US government rescinds 'leave Internet alone' policy | Hacker News Reader

US government rescinds 'leave Internet alone' policy

theregister.co.uk

42 pointschris119 comments

I'll be writing my congress people with something to the effect of "do not want". You should too.

Absolutely. Will do.

Also note that this article quotes an administration official. Everybody who voted for this administration should write them and tell them that this is a Very Bad Idea.

With Joe Biden as a member of this administration, it should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Biden opposes encryption, loves the patriot act, and wanted to legalize permanent detention of non-U.S. citizens without judicial review (this was Feb 1995, before the war on terror). Is it any surprise that the government now wants control of the internet?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10024163-38.html

Everyone who didn't vote for them should also do so. Aside from the fact that they don't know who voted how, a possible swing voter's opinion matters more than that of a loyal party member.

I can't really tell if this is something legitimately new and scary, or if it's just a mix of political grandstanding and journalistic FUD.

It's very real. Countries across Europe are passing similar laws, pressured heavily by US copyright lobbies. It's no surprise that the US is finally following suit.

Ironically, these very laws are driving internet users to purchase anonymous VPNs to completely protect their privacy - preventing ISPs and government agencies from knowing anything at all concerning their online use. So, yes, it's real, but the ultimate outcome may be greater privacy.

Here's another HN post that actually has the NTIA release on this: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1157482

This is very bad.

Hmm, this article is a little light on the facts. Internet "regulation" can mean so many things that I'll wait until they make a proposal. For example, if they make some law requiring "internet security," I'll just laugh in their faces. Technology doesn't work some way just because you'd like it to.

I wonder how the government will define copyright infringement -- does this mean anyone with copyrighted material on their computer will be "banned from the internet"? (also - what does that even mean?)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com