The 18 Senators Who Approve Breaking The Internet To Protect Hollywood

from the not-cool dept

Thu, May 26th 2011 10:22am — Mike Masnick

Last fall, we noted that the Senate Judiciary Committee had unanimously voted to approve COICA, a bill for censoring the internet as a favor to the entertainment industry. Thankfully, Senator Ron Wyden stepped up and blocked COICA from progressing. This year, COICA has been replaced by the PROTECT IP Act, which fixes some of the problems of COICA, but introduces significant other problems as well. A wide cross section of people who actually understand technology and innovation have come out against PROTECT IP as written -- including librarians, human rights groups, public interest groups (pdf) and various technology groups (pdf), including CEA, CCIA and NetCoalition. Most significantly, a group of internet/DNS specialists have made a strong case that this would break the internet in significant ways:

The U.S. Government and private industry have identified Internet security and stability as a key part of a wider cyber security strategy, and if implemented, the DNS related provisions of PROTECT IP would weaken this important commitment. DNS filters would be evaded easily, and would likely prove ineffective at reducing online infringement. Further, widespread circumvention would threaten the security and stability of the global DNS.
The DNS provisions would undermine the universality of domain names, which has been one of the key enablers of the innovation, economic growth, and improvements in communications and information access unleashed by the global Internet.
Migration away from ISP-provided DNS servers would harm efforts that rely on DNS data to detect and mitigate security threats and improve network performance.
Dependencies within the DNS would pose significant risk of collateral damage, with filtering of one domain potentially affecting users' ability to reach non-infringing Internet content.
The site redirection envisioned in Section 3(d)(II)(A)(ii) is inconsistent with security extensions to the DNS that are known as DNSSEC.
The U.S. Government and private industry have identified DNSSEC as a key part of a wider cyber security strategy, and many private, military, and governmental networks have invested in DNSSEC technologies.

If implemented, this section of the PROTECT IP Act would weaken this important effort to improve Internet security. It would enshrine and institutionalize the very network manipulation that DNSSEC must fight in order to prevent cyberattacks and other malevolent behavior on the global Internet, thereby exposing networks and users to increased security and privacy risks.

So, with the people who actually understand this stuff pointing out that PROTECT IP would break the internet and go against various stated important priorities for the internet, you would think that the Senate Judiciary Committee might hold off before moving forward with such a poorly thought out bill.

But, you know, the Hollywood lobbyists want it. So, let's just ignore the people who actually understand this stuff and give Hollywood what they want.

This morning the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to move forward with PROTECT IP as is. It seems only fair to once again name the Senators who just voted (with a voice vote) to break the internet. Here's your list of technologically ignorant lawmakers of the day:

Patrick J. Leahy -- Vermont
Herb Kohl -- Wisconsin
Jeff Sessions -- Alabama
Dianne Feinstein -- California
Orrin G. Hatch -- Utah
Richard Blumenthal -- Connecticut
Chuck Grassley -- Iowa
Michael Lee -- Utah
Jon Kyl -- Arizona
Chuck Schumer -- New York
Lindsey Graham -- South Carolina
Dick Durbin -- Illinois
John Cornyn -- Texas
Tom Coburn -- Oklahoma
Sheldon Whitehouse -- Rhode Island
Amy Klobuchar -- Minnesota
Al Franken -- Minnesota
Chris Coons -- Delaware

Update: Oops. Pulled last year's list. Just corrected, removing Feingold, Specter and Cardin and adding in Lee and Blumenthal. Sorry, that was a dumb mistake.

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Filed Under: dns, protect ip, senate

67 Comments

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hegemon13, 26 May 2011 @ 10:29am

Leahy is a hypocrite
Apparently, it's okay to grant unconstitutional powers to the government, as long as it benefits Hollywood. Within a few days hours, he loses the respect I had for his opposition to National Security Letters earlier this week. Clearly, it was neither the people, nor the Constitution that he was worried about.
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Hephaestus (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:34am

I just finished reading that bill
God, what a horrible piece of legislation.
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Josh Taylor, 26 May 2011 @ 10:35am

Until the next day, it will be okay to make it unconstitutionally mandatory to have DRM-thought police chips implanted in the brains of Americans just in case we try to criticize the govt or corporate businesses in real reality even if you're not on the internet.

Repent and ask Jesus for forgiveness.
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pixelpusher220 (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:39am

Talk about unconstitutional
Russ Feingold voted for this thing today? He's not even in the Senate anymore... ;-P
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 10:40am

Am I the only one here who notices that the US government is acting like malware?
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Pickle Monger (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:40am

Feingold lost reelection and is therefore no longer a US Senator
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Eric Jaffa, 26 May 2011 @ 10:41am

That must be an old list of Senators.

Russ Feingold isn't currently a Senator.
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Jared Fulgham, 26 May 2011 @ 10:42am

Hatch
I am sad and ashamed that Orrin Hatch represents my home state. What a mistake that he is still in. That won't last much longer though.
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Derek Kerton (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:43am

On the Other Hand
At last we have some bi-partisan cooperation!
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Mike Masnick (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:43am

Re: Talk about unconstitutional
Russ Feingold voted for this thing today? He's not even in the Senate anymore... ;-P

Dah. Copied the old list... fixing
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Raphael (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:44am

This comment does not exist.
I think this bill is [content filtered for national security reasons]. I also think that [content filtered for trademark reasons] is [content filtered for possible defamation reasons] and [content filtered for possible defamation reasons].

Basically, what I mean is that if we don't [content filtered for national security reasons] we'll end up [content filtered for national security reasons] unless we immediately start [content filtered for national security reasons] with the services provided by [content filtered for copyright reasons].
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 10:47am

They didn't vote to break the internet, they only voted on a law that would make you respect the law, online or not. The free lunch truck is driving away as we speak.
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Aitala (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:48am

Specter
Specter is gone too.
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Aitala (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:48am

Specter
Specter is gone too.
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Raphael (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:49am

Re:
Hi! My name is Raphael. You are...?
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A.R.M. (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:49am

No worries now!
Ars Technica just received a letter from Senator Ron Wyden's office they'll be putting a hold on this bill as well.

A floral basked is in order. That's 2-0 for the side of common sense (0 to Disneywood).

*pops cork
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Mike Masnick (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:49am

Re:
Feingold lost reelection and is therefore no longer a US Senator

Yeah. I stupidly pulled last year's list. Fixed.
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Mike Masnick (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:50am

Re:
That must be an old list of Senators.

Russ Feingold isn't currently a Senator.

Yes, accidentally (and stupidly) pulled last year's list. Updated.
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Donnicton, 26 May 2011 @ 10:50am

California? Illinois? Alabama?

I'm sorry, but your shocked expression is in another castle.
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Mike Masnick (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:51am

Re: No worries now!
Ars Technica just received a letter from Senator Ron Wyden's office they'll be putting a hold on this bill as well.

Yup. got that too. Post going up.
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Steven (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:52am

Re:
Yes, and what higher respect for the law could you possibly have than ignoring due process and treating free speech as acceptable collateral damage.
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Chris Rhodes (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:55am

Re:
That "free lunch truck" is actually an NSA van, and the agents inside are currently sorting through your bank records and medical history trying to determine why you feel the need to post anonymously online.

They say they're only doing it to fight copyright terrorism, of course, so you're probably okay.
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senshikaze (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:55am

Re:
in the words of Wikipedia:

[Citation Needed]
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Jeff, 26 May 2011 @ 10:57am

Re:
I missed a free lunch??!?! Oh noes!!! Where'd my free lunch goooooooo???????

I'm sure you will be a good little soldier in the "War against Free Lunches", and line all of us freeloaders up against the wall to be shot. It is because of jackwagons such as yourself that we the people (sheeple) are steadily losing our 1st and 4th amendment rights to the corporate jackbooted thugocracy our once great and powerful nation has become. Enjoy your smug attitude while it lasts - they will be coming for you next...
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EF, 26 May 2011 @ 10:58am

afews
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pixelpusher220 (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 10:59am

Re: Re: Talk about unconstitutional
no no, keep it in!

Start the conspiracy theory wing nuts that Dem's are voting even after being voted out and we *must* throw these bills out!
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Raphael (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:01am

Re: Re:
Don't worry man, I pirated the AC's free lunch. You can have as many copies as you want :).
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E. Zachary Knight (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:02am

I already wrote Coburn about this
I wrote Senator Coburn about this earlier in the week. It is disappointing to see him vote for this. I just wrote him again. After this and his vote for the PATRIOT Act the other day, he will not be getting my vote ever again.
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MRK, 26 May 2011 @ 11:02am

Wrote a letter to my Senator about this (C. Grassley). He was kind of enough to inform me the opinions of the unwashed masses don't matter, and would I kindly contribute to his reelection campaign.
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Phillip (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:03am

Why did we re-elect Lindsey Graham
He seems to have no backbone and is always voting on the wrong side.

Sadly, when I was in college I volunteered to hand out some pamphlets door to door for him when he was 1st running for office, and ever since then I've been wishing I hadn't.
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pixelpusher220 (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:10am

Re: Re: Talk about unconstitutional
Sen. Wyden has released a statement saying he will place a hold on PROTECT IP as well.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/sen-ron-wyden-to-place-a-hold-on-the-protec t-ip-act.ars?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arstechnica%2Findex+ %28Ars+Technica+-+Featured+Content%29
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CommonSense (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:12am

Of course
Dick Head Blumenthal is on that list... I'm still disgusted that he won the election.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 11:22am

Wait, Al Franken is *still* Hollywood?
I'd have hoped that getting away from that and into a different environment might have opened his mind a bit. Guess not.
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Tim K (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:22am

Arlen Spector also failed to win re-election. You probably should review the list....
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Mike Masnick (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:23am

Re: Re: Re: Talk about unconstitutional
Sen. Wyden has released a statement saying he will place a hold on PROTECT IP as well.

Yes, that's already on Techdirt as well. :)
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Keith (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:25am

Re: Hatch
Me too. I have written him a few times about COICA and all he does is sight bogus numbers about job losses (more jobs were lost because of copyright infringement than when Geneva Steel shut down according to Hatch) and how he is protecting america. He makes me sick.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 11:26am

Re:
Of course, contributing to his reelection campaign is the *only* way to stop being one of the unwashed masses, you know.
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Ron (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:30am

Money
It would be nice to have beside their name how much money each of them got from the entertainment industry. Call them out for what they are crooks and lairs.
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codeslave (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:31am

Experts
Who needs the opinions of experts when lobbyists have truckloads of cash to hand out?

Public financing of elections, blind trusts for their personal wealth and strict bans on hiring family members of politicians, lobbying by former politicians, or politicians retiring to join companies whom they had previously written laws governing (and the reverse, getting elected to assist your current employer) would help put a stop to some of this. There's way too much money and personal enrichment in US politics.
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Krusty, 26 May 2011 @ 11:38am

Re: No worries now!
disney is the root of ALL evil...Lewis Black proved it.
Damn rat worshipping heathens.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 11:43am

Re:
Masnick got so upset about piracy legislation that in his rush to fear-monger, he couldn't even get the names of the Senators right.

Classic.

"break the internet"

LOL.

Really Masnick? Really? Break the internet?

What a ginormous douchenozzle you are.
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Josh in CharlotteNC (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 12:08pm

Re: Re:
Masnick got so upset about civil rights violating unconstitutional legislation that in his rush to inform the public, he cut and paste the wrong list.

FTFY.

Break the internet?

I suppose you know more about DNS than a group of people who work with it every day for a living?

Authors: Steve Crocker, Shinkuro, Inc.
David Dagon, Georgia Tech
Dan Kaminsky, DKH
Danny McPherson, Verisign, Inc.
Paul Vixie, Internet Systems Consortium

Your credentials? Put up or shut up.
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Jay (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 12:18pm

Re:
"They didn't vote to break religion, they only voted on a religion that would make you respect the religion, if you believe or not. The free lunch of fish and wine is walking away as we speak."

FTFY
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Buck Lateral, 26 May 2011 @ 12:23pm

It's fun watching Masnick degenerate into maniacal nerd rage. I also love the dismissive comments about routing around this "speedbump" of a law, against the backdrop of hysterical warnings over "breaking the internet."

This is why serious policy people who oppose this bill pretend they don't know who Masnick is. He's nuttier than squirrel shit on this issue and has the same political gravitas as the Larouche people or the group who warned the world would end on May 21st. Keep up the ravings though, it's great cut-and-paste fodder to send lawmakers to brief them on the position of opponents to the bill- and to give them a good laugh at Masnick's expense.

I can hardly wait for cloture. Masnick will give new credence to the spontaneous human combustion people after he fulminates himself aflame.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 12:24pm

Re: Re: Re:
We have the destroy the village in order to save the artists.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 12:24pm

Re: Re: Re:
He's a paytard, what do you expect?
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Ron (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 12:35pm

Money List
Patrick Leahy Received $381,456 since 2005 from the TV/Music industry

Dianne Feinstein received $300,449 since 2005 from the tv/music industry

This from opensecrets.org
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Peter S, 26 May 2011 @ 12:50pm

Gone and thankfully.
Herb Kohl -- Wisconsin Is gone as well... he just gave up.
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Overcast (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 12:57pm

So in otherwords, it's like shutting down Napster...

New Peer-to-Peer file sharing technology in 3... 2... ...
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 1:33pm

New World Order will fail
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Thomas (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 1:36pm

Would be interesting
if you could list the "campaign contributions" of the congressmen in favor of the measures. Of course this wouldn't show the under the table amounts that most Congressmen receive.

Plain and simple: the TV/Movie industry pays Congress for favorable votes. In most countries this is called bribery.
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txpatriot, 26 May 2011 @ 2:17pm

Re: Experts
And who needs lobbyists when the whole world knows piracy rights trump copyrights?
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 2:18pm

Feinstein...Blumenthal...Schumer...Franken. With names like that, does it come as any surprise?
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Any Mouse (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 2:57pm

Re:
So, you have nothing constructive to add to the discussion in favor of this bill? Instead you're going to resort to the sort of sophomoric attacks we've come to expect from the pro-ip crowd? It's a sad day for you, isn't it, that you can only come back in this sort of manner.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 3:20pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Artists must be paid by any means necessary.
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Zach Mollett (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 4:33pm

Re:
What are you trying to say? ;D
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 5:07pm

Re: No worries now!
And it's nothing but a symbolic gesture that will have no effect whatsoever on this bill becoming law.

Enjoy your champagne.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 May 2011 @ 7:49pm

Route Around Damage
If the top of the DNS hierarchy is being interfered with by the US government, then that constitutes damage. It does not matter what batty reason the US government may be giving for its vandalism. It is happening and it is not going to stop.

The solution is to establish an independent top of the DNS hierarchy outside of US jurisdiction. It may reasonably be assumed that any jurisdiction which finds itself in possession of the top of the DNS hierarchy will attempt similar bad behavior as the US government. Venal politicians exist worldwide. Therefore, it needs to be a distributed system, capable of being moved from jurisdiction to jurisdiction at a moment's notice.

The organization in charge has to assume it is going to be under attack at all times, like the Pirate Bay or Wikileaks. It needs to plan accordingly.

Once an independent top of the DNS hierarchy exists, then the rest of the world can point their DNS resolvers at the new service and the US government can do as it pleases, without inconveniencing the rest of the world. Shame about the US residents, though, most of them will be stuck with the broken version of the DNS. The smart ones will be able to get out of it, but not poor old grandma.
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Jeff, 26 May 2011 @ 7:53pm

Re:
Even if you do kindly contribute to his reelection campaign, it still doesn't matter.

Unless you contribute a hundred thousand or more...
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techflaws.org (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:26pm

Re: Re:
What a ginormous douchenozzle you are.

It's like you don't even try anymore.
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techflaws.org (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:28pm

Re:
they only voted on a law that would make you respect the law

Dude, repeatin this over and over still won't make it true.
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techflaws.org (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:31pm

Re:
You're so desperate paintin him as something he's clearly not it's almost hysterical. At least you should be grateful he's allowing you to post on his blog without you taking your meds.
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The eejit (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:45pm

Re: Re:
I suppose contributing a Kalashnikov is out of the works, then?
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The eejit (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:46pm

Re:
Good to see you went back to posintg anonymously. Again.

What is this, the fifth time now? Grow up, and start doing something constructive.
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The eejit (profile), 26 May 2011 @ 11:47pm

Re: Would be interesting
Yes, but in America, it's called good business. Anywhere else, and you'd be at risk of being jailed. The US? Promoted.
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Anonymous Coward, 27 May 2011 @ 9:56pm

Any good article defines terms/ acronyms with the first use. I suppose we're just supposed to know what "DNS" means, eh?

Its not as if three letter acronyms are common and likely to have multiple meanings, or anything.
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KenF, 30 Nov 2011 @ 8:24am

Another Law Written by People who Barely Understand Computers
You know, I see about 4-5 of these �Good Ideas� come across the wire each year. The real issue is most of this legislation is pre-written by special interest for special interest (RE: RIAA). I have an idea, let�s ask a panel of industry and government IT leaders (note the IT part) to collaborate on a series of distinctions (regulations) and Laws (enforcement) that categorize content, place the ownership of illegal content identification on the content owners (where it belongs), and make blatant thief of copy written materials illegal. This would be an updated series of laws that supersede the Digital Millennium act and address the current sharing, fair-use, and transmission issues people are facing. We should absolutely hold the actual people responsible for theft of content accountable, not the hosts of websites or network provider they traverse.
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