Outstanding, censorship being pushed for addition to Digital Economy Bill. We’re all moving to China without actually moving.

What’s better than an already over-restrictive and anti-consumer digital based bill moving through an technologically intellectual congress? How about censorship? Yes folks, it appears more countries and governments want to be exactly like China and their “great firewall” in every way. Under the guise of “copyright protection” lawmakers site that such blocking measures would help protect IP and make the planet an overall better place to live. Riiiiight. Regardless of what is being blocked, once the government (and to some extent corporate lobbyists) are allowed to selectively censor and takedown any website they choose, what’s to stop them from overstepping their boundaries and taking down legitimate sites?

Sites such as YouTube and countless other social sites that have TB’s worth of user generated content will now instantly be subject to instant removal because some label or IP holder feels threatened from someone’s stupid dog dancing to their precious one hit wonder while wearing that super special design on their shirt that almost looks too close to said companies own logo. (Longest sentence in the world award anyone….?)

It’s worth noting that the geniuses that run the Australian government are already pushing for similar laws and the Obama administration is no doubt getting the same heat from IP holders/big corporate entities daily here in the states. I certainly hope someone starts to grow either a brain or a spine soon and realizes how bassakwards current policies are heading.

The fix is simple: handle each case individually as no two cases are ever the same. A blanket law or punishment will never be appropriate enough. If I lived in the UK right now, I’d start getting worried.

Who’s ready to start their own colony away from idiotic, anti-consumer, technologically incompetent people? The line starts here…

TechDirt > Open Rights Group

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Author: Mike Norris

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Gadget lover, smartphone collector, and beer connoisseur. I've been writing about gadgets for three years now and loving every minute of it. Outside of the digital landscape, I enjoy being active outdoors. I'm always up for a good conversation, so feel free to drop me a line!