SOPA

Going Nuclear to Stop SOPA?

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Yes, apparently very big names in internet technology are talking about doing just that.

Imagine what it'd mean if for a day, a week, or more when people went to Google they got a big, obvious warning that their was an effort to get rid of Google, to restrain them, to turn Google into a kind of cop, etc.  Imagine nice, location-based service being used to tell them just what Congressperson to call, and some helpful numbers.

Imagine it happening on several big sites like, say, Amazon.

This is a subject, that, apparently, has been broached among SOPA opponents.  The nuclear option.

Will it get to that?  In my opinion, no.  Partially because SOPA seems to be on the rocks, partially because SOPA is now an embarassment that is easier to make go away and then bring back.

But the fact it's even being discussed is important:

  • It shows that some companies/sites/orgs are willing to even consider the threat.  That's huge – it's essentially turning their entire business model into a lobbying model.  Discussing that is alone revolutionary.
  • It could be done easy.  Here's the funny thing with these internet businesses – they can turn their sites into protest sites with a few coders, a day of work, and little effort.  This is equvalent to a restaurant change being able to completely alter their signage, restaurant layout, and employee greeting within 24 hours worldwide.  The internet-based businesses can adapt a lot quicker to get their message out as the site is the source of contact.
  • If something like this happened, rather oddly, it may bring up Net Neutrality issues big time.  That could, ironically, be a win-win for some companies – but means the nuclear option can get used once.  Which is kind of assumed.
  • In no way do I think a lot of politicos or lobbyists get what the nuclear option would mean.  I've often talked about things going "meme" recently, and these sites could indeed create a meme-system about SOPA, Protect IP, and more.  These companies can influence thought very quickly, and that's not being considered by politicians.
  • A nuclear option like this would work once, and then politicians (and SOPA supporters) would essentially freak out.  At that point unless they were cowed (which I'm not sure would happen), it'd likely result in open political warfare – then again, that may play to the advantage of the anti-SOPA crowd.
  • Keep in mind this option could be used for other political reasons in the future.

– Steven Savage

 

SOPA/PIPA And More

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Yes, more SOPA/PIPA news. Yeah, I know.

The bill is still active, but as support flees the chance to kill it completely increases. I'm also expecting some recriminations from those claiming support of people who weren't told they were supporting it.

– Steven Savage

Oh Daddy – A roundup of the latest GoDaddy/SOPA mess

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Where to start.  We'll I'll start by mentioning there were other issues capturing my attention, but I am merely one man, albeit a handsome and charming one with a killer fedora.

Anyway, so let's see where we are.

GoDaddy has been accused of slowing domain name transfers, mostly by happy rival Namecheap who's been benefiting from their troubles.  GoDaddy has responded that they have not exactly slowed them, but put some limits in place due to "nefarious" activity.  I'm honestly not sure how much they're hurting, but they seem concerned – and really, using the word "nefarious" is bad PR.

It appears GoDaddy has been happy to turn off domains before for minor conditions.  This is one complaint, but it's interesting to read.  If there are more issues like this they may come to light.

There's an attempt to organize a "Dump GoDaddy Day" on the 29th of December.

Yeah, I know.

Takeaways:

  • I'm not sure how much this is hurting GoDaddy money-wise.  I've not seen reliable long-term numbers (well long-term for how short-term this is).  It is clear they are at least worried.
  • They've gotten a black eye in the internet-savvy community – essentially their bad action has become meme.  This is nearly impossible to recover from.  They may not be defeated or destroyed, but they will be marked.
  • The domain-name transfer throttling doesn't necessarily have to be true – people will assume it is due to their actions and attitude.  That's a sign of bad PR.
  • Speaking of PR, theirs is abysmal.  This is a great example of what not to do, PR-wise.
  • If the story about the domain closing noted above is true, and other stories are out there that are similar, it will fuel further bad will towards them.  Wait to see if there are other disgruntled people out there.
  • Seeing how NameCheap jumped on this is a reminder of how fast business can change when so much is electronic.  You can be riding on top and then get upset very, very quickly – because people can take advantage of your problems/mistakes/stupidity very fast.

– Steven Savage