These days, everybody knows about the HD-DVD stories. That Digg removed the stories and suspended users referring to the code. That the USA PATRIOT Act restricts our civil liberties. Just emerging, though, are the following: Bush submitting a bill to allow spying on legal residents of the United States, a meeting of the Department of Homeland Stupidity Security on the Real ID card, and lastly on a tape found ordering National Guard officers to open fire on students protesting the Vietnam War.

Digg and HD-DVD.

[14:55] <Digit_> Twas an intense day for Mr. Rose
[14:55] <+StevenBao> Indeed.

09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0. A code that sparked a revolution in the community of Digg and beyond Digg. Following a cease-and-desist order from a certain company *cough*, Digg removed articles related to the code.

We’ve been notified by the owners of this intellectual property that they believe the posting of the encryption key infringes their intellectual property rights. In order to respect these rights and to comply with the law, we have removed postings of the key that have been brought to our attention. (Jay Adelson, CEO of Digg. from)

Adelson said that it was done “in order for Digg to survive” and “to protect Digg from exposure to lawsuits that could very quickly shut [Digg] down.”

Then came the users’ revolt.

The users of Digg quickly posted more and more of the code on Digg - eventually flooding Digg with stories and comments about the code. Then, Digg yielded.

You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company.
Kevin Rose, Founder of Digg

…today was a difficult day for us. We had to decide whether to remove stories containing a single code based on a cease and desist declaration. We had to make a call, and in our desire to avoid a scenario where Digg would be interrupted or shut down, we decided to comply and remove the stories with the code…

…But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.

Seeing the community in a revolt, Digg decided to yield to the users. Kevin Rose posted the article on the Digg Blog May 1 at 9pm – footing the (proverbial or literal) bill for its users actions.

This, my friends, is an excellent example on the power of the user and the power of the community. The users wanted a free, unobstructed flow of information – regardless of the legality of said information. Digg, nearing a lawsuit on their hands, thought otherwise; users revolted.

Digg tried to control the users – and failed. They failed because the users had the power in the democratic system that they implemented that was the backbone of their system. Users were able to clutter the website with rebellious stories. Digg might have suffered more damage from its users than by a lawsuit. That’s what a democratic system is – controlled mostly by the users that compose it.

Whether or not the information on it is legal, the internet is currently the final frontier of free information No other medium is less censored than the internet; we’re able to post anything we want (consequences holding true) on it. I’m able to write and publish this article publicly. (You’ll know the significance later.)

The internet was founded on the principled that information should be free and unrestricted. Every day, however, more and more walls are built to restrict these free exchanges of information to be shared with people. RIAA. MPAA. Government. FBI. NSA. Organizations whose interests is to ‘protect’ by restricting the freedoms of the people. It was created to let us &nash; the users – control what happens on the internet. It was created to let us have freedoms on the last frontier of information communication. If it wasn’t created to do so before – its purpose is to do so now.

WE are the ones controlling the communication of information on the internet, and we are not to be obstructed by third parties whose interests are to stop and interrupt the movement of information and thus the movement of freedom. They are trying to interrupt how we use the information we are given. They are controlling the information that we are given in the first place..

The Internet is a terrible thing to waste.

We are controlled. We are controlled by the government in our lives. More recently, the information we are presented on the internet with is controlled. We’re are (and internet content in general is) censored in many ways. We need to take action to eliminate control imposed on us on the internet by third parties.

Government Eavesdropping.

Case in Point: Bush submits a bill to allow non-warranted eavesdropping on legal residents of the United States, on top of all of the privacy-violating (but of course ‘legal’) actions by the administration.

For more than five years, President Bush authorized government spying on phone calls and e-mail to and from the United States without warrants. He rejected offers from Congress to update the electronic eavesdropping law, and stonewalled every attempt to investigate his spying program.

Suddenly, Mr. Bush is in a hurry. He has submitted a bill that would enact enormous, and enormously dangerous, changes to the 1978 law on eavesdropping. It would undermine the fundamental constitutional principle — over which there can be no negotiation or compromise — that the government must seek an individual warrant before spying on an American or someone living here legally.

In addition - “The courts have rejected his claim that 9/11 gave him virtually unchecked powers.” and - “According to the administration, the bill contains “long overdue” FISA modifications to account for changes in technology.”

It would allow the government to collect vast amounts of data at will from American citizens’ e-mail and phone calls. The Center for National Security Studies said it might even be read to permit video surveillance without a warrant.

“This is a dishonest measure, dishonestly presented, and Congress should reject it. Before making any new laws, Congress has to get to the truth about Mr. Bush’s spying program.” - However, what’s next? An executive order much like the Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution? (”Article 48 was used by Adolf Hitler in 1933 to establish a dictatorship, ending the Weimar Republic and ushering in the Third Reich.”)

Another party controlling the internet and our communications in general. The government is controlling our communication - or rather, intercepting it.

Freedom of Assembly?

In case you forgot, here’s the Bill of Rights, First Amendment, depicting our freedoms.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Four Kent State students were killed and nine were wounded in the 1970 clash, which followed several days of Vietnam War protests. Four years later, eight Guardsmen were acquitted of federal civil rights charges.

Where have our civil liberties and rights gone?

He said that just before the 13-second volley of gunfire, a voice on the tape is heard yelling, “Right here! Get Set! Point! Fire!“

Please reply to these statements – hopefully I won’t be shut down too soon.