Taken from
http://www.stoppoliceware.org/
Quote:
The CBDTPA is a bill (S. 2048) proposed in Congress by Senators Fritz Hollings (D-SC) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), along with Senators Daniel Inouye (D-HI), John Breaux (D-LA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). The acronym stands for "Consumer Broadband and Digital Television Promotion Act". Note that the CBDTPA was originally known as the "SSSCA" while in draft form.
The law would force all new personal computers and digital home entertainment devices sold in the United States to have government-approved "policeware" built-in.
This policeware would restrict your use of copyrighted material on these devices -- including music files and CD's, video clips, DVD's, e-books, and more.
Who could go to Jail?
You, if you're one of the millions of Americans who uses your computers to burn music CD's, listen to MP3's, share video files, etc. You'd face up to five years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine.
Think you'd be able to get around the law by removing the policeware from your personal computer? Think again -- anyone who defies the government by disabling or tampering with the policeware on their own computer, in the privacy of their own home or business, would also face five years in the slammer.
Since alternative operating systems like Linux and FreeBSD would most likely refuse to incorporate government policeware into their code, users of these open-source systems would also be eligible for hard time.
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All I have to say is dot dot dot... I understand trying to keep internet piracy to a low number, but I think this is a bit extreme.
$500,000? 5 YEARS in jail?
This is going a bit too far. Not to mention the outrageousness of the whole "Users of linux/freebsd" crap, basically any unix programmer just lost his job, because now it's "illegal" to use operating systems other than windows/mac.
The question at hand is this.
Is this bill going to infringe upon our right to be "free"?
Is the "PoliceWare" the same as being under constant surveillance?
What do YOU think of this, agree/disagree.