The “TikTok” bill is a sneak attack - criminalizing VPNs, internet privacy (remember SOPA/PIPA?)

[Blue3]

I just really hope this sees protests similar to SOPA/PIPA.

If anyone finds petitions, please send here.

We need to get more politicians who are actually young enough to correctly understand the Internet, and the impacts of bills like this, into Congress.

I don’t usually protest, but if anyone knows of a DC based protest against this please send notice. We must stop this overreach!

I missed this. But I did email my two senators and congressperson today, via their government websites.

Great! If enough people email some low level staffer will take note and it could eventually spread upwards. I am guessing most staffers (of the Democratic offices) also are against this anyways.

Not all Democratic senators and congresspeople are.

I've gotten a voicemail from my U.S. Senator in the past when I've emailed them.

Even just raising awareness that these are issues, and that people care about them, can make a difference.

These kinds of bad bipartisan bills tend to pass when they're not scrutinized, when people don't fully realize what's in them.

Emailing your representatives on something universally known and polarized, like abortion or single-payer healthcare, is probably pointless. But not on issues like this.

[It’s so Joever]

I just really hope this sees protests similar to SOPA/PIPA.

If anyone finds petitions, please send here.

We need to get more politicians who are actually young enough to correctly understand the Internet, and the impacts of bills like this, into Congress.

I don’t usually protest, but if anyone knows of a DC based protest against this please send notice. We must stop this overreach!

I missed this. But I did email my two senators and congressperson today, via their government websites.

Great! If enough people email some low level staffer will take note and it could eventually spread upwards. I am guessing most staffers (of the Democratic offices) also are against this anyways.

Not all Democratic senators and congresspeople are.

I've gotten a voicemail from my U.S. Senator in the past when I've emailed them.

Even just raising awareness that these are issues, and that people care about them, can make a difference.

These kinds of bad bipartisan bills tend to pass when they're not scrutinized, when people don't fully realize what's in them.

Emailing your representatives on something universally known and polarized, like abortion or single-payer healthcare, is probably pointless. But not on issues like this.

I know I said staffers.

[Blue3]

I just really hope this sees protests similar to SOPA/PIPA.

If anyone finds petitions, please send here.

We need to get more politicians who are actually young enough to correctly understand the Internet, and the impacts of bills like this, into Congress.

I don’t usually protest, but if anyone knows of a DC based protest against this please send notice. We must stop this overreach!

I missed this. But I did email my two senators and congressperson today, via their government websites.

Great! If enough people email some low level staffer will take note and it could eventually spread upwards. I am guessing most staffers (of the Democratic offices) also are against this anyways.

Not all Democratic senators and congresspeople are.

I've gotten a voicemail from my U.S. Senator in the past when I've emailed them.

Even just raising awareness that these are issues, and that people care about them, can make a difference.

These kinds of bad bipartisan bills tend to pass when they're not scrutinized, when people don't fully realize what's in them.

Emailing your representatives on something universally known and polarized, like abortion or single-payer healthcare, is probably pointless. But not on issues like this.

I know I said staffers.

I thought you were (are?) being snarky/sarcastic.

[It’s so Joever]

I just really hope this sees protests similar to SOPA/PIPA.

If anyone finds petitions, please send here.

We need to get more politicians who are actually young enough to correctly understand the Internet, and the impacts of bills like this, into Congress.

I don’t usually protest, but if anyone knows of a DC based protest against this please send notice. We must stop this overreach!

I missed this. But I did email my two senators and congressperson today, via their government websites.

Great! If enough people email some low level staffer will take note and it could eventually spread upwards. I am guessing most staffers (of the Democratic offices) also are against this anyways.

Not all Democratic senators and congresspeople are.

I've gotten a voicemail from my U.S. Senator in the past when I've emailed them.

Even just raising awareness that these are issues, and that people care about them, can make a difference.

These kinds of bad bipartisan bills tend to pass when they're not scrutinized, when people don't fully realize what's in them.

Emailing your representatives on something universally known and polarized, like abortion or single-payer healthcare, is probably pointless. But not on issues like this.

I know I said staffers.

I thought you were (are?) being snarky/sarcastic.

No I’m not. Constituent correspondence is usually dealt with by staffers in a lot of offices. That’s not a bad thing, I wouldn’t want a congressman to be spending all day replying to emails either. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t help because as I said, if enough people do it…it will be noticed.

[nerd73]

Reminder that Tammy Baldwin is a co-sponsor of the legislation.

[GoTfan]

Reminder that Tammy Baldwin is a co-sponsor of the legislation.

Very rare Baldwin L.

[Fuzzy Bear]

The “RESTRICT Act”

contains “insanely broad” language and could lead to other apps or communications services with connections to foreign countries being banned in the U.S., multiple digital rights experts told Motherboard.

The bill could have implications not just for social networks, but potentially security tools such as virtual private networks (VPNs) that consumers use to encrypt and route their traffic, one said. Although the intention of the bill is to target apps or services that pose a threat to national security, these critics worry it may have much wider implications for the First Amendment.


Horrifying, but it makes sense..

Anyone remember SOPA or PIPA?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_SOPA_and_PIPA

It makes sense, they’re trying again, 11 years later. TikTok and nationalism are the new excuse. Trying to get the old idea (end of Internet liberty/privacy) passed, with shiny new package.

When they say "The Devil is in the details!" they had this particular bill in mind.