Lamar Smith's revenge: The "Big Brother is watching" bill

[Hejiru]

Lamar Smith (the senator who created SOPA) wrote another bill: HR 1981. This requires your internet service provider to store your search history and IP address for 18 months.

Before, the feds needed a subpoena to start recording your movements on the web. Now that information is already stored so they have a record of everything you do online, just in case one day you do something wrong. (I get the feeling this should be called HR 1984)

And don't worry; your internet history won't be visible to everyone; it requires the internet service providers to "store the information securely". You know, because that worked out so well for Sony.

Its purpose is to apparently stop child pornographers. Which is all well and good, but it means everyone is being tracked, just in case they might look at some child porn. How is this any different than tapping everyone's phones to listen for possible terrorists?

Just like SOPA, this is like killing a mosquito with a rocket launcher. The bill has already cleared committee. Next step is to be voted on. And what's worse, this will be a lot harder to fight than SOPA. Because it's being dressed up as an anti-child porn measure, every politician will support it regardless of what it says. They won't want their constituents thinking they're pro-child porn, and believe me, if any senator opposes the bill their opponent will jump at the chance to use that against them. "Senator Brown voted against stopping pedophiles!" It'll be hard to convince them to oppose this bill when they know it could paint them as pro-pedophilia to ignorant voters.

Oh, and one more thing: you don't have to be suspected of child porn for the government to access your internet history.

Even more troubling is what the government would need to do in order to access this trove of private information: ask for it.

I kid you not -- that's it.

As written, The Protecting Children from Internet Pornographers Act of 2011 doesn't require that someone be under investigation on child pornography charges in order for police to access their Internet history -- being suspected of any crime is enough. (It may even be made available in civil matters like divorce trials or child custody battles.) Nor do police need probable cause to search this information.

Not to mention there's no way in hell that our history won't be sold to advertisers.

Source:
http://www.slashgear.com/sopa-sponsor-has-another-internet-bill-that-records-you-247-20210264/
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics...-could-kill-internet-privacy-for-good/242853/

We've already got ACTA to worry about, and now this. I'm starting to think we should leave this country altogether...

 

[Jb]

Will this effect people who view illegal streams or movies? A huge amount of people do and just looking at anyone's history here who isn't monitored by a parent is bascially gauranteed to find something of illegal standing in it.

If that's true, can they take action on those acts?

 

[Malanu]

So don't do anything illegal and you will be fine! Seriously, I might have a history of doing things that might embarrass me but would not end me up behind bars so let the gov have access to the data. What do you have to hide?

 

[Will-powered Spriter]

...At least this one doesn't affect other countries, directly or indirectly.


But I am interested, can't you just avoid this by using incognito browsing or some equivalent?

 

[Moneyy]

So don't do anything illegal and you will be fine! Seriously, I might have a history of doing things that might embarrass me but would not end me up behind bars so let the gov have access to the data. What do you have to hide?

I think the main reason people are upset is because the bill is invading your privacy, something that government-approved bills do not usually do and are not supposed to do.

 

[Malanu]

Again if the government wants to snoop in my activities let em. They'll be pretty bored. I have/do nothing on the web worthy of secrecy. Honestly if you are doing nothing wrong whats the big deal if the government pokes around? The internet is after all a public domain.

 

[Hejiru]

Again if the government wants to snoop in my activities let em. They'll be pretty bored. I have/do nothing on the web worthy of secrecy. Honestly if you are doing nothing wrong whats the big deal if the government pokes around? The internet is after all a public domain.

Let's let them listen to our phone conversations and install cameras in our house, too. After all, we have nothing to hide, right?

 

[Wolf Prince]

I want to say this step won't be at all bad, since let's say what happened to me, i was talking to this dude on the internet and he sexually harrrased and since i'm stupid i didn't take a snapshot/screenshot so he got away with this, if this would have been stored justice would be done. But about kids/adults not watching porn/child porn, i am glad to say i only watch hentai. Anyways i still don't want to be at everytime recorded for all my actions.

 

[Jb]

You still can be locked up for watching child hentai, or so I've heard.

 

[Wolf Prince]

You still can be locked up for watching child hentai, or so I've heard.

Hentai is anime and no child or humans were abused in making it, so it should be legal.

 

[7 tyranitars]

You still can be locked up for watching child hentai, or so I've heard.

I depends where you live. Some countries class it as childpornagraphy but other don't because it isn't real.


Anyways,
glad I am not an American. It is an insult to your privacy, even if it is for stopping child-porn, there are far better procedures that won't harm the good 99% that is innocent.

 

[blaze boy]

But I am interested, can't you just avoid this by using incognito browsing or some equivalent?

Incognito just make it so you don't leave any history, cookies, or search history. It doesn't protect you from this.

The problem with this bill it assume that everyone is or will be paedophiles.

Luckily I live in the UK so this bill won't affect me.

 

[Will-powered Spriter]

This requires your internet service provider to store your search history and IP address for 18 months.

Incognito just make it so you don't leave any history, cookies, or search history. It doesn't protect you from this.

...Are you sure?

 

[blaze boy]

...Are you sure?

What I meant by Search history is that they won't be stored in your computer.

 

[YaDunGoofed]

Something about no more fap folder blahblahblah.


This would actually kill quite a bit of jobs. I mean, the horny 40 year olds would be out of business if they sold the porn (sick, but most likely true).

They'd get off the Internet if the bill actually passed...and as a networker...how am I going to be able to manage a network if people stop using it? It's a big capitalistic country I hate being apart of.

 

[Chaos Emperor]

How is this legal? My brother tells me to move to Japan with him, and this is really making me consider it. What Americans do on the Internet in our free time is none of their business.

 

[Ioneos]

This "child porn" stuff if BS. What is so bad about it anyways? I'm not saying I support child porn or anything, but it's not like it's harmful. I mean talking/joking about it at school is kind of similar, and there's always that one kid infamous for knowing everything about sex. Anyways, I don't think they have the right to violate our privacy like that. With our history, they will start checking websites and find whatever the hell they like about us, and we'd never know. Besides, there's no way to prove if it was a child, as someone else (family... ew) could be watching it and they'd have no way to prove who it was. That'd be an awkward phone call: "Hello, view any porn recently?"

 

[blaze boy]

This "child porn" stuff if BS. What is so bad about it anyways? I'm not saying I support child porn or anything, but it's not like it's harmful. I mean talking/joking about it at school is kind of similar, and there's always that one kid infamous for knowing everything about sex.

Child porn is harmful for the child since they are under age and forced to do it.

 

[The Great Butler]

I told you they'd do this.

There's no intent to actually use this to stop pornography of any kind... this is going to be used to fight the 'battles' SOPA was going to without saying so. The real use for this is to spy on people for copyright 'infringement.'

 

[Ioneos]

Child porn is harmful for the child since they are under age and forced to do it.

Oops, guess i misunderstood. I meant children watching porn. Which is still illegal.