The Cocoon Blog
The Internet as it should be: private, secure and virus free

Mikko Hypponen, Chief Research Officer of F-Secure is a leading global cybercrime expert. In this video Mikko briefly discusses three types of online attack:

1. Cybercriminals
2. Hacktivists
3. Governments

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is also gathering information on what printers may be revealing and exploring privacy implications of this technology.

“In a purported effort to identify counterfeiters the US government has succeeded in persuading some color laser printer manufacturers to encode each page with identifying information. That means that without your knowledge or consent an act you assume is private could become public. A communication tool you’re using in everyday life could become a tool for government surveillance. And what’s worse there are no laws to prevent abuse.”  -EFF

 

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was introduced by Congressman, Lamar Smith (R-TX) on October 25, 2011.

In a Nutshell:

Proponents of the bill say it protects the intellectual property market, including the resultant revenue and jobs, and is necessary to bolster enforcement of copyright laws especially against foreign websites. Opponents say it is censorship,that it will “break the internet”, cost jobs, and will threaten whistleblowing and other free speech. –Wikipedia

PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

“The solutions are draconian,” Schmidt said during an appearance at the MIT Sloan School of Management. There’s a bill that would require (Internet service providers) to remove URLs from the Web, which is also known as censorship last time I checked. –Eric Schmidt | Reuters

Opponents say it is censorship

But the true threat of the PROTECT IP Act and SOPA is to American innovation, jobs, and the overall health of the U.S. economy.–Gary Shapiro |Huffington Post

How Other Parts of the World View SOPA –TechDirt

The US and the West have long criticized China for stifling dissent and for censorship but now they are not only joining China but they are taking censorship even further and attempting to censor the whole world.

In the year and a half since, the State Department has had limited success promoting online awareness and circumvention tools in foreign countries. But given SOPA’s incredibly broad definitions of which sites are liable under its censorship provisions – merely claiming the site “engages in, enables or facilitates” infringement is enough – it won’t be long until the bill destroys social networks that spread news of protests and the anonymity software that keep activists protected.

Net Coalition

Social media could be killed. Young businesses looking to develop and expand as well as smaller websites wouldn’t have the legal resources to combat the expensive litigation.

SOPA’s Threat to the Internet Ecosystem

Sonic.net

Please join the Free Software Foundation, EFF, Public Knowledge, Creative Commons, Mozilla and Sonic.net in speaking out against SOPA and PROTECT-IP. These bills give too much control of the Internet to the entertainment industry, and threaten to fundamentally change the Internet we all use every day.

Sonic.net advises those who want to take action, to please write congress.