Comment by holmesworcester | Hacker News Reader

Comment by holmesworcester | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

holmesworcester

Hey, I'm one of the protest organizers. Here's how it affects non-US citizens:

1) Links to any blacklisted site will get removed from US search engines, directories, and maybe even blogs through lawsuits. Google, Twitter, maybe even HackerNews.

2) Your non-US site can get blocked to all US users (ouch) and lose most of its search / social traffic (see #1)

3) Non-US sites can get cut off from US-based payment processors and advertisers. This will push sites you use into bankruptcy, and discourage others from starting.

4) Hollywood and (I'm ashamed to say it) US trade representatives and embassies will be busy convincing other countries to pass similar laws. If this law passes, that process goes better.

5) Countries that want cover for their own internet censorship regimes will be able to say "The US does it". Russian politics in particular loves these (sometimes false, sometimes not) equivalencies as excuses for anti-democratic measures.

As for how you can prevent it, if your run a site or product with content in English, your site has American visitors, potentially lots of them. Same goes for just spreading the word on social networks.

Participate in American Censorship Day and direct them to call their reps!

Also noteworthy in this context, a site owner who issues a counter-notice automatically consents to being sued in U.S. courts (a strong disincentive for sites based abroad) (http://torrentfreak.com/the-privatization-of-copyright-lawma...)

5) Countries that want cover for their own internet censorship regimes will be able to say "The US does it".

This is what I am most worried about. (America says "Jump", Australia asks "How high?")

From my limited recollection, Australia has tended to implement such restrictions even more aggressively than the US legislation/policies they took inspiration from. So the 2nd-order trickle down effect could be worse in Australia, and presumably other countries.

5) Is what bothers me the most. If the US goes to hell, I have no doubt the first world will follow.

> Links to any blacklisted site will get removed from US search engines, directories, and maybe even blogs through lawsuits. Google, Twitter, maybe even HackerNews.

It doesn't work that way anymore. Google, fb , twitter etc operates across the world. Assuming the worst case, US residents will face the some error page like "This website is blocked" etc .. but rest of the world will be OK.

If even that is restricted, then this will raise a opportunity for clone solutions across the world. Like china has its own search, social software, blogs etc , now rest of the world will have a new opportunity. Many in HN would mint gold if this happens!

All in all this looks like the familiar path to take for US politician. (remember how the created the platform for screwing up the economy.

> Non-US sites can get cut off from US-based payment processors and advertisers. This will push sites you use into bankruptcy, and discourage others from starting.

Its the competition from US sites that is restricting clone solutions in local markets. US is not the target market for many-many businesses !( is it so difficult to understand)

> Its the competition from US sites that is restricting clone solutions in local markets. US is not the target market for many-many businesses !( is it so difficult to understand)

The problem is you need a critical mass of customers with cards handled by someone other than Visa and Mastercard. This is not currently the case in most countries.

Doesn't help if you're not targeting US consumers if a large portion of your customer base will go elsewhere if they can't use their existing credit cards.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com