Your New Years Resolution: Tell The EU Not To Undermine The Foundations Of The Internet

from the do-it-now dept

Wed, Dec 30th 2015 6:15pm — Mike Masnick

For a few weeks now, we've been telling you about a worrisome EU consultation on regulating the internet. That consultation was supposed to end today -- but it's been extended a week. As we noted recently, the survey technology built by the EU Commission had a major bug in it, meaning that many people had their submissions rejected. Based on this, we requested that they extend the survey. We got back two separate responses, the first telling us that they were very sorry, but it would be "impossible" to extend the survey. The second response was that they had agreed to extend the survey one week... but only for people who had run into problems. Given the two conflicting responses, I asked for more information on this (including how they would keep it open only for those people). I also asked if they were planning to announce this anywhere. I was told that it would likely be impossible to make an announcement, and I never heard anything else, as I believe many left for the holidays.

However, the survey's website now lists January 6th as the final date for submissions, which means that, without any public announcement whatsoever, they've extended the submission period by a week. So, for those of you who have not done it yet, you now have a New Year's resolution: go to our guide at Dontwreckthe.net, and follow along as you fill out the survey.

Yes, the survey is horrible and confusing. But this is really important, because regulations that come out of this could be a huge mess for the future of the internet. Also, we've heard from two separate sources (one on the Commission and one in the EU Parliament) that if you fill out the survey and then use the reference number provided to you to email in further thoughts (via a "position paper") the Commission is required to read it. So, yes, even if some of the questions are nonsensical, you have a chance after-the-fact to explain yourself (and we'd recommend doing that as well).

So, yes, it's boring and seems silly, but we urge you to find some time in the next few days and tell the EU Commission not to mess up the internet.

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Filed Under: consultation, don't wreck the net, eu, eu commission, platforms, secondary liability

12 Comments

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p0g0, 31 Dec 2015 @ 5:45am

A remarkably bad survey instrument
As Mike noted in the article, the survey is painfully long and essentially biased to the point of being a poster child for how to not construct a real analytic instrument. None the less, I'd encourage folks to wade through it. There are dialog boxes that you can use to express details that the question set excludes. Eventually, you can get a copy to print. The 33 pages should impress/scare/worry your friends.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2015 @ 6:03am

It's horrible and tries to goad you into agreeing with the new policies.
It also wants personal details such as your address. For the thought-police database no doubt. /s
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2015 @ 6:59am

The natural flow of government...
is to tyranny! The people in the EU checked out quite some time ago and now they are seeing what their own liberal policies are doing to their countries.

the EU is a monument to the foolishness of multiculturalism and it will soon fall into the hands of their worst enemy!
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2015 @ 11:14am

Re: The natural flow of government...
We didn't check out sometime ago.
We were never included from the start.

They only did a token attempt at inclusion when people started to complain. Then when even that token ran into problem despite Goebbels levels of propaganda (both the referendum in the Netherlands and Ireland) they dumped even that token, strongarmed Ireland (you will keep voting until you vote yes) and bypassed the Dutch people (It is a different agremeent then then one you voted on, honest) to ram what they wanted through anyhow.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2015 @ 2:09pm

Never forget, they drew first blood.
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Leigh Beadon (profile), 1 Jan 2016 @ 8:09pm

Re: The natural flow of government...
"Liberal policies" are not the problem. Wrongheaded and shortsighted attempts to improperly regulate technology come from all points on the political spectrum.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Jan 2016 @ 8:27pm

Re: Re: The natural flow of government...
naw, you guys have been checked out for quite some time. Just like us here in America. After WWII we checked out as well. Since then we have been flailing like mad to stay in control of the world in the interests of preventing WWIII. The problem with this logic is that the actions we are taking to prevent WWIII are becoming the actions that will cause it.

We are proving the idea that you are either the enemy or you wind up living long enough to become the enemy. Sadly we have all been so used to this way of life that we lack a way to have perspective.

This world is filled to the brim with evil humans, the majority in fact are evil. People often refuse to accept this and instead try to fight the truth by exclaiming how much civilization has built for itself. The sad thing is that people really forget that being evil is not always about taking over the world and mass murder. We often work in symphony with evil so much that we begin to fail to properly identify it, a lot of people know this because they have bosses, they have to teach their children to share because greed is nature and part of our survival instincts. Just like racism and all other forms of bigotry we have to constantly work to prevent our base selves from falling victim to our fears!

You can easily look at today's politicians fall prey to human fear easily.
they are afraid of their own citizens due to excessive surveillance.
they are afraid of negative public opinion and say and do anything to look good regardless of whether or not the actual outcome of a law IS good.
citizens live in fear of the unknown and will constantly pressure everyone and anything to give them more and more things until THEY are at the top of the food chain, even if that accession is a Pyrrhic one. Here are two examples, the left would easily destroy this nation in the pursuit of an impossible Utopian welfare state. The right would easily destroy society in the pursuit of corporate greed and interests!
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Jan 2016 @ 8:45pm

Re: Re: The natural flow of government...
I did not say liberal policies, there are some liberal policies I agree with, just not the foolishness that is multiculturalism.

Conservative, Liberal, Marxist, Communist, or your favorite ism here all have good and bad policies. The problem is marrying your self to one is irrational and the primary cause of the political divide in EVERY nation. If we cannot even get along in regards to politics why in the fuck to people think that multiculturalism will ever work.

We will riot and destroy over our favorite sports winning/losing. Multiculturalism never had and never will have a chance.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2016 @ 7:08am

Social Policy != Protocol Implementation
The foundation of the Internet is its protocols. Yes we are aware they suck right now. Yes we are fixing them. Yes we are aware that political hooligans are poncing around with other peoples data because the protocols are busted. Please be advised that that this is being addressed in the next revision.

-Thank you very much for your patience.
-The Internet.
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02210, 2 Jan 2016 @ 11:36am

02210
Considering a lot of EU coutries want thier data stored locally, these things will natrually take time.I do not think this unreasonable.
The internet was invented in the EU after all.

We have a ridiculous system where certain services that we may have a dispute with in the future, require us to fly 2-3000 miles + to resolve at not inconsiderable cost.

Try to imagine to boot being on the other foot at least!
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anonymous Dutch coward, 3 Jan 2016 @ 1:54am

no!
"You want new regulation, right right?"

NO, NO and NO.

It took me 3 days, but I filled it in and no I don't believe it does matter. The "survey" is as horrible as it is described here and a warning for things to come. We were never included from the start and I feel we are getting less democratic with the year.

Happy new year /s.
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Ninja (profile), 4 Jan 2016 @ 2:31am

Re: A remarkably bad survey instrument
The good thing is, even if the thing is severely biased and poised to produce the results a 'select group' wants they must allow AND read the comments. So yes, one should not be deterred by the apparent bias.
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