The states of Massachusetts and Texas are preparing to consider bills that apparently are intended to extend the national Digital Millennium Copyright Act. (TX bill; MA bill) The bills are obviously related to each other somehow, since they are textually similar.
Here is one example of the far-reaching harmful effects of these bills. Both bills would flatly ban the possession, sale, or use of technologies that "conceal from a communication service provider ... the existence or place of origin or destination of any communication". Your ISP is a communication service provider, so anything that concealed the origin or destination of any communication from your ISP would be illegal – with no exceptions.
If you send or receive your email via an encrypted connection, you're in violation, because the "To" and "From" lines of the emails are concealed from your ISP by encryption. (The encryption conceals the destinations of outgoing messages, and the sources of incoming messages.)
Worse yet, Network Address Translation (NAT), a technology widely used for enterprise security, operates by translating the "from" and "to" fields of Internet packets, thereby concealing the source or destination of each packet, and hence violating these bills. Most security "firewalls" use NAT, so if you use a firewall, you're in violation.
If you have a home DSL router, or if you use the "Internet Connection Sharing" feature of your favorite operating system product, you're in violation because these connection sharing technologies use NAT. Most operating system products (including every version of Windows introduced in the last five years, and virtually all versions of Linux) would also apparently be banned, because they support connection sharing via NAT.
And this is just one example of the problems with these bills. Yikes.
UPDATE (6:35 PM): It's worse than I thought. Similar bills are on the table in South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alaska, Tennessee, and Colorado.
UPDATE (March 28, 9:00 AM): Clarified the paragraph above about encrypted email, to eliminate an ambiguity.
UPDATE: I now have a page with information about all of these bills, including the current status in each state.
Front page posts
Firewall = Terrorist
Freedom To Tinker has a post about a most idiotic law that is being considered by the MA and TX
No Expectation of Privacy Here
According to Ed Felton, Use a Firewall, Go to Jail (freedom-to-tinker.com). At least in Massachusetts and Texas if their law
MPAA Lobbying for State Super-DMCA Bills
The MPAA has reportedly been lobbying in favor of the overreaching state super-DMCA bills I discussed yesterday. Apparently, the MPAA has been circulating this one-pager in support of the bills. The one-pager refers to "proposed model state legislation...
Heh... Futhrer Proof the DMCA Sucks...
From Freedom to Tinker: Use a Firewall, Go to Jail
More Bad Laws
If you live in MA (or TX, SC, FL, GA, AL, TN, or CO) and use a Firewall you should...
DMCA for the State?
Over at BoingBoing I found a link to this. Evidently the states want to get in on the DMCA action.
http://www.janegalt.net/blog/archives/004067.html
I'm not a fan of the Larry Lessig "information wants to be free" school of thought on file sharing. I'm
Firewalls to be Illegal?
Well, it looks like Michael and I are not moving to Texas, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alaska, Tennessee, or
Mmmm, laws
Here's news of another of those bizarre laws that do nothing but foster disrespect for the law: Use a firewall,
Use a Firewall, Go to Jail
Boy, if you thought the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was bad, take a look at this bill working its
Network firewall? Go to jail
That's the idea behind the legislation Ed Felten's greatFreedom to Tinker discusses here. DM, before you go making Jawja jokes, be aware that Jeb Bushy's Florida is involved, too, along with 6 other states. Uh, hello? Is anybody home?
Practically any Internet use will be illegal...
Prof. Ed Felten (and Freedom to Tinker) has posted that several states, including South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alaska, Tennessee, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Texas, are considering bills to "ban the possession, sale, or use of technologies that '...
State Mini-DMCAs
As if the DMCA itself wasn't bad enough, it appears numerous states are set yo consider state-level technology-restricting acts, which
*Groan*
[EDIT: also covered here] According to this article on Freedom to Tinker, there are several bills in several states that...
Making Firewalls Illegal
Freedom to Tinker has several posts relating to a series of bills introduced in State Legislatures. These bills would make...
Firewall/NAT Illegal?
Freedom-to-Tinker has more info... link via [H]ardOCP....
Çàïðåò íà ôàéðâîëëû
Àìåðèêàíöû âñòðåâîæåíû - øòàòû Òåõàñ è Ìàññà÷óñåòòñ (à â áëèæàéøåå âðåìÿ ê íèì ïðèñîåäèíÿòñÿ 6 øòàòîâ, ñðåäè êîòîðûõ Êîëîðàäî è
Çàïðåò íà ôàéðâîëëû
Àìåðèêàíöû âñòðåâîæåíû - øòàòû Òåõàñ è Ìàññà÷óñåòòñ (à â áëèæàéøåå âðåìÿ ê íèì ïðèñîåäèíÿòñÿ 6 øòàòîâ, ñðåäè êîòîðûõ Êîëîðàäî è
Super-DMCA Bills in several states threaten, among other things, firewall
Ed Felten: Intent Requirements in the State Super-DMCA Bills, MPAA Lobbying for State Super-DMCA Bills, Use a Firewall, Go to Jail.
Firewalls soon to be illegal?
Freedom to Tinker posted this thought-provoking news story today: "The states of Massachusetts and Texas are preparing to consider bills that apparently are intended to extend the national Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The bills are obviously relat...
Clubbing The Human Spirit To Death With Credit Cards: Act II Scene Three.
For some reason I am dog-fucking-tired and declined a free meal so I could sit all saggy and deflated typing
Stop the Stupidity
It’s incredible. :rolleyes: Really. I found this on J.A.S.O.N. and I was amazed at ow the desires of one special...
Only Criminals Need NAT
Firewalls set to become illegal in many American states - including Florida, naturally. According to Prof. Felten at Freedom to...
Super-DMCA Already Passed in Michigan
Alert reader Larry Blunk reports that the state of Michigan has already passed a set of super-DMCA laws. They will take effect on March 31. Here is the text of the three new laws: 1, 2, 3. The ban on...
News laws to criminalize firewall technology
New laws on the book in several states, including GA (surprise!), would make network address translation (NAT) illegal! Seems like a new salvo in the DMCA battle to prevent connection sharing. The sinister part is that these bills are...
http://www.tallent.us/weblogx/PermaLink.aspx/f95e37eb-a340-4147-8e57-1d5ef53a8970
Ólöglegt að nota eldveggi?
Þessi grein segir frá lögum sem gætu gert það ólöglegt að nota eldvegg. Ótrúlegt. Þessi umræða hefur oft komið upp, á svipuðum nótum, varðandi dulritun og þá sérstaklega PGP. Vonandi nær þessi vitleysa ekki fram að ganga þó ég sé að verða...
Michigan Residents: Use NAT, Go to Jail
Ed Felten points out that the State of Michigan has made it a felony to use IP Masquerading, Firewall, or...
http://dotnetweblogs.com/pscott/posts/4470.aspx
Super-DMCA campaign launched
Ed Felten reported on his blog, Freedom to Tinker, two days ago that Texas and Massachusetts are both considering legislation
http://dotnetweblogs.com/pscott/posts/4470.aspx
impersonation enable=
impersonation enable=
Use a Firewall, Go to Jail
The states of Massachusetts and Texas are considering bills to extend the DMCA(Digital Millenium Copyright Act). The wording in the...
impersonation enable=
impersonation enable=
Use a Firewall, Go to Jail?
Ed Felten reports on bills in several state governments that, by definition, would seriously impede your potental privacy on the
NAT considered harmful, illegal
Freedom to Tinker: "If you have a home DSL router, or if you use the "Internet Connection Sharing" feature of
Use a firewall, go to jail
Freedom to Tinker: Use a Firewall, Go to Jail If you have a home DSL router, or if you use
Ridiculous laws
Have y'all heard they're trying to make firewalls illegal in Texas and many other states? Check out this posting on...
nat, vpn == illegal?
when’d this happen and how’d it pass? Freedom to Tinker: Super-DMCA Already Passed in Michigan last week this</a article was...
Be Afraid, Be VERY Afraid
Normally my frustration with US politics falls upon the Federal Government and very rarely beyond there. I admit there have been some exceptions (like California) but most of the time its the Federal Government making stupid laws (like the DMCA)
We're losing our rights
Sometimes I wonder why there's so much bad news around. It almost seems that everywhere I look, a law is being made that makes you question if the lawmakers actually...
As if the DMCA wasn't bad enough ...
If the State Super-DMCA laws mentioned at Freedom to Tinker actually have the consequences that he has suggested then my belief that a good government is a government that never passes any law will simply be reinforced. I take away...
Windows becomes illegal!
The DCMA (Digital Copyright Millennium Act) is a nasty little piece of legislation for many reasons; here's yet another (thanks...
VPN Outlawed in Michigan?
Some of the nerds on Slashdot are saying that this Michigan law would make VPNs illegal. The source of the /. posting is from freedom to tinker .. a technology weblog ......
Legislation in the pipeline
Looks like amongst other states, Texas is considering . They'd like to outlaw systems that conceal your identity on the internet. These would include such things as firewalls and VPNs which is absolutely laughable. Though, I must say, I can't...
Use a Firewall/NAT/VPN? You're going to jail
I've been hearing alot about this lately and just thought I'd pass it along. Apparently, if you use a Firewall, VPN, NAT device, encryption, or try to do anything anonymously with a computer or phone in MA, TX, SC, FL, GA, AL, TN, or CO... you co...
More DMCA mayhem
Thanks again to Declan McCullagh for bringing to light more fair-use-busting legislation under the umbrella of the DMCA. This one is so ridiculous as to be comical were it not for the fact that U.S. state legislators are already lining up behind it lik...
More thoughts on the the Super DCMA
:POTDS:033103:POTDM:033103:POTDE: I agree with Travis, I read the bill and it seems to be going after those who are stealing...
More DMCA Sillyness
I've been hesitant about posting this, but it seems like these laws could be abused. I'm still not convinced they
Is this really happening...?!
My friend Jeremy Lueck pointed me to this post on Freedom to Tinker. Here are the vital points: The states...