[thelist] The Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Act

[the head lemur]

Looking beyond the website for a moment, the latest assault on your rights
is right around the corner.

The Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Act
http://cryptome.org/broadbandits.htm
is the next chapter in controlling your rights on a personal and
professional level. This is the newest version of the Security Systems
Standards and Certification Act" (SSSCA) which was designed to cripple your
computer with digital rights management software and hardware.

<snip>
On March 21st, Senator Hollings
officially announced the Consumer Broadband and Digital Television
Promotion Act (CBDTPA), formerly known as the SSSCA. Not only will
this bill further erode your personal use rights, but it will mandate
that every electronic media device must be built with goverment-
standardized security technology.
</snip>

 Source: http://www.digitalconsumer.org/cbdtpa/

The Digital Consumer.Org website has more information.
http://www.digitalconsumer.org/

They are a fax service for comments..

Also the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary is soliciting comments.
http://judiciary.senate.gov/special/input_form.cfm

This started with the Sonny Bono Copyright Extention Act, aka, the Mickey
Mouse Amendment.
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20020305_sprigman.html

The Digital Millenium Copyright Act continued this trend.
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/ch12.html

The Internet can bring the a truly democratic forum to enfranchise the
people whose only voice in most cases is a vote against in the voting
booths, if they even bother to go that far.

Other reading:

Biting the Hand that Beats You
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=5930&mode=thread&order=0

Dan Gillmor: Bleak future looms if you don't take a stand
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/2922052.htm

Anti-Copy Bill Slams Coders
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,51274,00.html

The ball is in your court...

the head lemur
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