the operations launched on a much larger scale than you might think, or know. There's a lot of traffic from all over the world converging on one main forum or #, to discuss, plot, and derail subjugation.
You only think it's minor because thats how it will be displayed to the public eye, however when you attempt to view or go to certain pages run on a Government server you might find them taken down or slowed to a standstill. Not just one but hundreds of Government pages at once, simultaneously mind you. I see how the mass majority here see Anon as a whole, and what they think of their supporters, activist, and hacktivists
![Cool](images/smilies/cool.gif)
Until you've seen what is going on behind the scenes, the beautiful combination of DDoS, BotNets, PshyCaTTs, PhishTURs, and All Colored Hats uniting in one cause, setting aside lulzy ego flame wars and nuke boxing; all to give your ''physical'' paper trail the eyebrow it deserves, it's best to not call out against it with strong negativity. Especially if you don't know of the actual scale the offensive is set at. How many dedicate black box pushers to cause mayhem. It's not structureless anarchy, it's not random targets, it's not destroying mom & pop. There is a plan, each and every step of the way, spoke in multiple dialects, throughout dozens of other Countrys', from skype to Xbox to PS3 to PC to Forums to Friends to Family to Phones to Towers. It's all over. Everywhere. You may think it as minor but you're wrong. OH noes not on the internet! Yeah. On the Internet.
![Wink](images/smilies/wink.gif)
And to just further everything along a little bit:
This is what the MPAA says about politicians who take their money linkage You take our money, you do what we tell you do; or we will destroy you. Yeah, democracy at its finest (and the UK is going a similar way as well >.<) |
"Those who count on quote 'Hollywood' for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don't ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don't pay any attention to me when my job is at stake,"
I followed the link and then went to other sites to confirm it. You usually don't expect the head of a major industry association to say something so astonishingly stupid on camera. I mean, we all KNOW they're scum and are bribing Congress, but to actually admit it. Wow.
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
I disagree, good sir. Lol.
Seriously though, Anon is and has been against SOPA/PIPA before they even had names or when it wasn't exactly known. There were so many hints from such an earlier time when the Government first made a move to silence websites. They met a brick wall. A minor threat? Empty? Terrorism? Those words are in themselves incoherent, they do not do justice to what has actually been done in the past, and the operations launched on a much larger scale than you might think, or know. There's a lot of traffic from all over the world converging on one main forum or #, to discuss, plot, and derail subjugation. You only think it's minor because thats how it will be displayed to the public eye, however when you attempt to view or go to certain pages run on a Government server you might find them taken down or slowed to a standstill. Not just one but hundreds of Government pages at once, simultaneously mind you. I see how the mass majority here see Anon as a whole, and what they think of their supporters, activist, and hacktivists ![]() Until you've seen what is going on behind the scenes, the beautiful combination of DDoS, BotNets, PshyCaTTs, PhishTURs, and All Colored Hats uniting in one cause, setting aside lulzy ego flame wars and nuke boxing; all to give your ''physical'' paper trail the eyebrow it deserves, it's best to not call out against it with strong negativity. Especially if you don't know of the actual scale the offensive is set at. How many dedicate black box pushers to cause mayhem. It's not structureless anarchy, it's not random targets, it's not destroying mom & pop. There is a plan, each and every step of the way, spoke in multiple dialects, throughout dozens of other Countrys', from skype to Xbox to PS3 to PC to Forums to Friends to Family to Phones to Towers. It's all over. Everywhere. You may think it as minor but you're wrong. OH noes not on the internet! Yeah. On the Internet. ![]() |
Like I said, cyberattacks on the Internet can only get you so far. The straw that broke the camels back for SOPA wasn't cyberattacks, if anything they used those things as further justification to push for SOPA/PIPA. The thing that truly pushed those bills off the table were the massive amounts of e-mails, letters, and phone calls from all sorts of people, many who weren't Anonymous, is what finally caused that, coupled with various protests.
Also, you clumping me with the hive-mind of CoH users is a little ridiculous. I absolutely abhor most of the people who frequent these forums and barely agree with any of them. You are being a little foolish if you think Anonymous deserves all, or even most of the credit for these things getting done. I'm sorry if you take offense to me trying to steal the limelight from Anonymous, but I live in reality, not cyberspace. In reality, Anonymous is not what gets **** done, the people who are doing things in reality, going out to protest and sticking their necks out there, are what get things done. Make no mistake about that.
@TheKatalyst
My **** is bleeding.
You are assuming I have an opinion of Anonymous that I don't, I already stated I like Anonymous' message and their ideology, I understand they are not a hive mind and are run on the ideology of Freedom of information. I understand they are de-centralized, and I am familiar with the things they do. I actually approve of many of the things they do and why they do them, but I think it is absolutely absurd to assume they are responsible for any of this. I think Anonymous themselves would never claim to be the sole reason things get done, nor do I think they believe they are the most important reason. I'm not anti-anonymous by any stretch of the imagination, I just think they amount of actual power they wield is a little exaggerated and believed on a far too grandiose scale.
Like I said, cyberattacks on the Internet can only get you so far. The straw that broke the camels back for SOPA wasn't cyberattacks, if anything they used those things as further justification to push for SOPA/PIPA. The thing that truly pushed those bills off the table were the massive amounts of e-mails, letters, and phone calls from all sorts of people, many who weren't Anonymous, is what finally caused that, coupled with various protests. Also, you clumping me with the hive-mind of CoH users is a little ridiculous. I absolutely abhor most of the people who frequent these forums and barely agree with any of them. You are being a little foolish if you think Anonymous deserves all, or even most of the credit for these things getting done. I'm sorry if you take offense to me trying to steal the limelight from Anonymous, but I live in reality, not cyberspace. In reality, Anonymous is not what gets **** done, the people who are doing things in reality, going out to protest and sticking their necks out there, are what get things done. Make no mistake about that. |
![Smile](images/smilies/smile.gif)
All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse.
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.