(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Here in the UK ISPs have been ordered to block ThePirateBay, and there are discussions on-going to introduce an opt-in scheme for accessing adult material i.e. pornography. Across the pond there was the whole SOPA fiasco, and bills like that seem to keep cropping up at the hands of the entertainment industry.

So NGU, how do you feel about this? Is it justified and responsible or is it a slippery slope towards censorship?

Opinions welcome.

While it sucks that its blocked it seems justifyed. People used it to get programs and movies and more for free frequently... I am guilty of doing that myself. You can still acess it through proxys so its not all that bad. I dont see what them trying to prevent illigal torrents has to do with privacy realy though.

I made a thread about it before, it's the fact that the internet is being controlled by the highest bidder.

slippery slope towards censorship!

Censorship however unwanted is inevitable. The internet has made getting movies, music, games, programs, far easier than it has in the past, and the companies are still unable to control this media. Such bills are being presented, because businesses are threatened by the potential loss of revenue, yet they spend millions suing file sharers to recover money they will never get. It seems far more likely that all this is, is the eroding of any freedom replaced by a more ridged system of law. Capitalism at its best. The golden rule applies, he who has the gold, makes the rules.

This is why I'm so against filtering of the internet for absolutely any reason. There's almost always an unjust reason behind it and it is indeed a slippery slope.

What's sad is that so many people don't realise that between freedom and copyright(and everything like it) freedom should always win.

Agreed, I understand the reason for it, but cannot agree with its continued use in blocking freedom. Freedom is hard for them to deal with as it allows influences outside of order, and law. They cannot control information, or people, so they enlist archaic ideas to enforce modern forms of communication.

Ben Franklin said it best. Those who give up freedom for a little security deserve neither.

I dont like the blocking of sites, i think opt ins are much better. If you dont like it, dont see it.

Yep. Honestly, it's things like this that has to have a defined limitation without loopholes and several years spent going over and over with thousands of people ensuring that the written bill/law is not flawed and does not infringe upon the people.

Yes, I do agree that downloading is a wrong act, it is in a form, stealing. By stealing, it is stealing the money that should have been sent to the company but at the same time, it is the company that puts these songs out way over priced.

I think the way that they are going about this will lead them to doing other things that they should not even be thinking about. It is a global economy, I would hate to be the developer or producer of something and have millions stripped from me because people keep downloading my software for free but at the same time, if you are going to sell a piece of software for 300 dollars when you can sell it for 100 and get 5x the amount of people interested in the same product, which then means rather than having 1 buy for 300, you have 5 buy for 100, which means profit in the end.

Everything is overprices right now and these companies keep asking why people are starting to download more and more and buy less and less. I walk into my local store that carries music, they have good bands but when I see 14 bucks for a CD, I find that too expensive. I can buy a game for 5 dollars more that I can play for 100 hours where as the music is only about 1 hour in total and dies after 50 immediate listens.

The industries need to change their methods, I think that the censorship needs to be looked over.

That doesn't mean that copyright issues should be entirely neglected, though. Hence why they're trying to find a balance, yet when they do everyone assumes it will lead to censorship.

Whether you're against 'the corporation' or not, these record labels have a right (as do the artists) to have their work paid for.