We knew it.
I mean, sure we don't track you. We don't sell your info. Hell, we don't even keep logs for too long.

But now there is proof!
According to Googles "Safe Browsing Diagnostic page" google.com has had 20 pages resulting in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent within the past 90 days. See?

http://www.google.com/safebrowsing/diag ... google.com

Now sure, the same page says that information leak hasn't been visited in 90 days. But it also says its safe and isn't hosting any malware. As the admin, I can personally vouch for that. We are way too lazy to try something stupid like that. Also, we'd have to kick our own butts for doing something mean like that, which isn't easy. Sure you can do it (I think I saw it on "fight club") but please see the aforementioned laziness as it applies to strenuous physical violence against oneself.
More posts coming soon. Sorry Ive been slacking on that front. I've been busy and when I'm not busy I'm lazy.
Peace!

I hope you all took a minute today to contact your representatives and let them know how you felt.
I hope you dont wait for the worst to happen before you do it again.

Remember, they work for you! Let them know what you think.

If you read any of my posts, you'll know that I can get pretty worked up over freedom, and this being a tech site, particularly freedom pertaining to the internet.

That being the case, after receiving 5 cut-copy emails in a row from my senator as a response to my concerns on SOPA, Ive decided that informationleak will join Reddit in utilizing the so called "nuclear option".

That is to say, from 8AM to 8PM EST on Jan 18th 2012 informationleak will also be "going dark."



Ive decided that the forums (.org) will still be functional at this time. I will be creating a thread on the topic, and hope you join the conversation.

Now I know this site isnt anywhere as huge as Reddit (we have an estimated 0.1% of their traffic) yet I still hope that the few thousand people that visit that day take some action, contact their representatives and DEMAND this bill be absolutely killed. I also hope that our visitors black out any websites they run. I hope they spread the word. I hope this turns into a wave that ultimately makes a change.

Am I living in reality for thinking this? Probably not, but ever the optimist, I have hope.

Remember, you dont have to wait until the 18th to do something. Start now.
... and dont stop.

See you later! (except on the 18th)



More info (via reddit blog post):
http://blog.reddit.com/2012/01/stopped-they-must-be-on-this-all.html
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3261/show
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/show
http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/sopa
http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/commen ... ?context=3
http://www.reddit.com/r/SOPA/comments/o ... ar_smiths/

Ways to get involved (also from reddit post cited above):
http://sopaopera.org/
http://www.reddit.com/r/sopa
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xji ... true&pli=1
http://www.reddit.com/r/SOPA/comments/n ... with_sopa/
http://americancensorship.org/
https://wfc2.wiredforchange.com/o/9042/ ... n_KEY=8173
http://www.house.gov/representatives/
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_ ... rs_cfm.cfm
http://www.reddit.com/r/SOPA/comments/n ... ?context=3

OK, Ive gotten more emails on SOPA and PROTECT IP (S. 968)/SOPA (HR. 3261) so I suppose I should at least explain what its all about to anyone reading that doesnt know.

To summarize, this will give the US government and corporations the ability to block sites over infringing links posted by their users and allow ISPs to block peoples sites.

Im a subscriber and donor to the Free Software Foundation and The Electronic Frontier Foundation and subscribe to Demand Progress. This has been buzzing lately, so its not just you guys emailing me.

The problem with this is mainly the insanity.
Here are a few examples of aforementioned insanity:

1. Internet users are at risk of going to jail for 5 years for post any copyrighted work that would cost $2,500 to license.

Keep in mind that it costs taxpayers about $37,000 per inmate per year.
Lets even pretend that the cost somehow goes way down, and the judges dont give out the full 5 year sentence. Lets say the judge gives a max of 1 year and the jail costs to the taxpayer are magically cut in half.
Thats still a cost of $18,500 to the taxpayer in jail time alone.

So this allows the taxpayer to pay 640% more than it would cost to just buy the license. Awesome... and by awesome I mean completely idiotic.

2. Because copyright is so broad, that means videos with copyrighted music in the background, kids in a school play, people singing karaoke could all be a risk.

Hahaha, yeah right. I mean, that argument is so ludicrous it shouldnt even be mentioned, right?
Except its not.

Heres a lovely case where a woman filmed her sisters birthday party at a movie theater party and some snippets from the movie playing appeared in the background. She was arrested.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/201007 ... 0047.shtml

Oh yes, then the mother that posted a 29 second video of her children dancing to the Prince tune "Let's Go Crazy" that was playing on the radio in her kitchen and waged a three-year court fight with a top record company over it.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20031782-261.html

I could go on and on, but honestly it makes me sick to know the following:

a. People are that stupid to make such big deals of such things.
b. The other people brought in (police, etc) to enforce the stupidity do so.
c. The lawyers dont say, "this isnt going to fly, stupid".
d. The courts dont say, "get out of here with your stupidity".

All because
e. Money > Law

Ok, so now youre pissed. What can YOU do?

I can hear you all out there:
"I will call my congressperson! I will write an email! I will write a letter and articulate my disdain for such shenanigans! Lets occupy Hollywood! Haha!"

Yeah thats all well and good but heres the cold hard facts.
(Genrally speaking) Your governmental representative doesnt care about you.

Sorry, I know that flies in the face of everything this country is based on, but guess what? So does a internet blacklist and jailing and suing citizens at disproportionate levels. (See: 5 years in jail for copyright infringement and $22,500 per song) What makes me say that? Ive called, emailed and written letters to two of my representatives over ACTA and ProtectIP before, and all I have gotten for my efforts are a promise to call me back from a staff member (never happened) and a canned email response that reads something like:
[quote=email]
Thanks for contacting us about [issue]. Here is a summary of [issue] in case you didnt know what it was you were talking about. We feel [issue] is very important. If you have any questions about [issue] feel free to contact us again, so we can send you this email again.
[/quote]

When I spoke to a staffer on the phone, he asked me if I was having trouble understanding the bill, and I polietly told him no I was not having trouble understanding the bill, but I believed that my representative was. I also asked for a press release or official statement from the official explaining the reasons for them to be backing the bill. Obviously there wasnt one, but I would be contacted when there was. Yeah right.

To be fair, several representatives have come out against this bill such as Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Zoe Lofgren, Darrell Issa, Jared Polis, Anna Eshoo, Mike Doyle, Doris Matsui, Mike Thompson, Lloyd Doggett, Mike Honda, George Miller, etc.

Anyways, back to what can you actually do?
Nothing.

You can do nothing because no one is willing to sacrifice in order to make change, and I can prove it.

How many of you reading this are willing to cancel your TV, phone and internet services and not see a movie, or buy any media related product (music included) for the next four years?

Heres a non-scientific poll on the number of Americans willing to do that:
Nobody.

Therefore, theres nothing you can do.

Wait, do I hear a voice in the wilderness of the net saying they are willing to step up? Whats that? You want my opinion? Fine.

First, starve the industry into submission.
Cancel your TV package. Dont go to the movies. Dont buy any more music. Dont even buy products that play media like that.
Keep that up for four years.

If enough people do this, what will happen is the following:

First they will fight you.
Then they will beg you.
Then they will restructure.
Then you will win.

The important thing is to remember that the begging part isnt the victory. Its close, but thats not it.

Heres some more predictions of some effects of a mass action like this:

Cable TV prices plummet.
Music prices plummett.
Internet access becomes faster and cheaper.
Electronics that play media become cheaper.

Why I think that would happen is a whole other novel of an article, and I may do it eventually. Probably not though. Im learning from my representatives, apparently.

Second, Make sure you are contacting your representatives. Make sure your communities are. If your representatives dont know your opinions, particularly if they are the majorities opinions, then I dont blame them for using their own poor judgement.
Once thats done, if you have no other course of action, then vote the people supporting this despite the outcries from their districts out of office. Its not enough to just not vote for them. Become active in the opponent campaign, in fact you might want to look into running yourself or finding someone sympathetic to your cause(s) to run.

So yeah, thats my rambling opinion. Im not going to bother proof reading it or checking for topic cohesion. Consider this a stream of consciousness rant and as always take it or leave it.

Heres a bunch of links. Get angry, get active, at least get informed:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111115/09233216778/ron-paul-comes-out-against-sopa-joins-other-elected-officials-saying-no-to-great-firewall-america.shtml
http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf ... 203261.pdf
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-3261
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57325 ... racy-bill/
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/10/s ... k-internet
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/11/h ... innovation
http://boingboing.net/2011/11/12/how-so ... inter.html
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news ... r-song.ars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_BMG_v._Tenenbaum

My inbox has been filled lately with people asking what I think about the net neutrality resolution, and asking me to do a post on it, etc. Heres my take:

I'd personally rather have to deal with a company than a government.

A company you can leave. You can boycott. You can use your money (or lack of it) to force the company to either change policies or cease to exist. You cant do that with governments. Once the government gets involved, thats that. There is no "other option". Its a wide sweeping generality, and theres (usually) no escaping it.

Thats my take, feel free to leave it.
-Halla