Tag: congress

Save the Internet

Posted by Nexus – 26/11/2011

Right now, the US Congress is debating a law that would give them the power to censor the world’s Internet — creating a blacklist that could target YouTube, WikiLeaks and even groups like Avaaz!

To all Members of the US Congress:

As concerned global citizens, we call on you to stand for a free and open Internet and vote against both the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act. The Internet is a crucial tool for people around the world to exchange ideas and work collectively to build the world we all want. We urge you to show true global leadership and do all you can to protect this basic pillar of our democracies worldwide.

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Investigate Corporations’ Dirty Tricks Campaign

Posted by Nexus – 01/03/2011

[via demandprogress.org]

Shocking new leaked emails show big corporations, defense contractors, and corporate law firms conspiring to run a “dirty tricks” campaign against their political enemies, including WikiLeaks. They proposed infiltrating groups under fake identities, smearing their reputation by planting false documents, and even hacking into their computers to try to steal information and disrupt their work.

But while WikiLeaks is the target of a major government investigation, these guys are still major government contractors! Now some brave members of Congress are trying to change that, demanding a full investigation into these potential crimes: They just signed a letter urging the chairmen of several powerful Congressional committees to start holding hearings. Can you join them?

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Harvard profs trash ACTA, demand oversight, threaten lawsuit

Posted by Nexus – 27/03/2010

[via arstechnica.com]

Harvard Law School professors Lawrence Lessig and Jack Goldsmith took to the op-ed page of the Washington Post today to slam the Obama administration’s approach to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)—and to threaten a lawsuit if ACTA is signed without Congressional oversight.

The US has positioned ACTA as an executive agreement rather than a treaty. Such a move means that ACTA doesn’t need Senate approval, but it also means that the agreement should not alter US law, either. If you want to change the law, you go to Congress.

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ID Card for Workers Is at Center of Immigration Plan

Posted by Nexus – 10/03/2010

[via wsj.com]

Customs and Border Protection agent Jesus Gomez checks a passport at the vehicle crossing at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in California.

Lawmakers working to craft a new comprehensive immigration bill have settled on a way to prevent employers from hiring illegal immigrants: a national biometric identification card all American workers would eventually be required to obtain.

Under the potentially controversial plan still taking shape in the Senate, all legal U.S. workers, including citizens and immigrants, would be issued an ID card with embedded information, such as fingerprints, to tie the card to the worker.

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Secret copyright treaty leaks. It’s bad. Very bad.

Posted by Nexus – 04/02/2010

[via boingboing.net]

The internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama’s administration refused to disclose due to “national security” concerns, has leaked. It’s bad. It says:

  • That ISPs have to proactively police copyright on user-contributed material. This means that it will be impossible to run a service like Flickr or YouTube or Blogger, since hiring enough lawyers to ensure that the mountain of material uploaded every second isn’t infringing will exceed any hope of profitability.
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    Why do people often vote against their own interests?

    Posted by Nexus – 02/02/2010

    [via bbc.co.uk]

    Americans voicing their anger at the healthcare proposals at a "town hall meeting"

    The Republicans’ shock victory in the election for the US Senate seat in Massachusetts meant the Democrats lost their supermajority in the Senate. This makes it even harder for the Obama administration to get healthcare reform passed in the US.

    Political scientist Dr David Runciman looks at why there is often such deep opposition to reforms that appear to be of obvious benefit to voters.

    Last year, in a series of “town-hall meetings” across the country, Americans got the chance to debate President Obama’s proposed healthcare reforms.

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    Congressman Demands FTC Probe Of Cash4Gold

    Posted by Nexus – 20/01/2010

    [via nytimes.com]

    Representative Anthony D. Weiner denounced what he called the predatory practices of Cash4Gold in New York’s diamond district on Tuesday.

    The flashy ads have become a staple on late-night television, sometimes featuring figures like the late Ed McMahon or M.C. Hammer, trumpeting promises of quick dollars in exchange for bits of old gold jewelry.

    The company behind the ads is called — plainly enough — Cash4Gold, but on Tuesday afternoon, Representative Anthony D. Weiner said that the company’s business practices were not always straightforward.

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