SOPA Can Impact Companies Who Think They're Immune
from the not-so-simple dept
SpiderOak is an online backup/syncing/storage platform. If you're familiar with Dropbox, it's quite similar to that. In fact, when Dropbox ran into some very public challenges concerning its privacy setup as well as how it handles government requests, one of the "alternatives" we heard about a lot was SpiderOak. I haven't used it myself, but a lot of folks I know and trust suggest that it's a good product, with really strong security and privacy rules. The company recently sent out an email to its users, which (in part) discusses SOPA:What is SOPA? This act allows content owners - movie companies, music labels, etc. - to obtain court orders requiring search providers such as Google to filter their search results to exclude websites that host allegedly infringing material, and requiring the net registrars to block DNS servers from providing the correct IP address for such sites. The act also makes site owners civilly liable for the availability of copyright material on their sites. In addition, it makes the posting of a link to a third party website that has copyright material on it the same as hosting the material on your own site.They also include a link to the American Censorship site. That's all cool, and it's certainly reassuring that their encryption keeps things secret... but in saying that you don't have to worry about it, it seems like SpiderOak actually just put a huge target on themselves. After all, SOPA has a big fat anti-circumvention clause, which specifically includes calling out products that are "marketed for the circumvention or bypassing of measures" in the bill. SpiderOak may have run afoul of that by "marketing" its product as immune to SOPA because of encryption (a circumvention tool).
What does this mean for SpiderOak users if this act passes? You don't have to worry. Our level of encryption means not even your filenames, file sizes or file types are readable.
This is, obviously, not to question SpiderOak at all, but rather to point out just how ridiculous the anti-circumvention clause is. Obviously there are tremendously good reasons why we all should want services like SpiderOak, with their high levels of encryption. But just the fact that it advertises that shouldn't be cause to get it in trouble under the law.
And the larger point is that even companies who think they're immune to SOPA may discover otherwise, thanks to the way the bill actually works.
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Filed Under: impact, protect ip, sopa
Companies: spideroak
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Dajaz1.com
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Re: Dajaz1.com
Although I suppose the "we can't tell you how many American websites we are currently blocking/cutting funding for because it relies on a classified interpretation of SOPA" might be a little harder to pull off when the websites actually disappear.
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Oh wait...
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But encryption will be banned!
We are well on our way to a dystopian "Neuromancer" style of Internet!
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I guess it's time to retire.....
These people have no clue how many man hours are going to be troubleshooting why legit business info won't make it properly.
I'm just waiting for the day they start shutting down VPN's between companies because of bogus claims.
They are gonna pay thru the nose......
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Re: I guess it's time to retire.....
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Re: Re: I guess it's time to retire.....
Step 1) Make sure SOPA passes
Step 2) Charge %2000 more to make the net work like it used to.
Step 3) Use money to lobby for repeal.
Step 4) PROFIT!!!
Step 5) Wait 2 years, go back to step 1
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http://imgur.com/gallery/rOG2p
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Rivals
Even more worrying is that the attacker is most likely to be your business rival looking to damage your business for their gain. Your list of business rivals are a lot bigger than you realise. SOPA gives them the bomb where they only need to light the fuse.
Does that make you happy?
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Let us know how that works out for you
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Let us know how that works out for you
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n/m that's a sopapilla
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it will be
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Additional free space.
2. Use COUPON CODE: worldbackupday ( https://spideroak.com/blog/20110330182326-eric-brian-and-world-backup-day-for-everyone ) + 3 GB space (total free space = 6 GB!)
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