More of the same
I’m sure that there are quite a few things that I exaggerated in my last post, so I thought I’d add more thoughts about these bills and why they shouldn’t pass. After reading those links from Fark (thanks @wilw), I have come to the conclusion that the top item of concern is the DNS blocking.
If you don’t understand how DNS works, it’s the process by which your Internet-ready device changes domain names (like www.zaerion.com) to IP Addresses. Blocking a site via DNS doesn’t take the site offline. In fact, if you know the IP Address of the website, you can still get to it without any issues whatsoever. Which means all the pirates have to do is distribute a list of the IP ADdresses of their sites and it’s business as usual for them, while Johnny Q. Public is the one who gets hurt by no longer having a reliable DNS system. There are many DNS servers out there and I imagine many rogue DNS servers popping up to both fill the gap left by the blocking and to potentially steal personal information for the purposes of identity theft and credit card fraud.
As I’ve stated many times before, I am for someone protecting their copyright, (even if sometimes the big guys like the MPAA and RIAA abuse the DMCA) but please don’t destroy the Internet because you’re afraid of losing some money. Not everyone will pirate your stuff. I did. For a few years, but now I see the value in paying someone for their work. I believe that most people want to pay for things, you just have to make it easier and, more importantly, less restrictive.