Why NO SOPA?

In case you missed it, somecanuckchick dot com went dark — along with thousands of others — on January 18, 2012 to protest SOPA and PIPA.

I believe that SOPA and PIPA would have reached beyond the borders of the United States of America and required internet service providers [ISPs] to take down any website [Canadian, or otherwise!] accused of posting, or linking to, copyrighted content.

I also believe that SOPA and PIPA would have had privacy implications for Canadians, with ISPs performing law enforcement functions that involve invading the privacy of Canadian internet users and Canadian website visitors.

SOPA and PIPA have since been shelved.

Canadian internet users, however, are still under threat from the Harper government, formerly known as the Government of Canada.

Remember Stephen Harper’s lawful access legislation?

Do you think any amount of protest (with a majority in the House of Commons and a majority in the Senate!) will be able to stop the Harper government from ramming through its lawful access legislation?

The same lawful access legislation which featured new information disclosure requirements for ISPs, mandated surveillance technology installation, the creation of new police powers, etc., etc., etc.

FYI the Harper government’s lawful access legislation has many of the same disturbing elements of SOPA and PIPA…

What can Canadians do while waiting for the Harper government to re-introduce its lawful access legislation?

Visit Michael Geist’s website: michaelgeist.ca

And, check out [Un]lawful Access!

Fueled by the desire to do something that has not been done before, Kosta Grammatis will be embedding a video camera and a transmitter in Rob Spence’s prosthetic eye.

With the aid of Kosta Grammatis, Rob Spence will record the world from a perspective that’s never been seen before—and make a documentary.

Through his documentary, Rob Spence endeavours to raise awareness of surveillance in our society and make Canadians think about how they move from one place to another under the view of surveillance cameras.

I really wonder if Canadians in major city centres like Halifax, Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and/or Vancouver give a second thought to when, where, why, and how they are recorded…

Do you give it a second thought? Let somecanuckchick know!