FUCK! - "The Federal Online Identity Sanctions Act" passed!
 

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:H.R.3632:

Just a short blurb in one of EPIC's newsletters.

This law creates significant risks for people who run websites that
they might commit some sort of Intellectual Property thoughtcrime and
find themselves facing willful infringement charges simply because they
gave a fake phone number on their DNS registration. Its hard to see
what purpose this serves in terms of Internet crime. Criminals usually
don't need domain names, and its doubtful that this law is going to
influence them to be forthcoming with contact information when they do
use them.

This should irk everyone here...

Title II: Fraudulent Online Identity Sanctions - Fraudulent Online Identity Sanctions Act - (Sec. 202) Amends the Trademark Act of 1946 and Federal copyright law to make it a a rebuttable presumption that a trademark violation or copyright infringement was committed willfully for purposes of determining relief if the violator, or a person acting in concert, knowingly provided or caused to be provided materially false contact information to a domain name registration authority in registering, maintaining, or renewing a domain name used in connection with the violation or infringement.

(Sec. 204) Requires the maximum imprisonment otherwise provided for a felony offense to be doubled or increased by seven years, whichever is less, if the defendant knowingly falsely registers and uses a domain name in the course of the offense. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend the sentencing guidelines with respect to a conviction for the false registration and use of a domain name during the course of a felony.

Guess we can toss private domain registrations out the window. :mad: :mad: :mad:

So much for innocent before proven guilty.

I can rape a chick while running a meth lab and get less time.

OK, it appears this isn't law, yet!

But here's more information on what's going on...

http://news.com.com/2010-1028-5155054.html

The U.S. Congress is hard at work trying to punish Internet users who value their privacy.

That's not how Capitol Hill politicians describe a new bill introduced last week, of course, but that's what it would accomplish if it becomes law.

Called the Fraudulent Online Identity Sanctions Act, the measure would increase prison sentences by up to seven years in criminal cases if someone provided "material and misleading false contact information to a domain name registrar, domain name registry, or other domain name registration authority." That's a reference to the Whois database that lists information about who owns each domain name.

In civil lawsuits, such as when the movie studios or the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sue someone over copyright infringement, the bill would make it far easier for them to claim $150,000 in damages for each violation.

The justification? To make it easier to track down miscreants. "The government must play a greater role in punishing those who conceal their identities online, particularly when they do so in furtherance of a serious federal criminal offense or in violation of a federally protected intellectual property right," Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said during a hearing in a copyright subcommittee last week. (The co-sponsor is Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., best known for his carefully thought-out proposal to permit copyright holders assail computers suspected of copyright infringement.)

[More at the URL above...]

:mad: :mad: :mad:

its good people cant hide in the real business world you can reach any business with a phone book no hiding.

Oh man, that's scary.

Stuff like that sucks especialy if you are a single girl model such as myself.. it really invites stalkers in.

I can see it now.

" Close Cell #1298! Door clanks shut." Geeky type slightly overweight gys standing in the middle of the room holding his new prison clothes confronted by a 6ft 7inch muscle bound guy. The Geek loosk that the Muscle man and squeeks " What are you in for?" Mr. Muscle replies. "I did not put the correct phone number on the domain registration info, and got 10 years." Whew! Mr Geeks says. " I only got 5 for cutting the head off of my boss."

I know exactly what you mean. It's a real problem for us.

You can blame the scumbag crooks on the web who swipe from people and hide.

I'm old school internet from wayyyyy back in the 80's. There's no way to totally hide your shit on the web. Now it's gonna be harder.