You clearly didn’t understand me.

I agree with protecting freedom. I disagree with allowing the following to exist anywhere; piracy, terrorist websites, child pornography.

I am not ignorant to the difficulties of cracking down on these types of websites. But I will not rule out trying to find a way to do so.

You clearly do.

I have done some reading on the matter of ACTA and spoken to a friend who knows a lot about IT since he is very successful in his field and have learnt a lot- but still not enough. Read my post I made on “another bandwagon” blog entry to see where I stand and why.

“I would never be in favour of banning the net all together.”

All together? That means it is OK to ban partially? And which part would you consider banning? The illegal side? But are you aware that what is illegal in one country is acceptable in another?

Criticise the regime in China, and you get a knock on your door. Mind you, the Chinese have no problem with this:
http://gemssty.com/2006/10/29/top-10-copycat-cars/

Closer to home: Denying the Holocaust in Germany is illegal. One may argue that this is draconian and infringes freedom of speech, although one has to appreciate that it is a sensitive subject for Germans.

Britain? Are you aware that selling a simple toy (made famous by Enid Blyron in Noddy) may lead to a visit from P.C. Plod. Have a read here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-442509/Police-seize-golliwogs-racism-probe.html.

And lest we forget about that bastion of Freedom, America. You know, the one with a extrajudicial detainment and interrogation facility within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. These are the same people who used to point fingers at the Russian Gulags, btw. Things were bad under Hoover (with his dossiers), but nowadays citing terrorist concerns, Homeland Security can do pretty much what it likes and more.

Take Malta. It was in recent history illegal to use the word Nazzjon.

The point I am trying to make is this Edward. I treasure my freedom, am ill at ease when the state intereferes with unnecessary rules and laws. Especially when these same can be changed at a moment’s notice. I am even more wary of people using any sort of excuse, be it anti terrorism or anti piracy or anti whatever, to nibble away at my rights. Once gone, they’re gone. And don’t forget, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

@Peppi iehor;

Just to clarify; I said that most people come across that way, and I did not say that all people do.

Secondly, I agree with what you said. Yes, this is a move from the rich entertainment industry to stop the sharing of music etc and make people pay to watch things on youtube. SOPA, the American version of ACTA but not exactly the same as ACTA, is about putting an end to streaming, and using the media to create and share with others. It s like they are against the old mixed-tape people used to make in the 90s.

I also agree that ACTA is not the only possible solution to the problem of piracy. But I am in favor of looking for a solution.

I have managed to get more information about ACTA, but I haven’t made up my mind entirely. The main problem at the moment is not what it wants to do- put an end to piracy, which I gather you are in favor of from what you said at the end of your post. The problem is how they plan on doing that , which has not been made clear.

However I don’t think ACTA is a move to create Big Brother.
I would never be in favor of a system that would give people the potential to invade my privacy.

Until I know exactly what methods will be used I will not make up my mind. And I will not trust just anyone’s explanation either. I want to see all the information first.

@ Vanni: Tracking has become a matter of course. A simple application downloaded into your iPad, iPhone etc. will result in its location being constantly tracked via gps. Bad news for cheating spouses I suppose, but you can’t hold up progress because it gives away people’s bit on the side.

This was highlighted recently in Malta when a device was stolen from a car in Sliema and was tracked for hours to a variety of locations and ultimately recovered in a swoop outside the detox centre in Gwardamangia, having changed hands twice in that short space of time.

Tracking was always possible but never really desirable. Every cpu has a unique identity capable of being read remotely. Have you gone checked to see if there was upgraded firmware for your device but were unsure about its actual version? The manufacturer will in many cases identify it for you, but they show you the courtesy of asking for your permission before doing so, not because you have to physically input something like you do with remote calls, but because they don’t want to abuse of their superior knowledge. C’est la vie and I am quite happy with that.

There doesn’t seem to be the political will to recover stolen goods unless they have huge value, at least that how it seems in UK. Around 1996, I tracked down a computer that was stolen from me in West Sussex to somewhere near Plymouth and when I told the police about it they said it would cost them too much to recover it. But the possibilities are very real as is the monitoring of criminals’ movements through tagging.

Quoting Edward Caruana Galizia: “So most people who have been voicing their opinions against ACTA sound less like concerned citizens and more like selfish people fighting for their right to rob others.” Unquote

Edward, it is most unfair to cast aspersions and categorise as pirates, those who oppose ACTA. I oppose this interference because I believe it is for the IPOs to find ways to lock down their property. All this ACTA business is the result of lobbying and potential motivation of parliamentarians by the IPO promoters. We know that affected parties are mega-rich and can potentially influence those in authority, even individually and never mind, collectively. Listen to Farage’s “audit” of Barroso’s team if still in doubt… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npU3g5YnD4A … Conspiracy theorists indeed!

I have used the internet since its advent with ice-age modems of the early 80s and an upgraded Sinclair QL. My downloads are mostly technical issues/upgrades from manufacturers’ official websites for devices that I or my friends and family have legitimately purchased from them. Often, these files are of significant size and I get frustrated when performance drops because neighbours are downloading stupid films instead of hiring them on CD (IF indeed that is what happens) and because IPOs cannot be arsed to properly lock down their desirables, given that they can make the EU do it for them. I have no television set or associated paraphernalia because I am not impressed with the standards of programmes on offer by reason of which, you won’t find pirated movies in my possession. Time was when I had collections of hundreds of LPs, CDs, DVDs and video cassettes but all original and paid for… that was until my St Leonard’s (Hastings) seafront home was burgled and I lost everything. Technically, wherever those goods are, they are still my property and I am entitled to have copy of them, but having reported them to the police, I never bothered to replace them, not even with legitimised copies.

Other than that, my entertainment surfing consists of public domain stuff (watched not downloaded), on youtube, browsing dictionaries (although I have genuine purchased editions as well), wiki, and trying to identify and find solutions to technical problems. All this, not for money, but for the pleasure and satisfaction of finding an elusive workaround.

I have many original MCSE volumes with accompanying CDs from Microsoft, including Windows NT server 4.0. I still have original teaching-versions of Quattro Pro. These are books that cost serious money so please don’t categorise me as a pirate because you don’t happen to share my concerns about the future of the Internet. All my applications are genuine and paid-for even though it would have been simple to acquire these other than from the proper source.

You will undoubtedly surmise that I have reason to disapprove of theft, not least the fact that I have been a victim; so you should also understand why I believe you are wrong to accuse in the way that you did.

Nice one. Vanni.

I was told that there was considerable discussion about a proposal for the implementation of similar controls and standards on penile amplitude characterising those intellectual, academic, assertive, persistent and tenacious future aspirants intending to lay claim to eligibility to populate the corridors of power within the European Zone (apparently the Americas don’t need regulations) and could not agree on the minimum numeric constitution of any given bunch.

With apologies to Madame DCG, I think they were talking a load of “bolleaux”.

As you might imagine, I don’t fekin believe a word of it.

At the risk of turning this thread into a discussion about bananas (my fault I guess, sorry Daphne) I never said there were no regulations for food. There will always be regulations so that we can all be sure that the food we buy is safe.

The myth about the regulations is that they have to have a certain shape which no one in Europe has ever seen and this means throwing away lots of them which are otherwise perfectly find to eat. This is not true and you can see it in the supermarkets today.

I like the fact that there are standards because it ensures that the food is being grown properly and that farmers aren’t using their own feces to fertilize their crops, for example.

The people of UKIP and other right wing Europhobics in the UK often make things up, or object to rules that have been made up by the press, in order to make the EU look like an silly organization and to encourage people to be against it. So when I see someone showing support for people like Nigel Farage I question their value system that justifies such actions.

For a more light hearted example of what I am talking about follow this link to an episode of QI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqVJEZnYiZo

There is no need to think only in extremes. I would never be in favour of banning the net all together.

However, piracy is a crime. Like all crimes it should be stopped. I will always be keen to hear what ideas people have to put an end to it. Why is that so wrong?

There is no final solution happening. People are very much aware of the problems such efforts can create and all are rightfully going to approach the issue carefully.

@ Edward
OK, let’s solve the problem, and ban the net. And while we’re at it, let’s solve the rape problem by castrating all males. Third world famine? Hell drop a few dirty bombs on them, they are non productive anyway, + they have different skin colour, or funny shaped eyes. Too many people reaching the pensionable age? Hey there’s a solution. Top off anybody over 75.
There always a solution isn’t there, and many a time it is the Final One.