Lawmaking
There have been many bills, passed or forgotten, that have caused major changes to how the internet works in various regions.
- CISPA - 2011-???: Allows the US Government, the FBI/CIA or other police agencies, and even random companies to collect and read personal data for arbitary "cybersecurity" purposes. It voids all laws and rulings of US law to allow these searches. Currently passed in the House, pending in the Senate, and a veto threatened by Obama.
- ACTA - 2007-???: An international treaty organization led by the US to get all member states to enforce strong laws against copy"right" infringement and counterfeiting, especially that involving computers.
- OPEN - I Can't Believe It's Not SOPA! Rep. Darrel Issa's alternative to SOPA, which merely cuts off funding to suspected websites. Implications are still under review.
- DMCA - 1998: The first major law passed in support of Copywrong. Provides provisions for taking down infringing websites and suing filesharers. It also provides "safe harbors", where the websites are not responsible for the actions of users.
- PATRIOT ACT - 2005: A law that calls for increased surveillance of suspected terrorists.
- SOPA/PIPA (PROTECT IP) - 2011-12: Two bills that would take down websites instantly as soon as it was accused of a single count of copyright infringement. Was not passed due to severe opposition from internet communities of the time, but is still up for debate.
- Tim Couch - A US Representative who led a crusade against Anonymous, and
- Copywrong - The abuse of copyright law to restrict innovation and dampen competition.
- Arab Spring - The internet was an important part of these 2011 revolutions in the Middle East, with dictators attempting to enforce a blackout.
- 2011 British Riots - The encrypted Blackberry Messaging system and other sites like Twitter and Facebook was essential to the severity and longetivity of these riots. It sparked widespread debate about the use of such services, and whether they should be monitored or locked down.