SOPA/PIPA Wakes Up Internet Giants To Realize They Need To Be More Engaged In DC
from the unfortunate-reality dept
Earlier today it was announced that a new industry trade association representing large internet companies, called The Internet Association, is going to be launching this fall, with Google, Amazon, eBay and Facebook as the charter members. Part of the thinking behind this group stemmed from the realization of how little influence various internet companies had in DC when SOPA/PIPA came along last year -- and a concerted effort to change that.Former Congressional staffer Michael Beckerman was officially named this morning as the organization's president. I got to meet with Beckerman last week and hear some of the details about the group. To be honest, I have very mixed feelings about all of this. I tend to believe that this group will be a force for good in supporting an open internet and related issues. Beckerman was quite frank about why this new group absolutely needs to be focused on supporting the views of the public (because unlike in some other industries, when an internet company diverges from the public interest, it's very easy for its users/customers to go elsewhere). One of the major concerns we discussed was where the interests of internet users and the large internet companies might diverge, and how this organization would deal with those situations. He was pretty adamant that if they're not doing a good job representing the public's interest as well, then the organization isn't doing its job. Hopefully that is true, but obviously it's a claim that deserves close scrutiny as this organization ramps up. Hopefully, Beckerman will model the organization on the success of organizations like CEA, who have built up a very strong reputation in recognizing that by fighting to protect consumers they do the best in the long run for the electronics companies they represent. CEA has a long history of putting consumers first on various issues (even when you could make the argument that their own members feel differently), and it's done well for itself. The Internet Association would do good to follow that lead.
So while I think that this organization is likely to be very helpful in various fights to protect the open internet, I'm a bit disappointed that the state of politics today means that something like this is even needed. And, as always, I worry about large industry players working towards efforts to maintain their position, rather than supporting actual innovation. We've certainly seen large companies who were once innovative later turn around and fight against disruption and defend the status quo. Hopefully that's not what will happen with the Internet Association. Beckerman appears to have a good grasp on the issues, so I'm encouraged by the idea that there will be an organization like this in DC, focused exclusively on internet-related issues, even as I'm disappointed that it's necessary.
One bit of advice, since I know many folks here will automatically be allergic to the idea of any sort of new DC-based trade group, even if it's likely to be fighting against groups that seek to harm the open internet: one way to hopefully avoid a bad result is to engage with this new group. Help them continue to fight the good fight by working with them, rather than automatically dismissing them. Beckerman definitely seems interested in engaging people well beyond just the companies that are members of the association (which, as I understand it, is looking for additional members), and hopefully the more he engages with people who have a personal interest in an open internet, the more he'll be able to help.
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Filed Under: internet, lobbying, michael beckerman, trade groups
Companies: amazon, ebay, facebook, google, internet association
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We have enough "concept wars" in existence already, and I'd rather not have a "war on/for (x)" label slapped on the debate over SOPA, PIPA, and its various American and global brethren.
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not that they wouldnt try.....and fear not, given enough time our govt will decide its time to go to full out war on the net.....its what we do......we like war.....we are good at wars.....
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I guess Mr. Dotcom just hallucinated 70 heavily armed anti-terrorist swat team soldiers, then.
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there may or may not have been soldiers involved (i am unsure) but to the best of my knowledge said individuals were NZ law enforcement. meaning they are not SWAT but the Armed Offenders Squad. who are not as heavily armed and who's methods seem to generally involve less shooting and blowing up of things (mostly due to the need for it coming up less, granted) than i understand to be the case with SWAT, but can and do get military backup when necessary. (nothing like an NZLAV to ruin your day. 22.x mm autocannon, anyone?)
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Of course, if RomBomb gets elected, with his penchant for war-based imagery...
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Re: War
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Easy to go elsewhere?
Really? Are you seriously claiming that vendor lock-in is not a significant factor on the Internet? If you really believe that, please explain to me how you would go about switching from Facebook or Gmail to a competing service, in the hypothetical case that you should want to...
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Re: Easy to go elsewhere?
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Re: Easy to go elsewhere?
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Re: Re: Easy to go elsewhere?
Try thinking about the ramifications for a minute or two. I'll give you a few hints:
What people do you tell to contact you there? How many people know about your current address/profile/whatever? What happens to anyone you forget to tell about the switch if they need to contact you?
What about other websites that you have an account with that are associated with that account? How many of those do you have? And how many of them use that account ID as your primary identity key? (For example, think about how you log in to PayPal.)
How would you move your historical data to the new service? Last I heard, Facebook was actively doing everything it can to make it difficult for you to automate that sort of work.
So no, "just using a different site" does not work.
Anyone got any serious answers?
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Re: Re: Re: Easy to go elsewhere?
What, do you want some magical bot script to switch you to a new network in a few seconds?
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Re: Re: Re: Easy to go elsewhere?
Send a note to your contacts with a URL to the new place. Same way you tell people a new mailing address or cellphone.
Copy paste the history to Word if you really think its worth keeping. But really, is it? probably not in the long run
Delete fucking everything from the old site's profile and keep it around for logins to other websites if you think its absolutely necessary, otherwise take ~5 mins and setup a new account/change some account settings on the existing.
Finally- ween yourself from apparent dependence upon social networks so you can be more agile and sophisticated online.
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Look at all the services the MAFIAA has successfully destroyed, imagine that when Google turns inevitably evil. It's a scary thought.
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50/50 shot either way.
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M.
G.
i'm moving from one house to another, and it will be -like- impossible to track down everyone and tell them i've moved ! ! !
i mean, think of all the utility companies i will have to *TRY* and track down to tell them this... all the companies i do business with who will be puzzled that their junk mail no longer reaches me... how will people know my new phone number ? ? ? sweet geebus, this is totally out of control ! ! !
oh well, guess it is so insurmountable, i just cain't nebber ebber move nowhere's else, no one will be able to figure it out...
oh, and you are a fuckwad, mason jar head...
if you can't stand a gratuitous insult and four-letter words, please get the fuck outta here, pantywaist...
art guerrilla
aka ann archy
eof
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Re: Easy to go elsewhere?
gmail, just like you leave any other email service provider, you send out a mass email and setup an auto responder directing people to contact you at your new email addy.....
this has been done for decades now....if you didnt know this, many people use to change ISP's alot and thus change email addys alot because they thought like my father still does that a free email addy isnt professional...over the decades I have been doing this, I can tell you, I have helped hundreds if not thousands of people migrate email provider to email provider.....its really not that hard.....
there is no service online that cant be replaced with another.....
hell how did people change from myspace to facebook.....from your logic it couldnt happen it would be to hard.....
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One Problem With This Group is Obvious
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I fear this will only increase the lobbying and perpetuate the corruption.
But I guess this is just a sign of the times we live in.
I'll borrow a quote from a movie that I didn't think was a bad as everyone else thought it was:
"In normal times, evil would be fought by good. But in times like these, well, it should be fought by another kind of evil."
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How about this instead
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Re: How about this instead
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Re: Re: How about this instead
"Here lies an honest man and a politician."
He says, "Hey mommy, why did they bury two people in this one grave?"
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Idea
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divide & conquer
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Re: divide & conquer
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Re: divide & conquer
They bought a major copyright cancer thinking they could control it. Instead it ate away at them year by year until that company is now a proponent of DRM and hacking unauthorized rootkits onto your PC in the name of protecting a single audio CD.
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They have more influence than they realize. Just shutting down their services for a day causes major internet disruption.
ISPs have even more power. Imagine what would happen if the largest ISPs completely shut down for a day. Or disconnected the politicians proposing such laws.
The entertainment industry might have the government's ear, but the internet companies can pull the plug.
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I think that part of it also comes from where Google has been standing before. Google tried to play DC all secret, using money through various foundations and such to fund groups such as EFF to do their work for them. That isn't working, and the absence of Google particularly in the debate is seen as a big hole in discussions. Google can't hide out anymore.
It will be interesting to watch the funding levels from various sources of this group, I wouldn't be shocked to see this just be a Google mouth piece with a few dollars tossed in from other sources to call it "industry" rather than a singular company's shilling organization.
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When Internet/Tech trade groups ask to have a seat in the room where massive deals are going on that effect them (and us) that is obviously backroom suspicious evilness full of shadowy money and mouthpieces for despicable puppetmasters.
Thanks for clearing that up Anon.
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It will have competition
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Re: It will have competition
I asked that very question. The differences, as Beckerman explained it, were that (1) this would only be for larger internet companies and (2) would be a true trade association, rather than a "public interest" advocacy group or whatever. All of the ones you've listed above are more public interest groups, with the exception of Engine Advocacy, who represents small companies/entrepreneurs, and isn't a true trade association.
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It will be a force for good!
I'll give it ten years.
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Mixed feelings
I think most of us had that same reaction. It sounds like a good thing, but if you take human nature, money, and power into consideration, then this has all the makings of a future tragedy.
On the surface; the combination of Google, Amazon, eBay, and Facebook should be enough to make the MPAA and RIAA shudder in fear the next time they decide to hijack the internet through IP enforcement. But the potential for corruption is very high.
What happens when Microsoft and Apple want in?
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They just made themselves a giant target for anyone that believes in intellectual property.
I predict they'll realize their mistake and let this die a quiet death.
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Interesting timing
This might well be considered to be a manifestation of that effect.
On a related note, where's Paywall Bob and his Big Search commentary? This should be his time to shine!
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Could this work...
If they support copyright as it was first written, which was to prevent big business taking content from someone and using it to make bazillions from it while only paying the artists a pittance, i will then support them.
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And where will this organization fall on privacy issues?
And I am also going to guess that the companies collecting this data will argue in Washington that they can't make a profit if they don't collect and sell this data. We'll hear the same kinds of arguments as we have heard from big content companies in the past about how they need to be able to sell content or they can't make a living. "Facebook and Google have to do this data collection and work with advertisers or how else will they make any money?"
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