Twitter Starts Withholding Rather Than Deleting Copyright-Infringing Tweets 39
A reader writes "Twitter is now withholding tweets when people complain they contain or link to copyright-infringing material, rather than deleting them. The company's legal policy manager, Jeremy Kessel, said in a tweet on Saturday that the shift offers Twitter users 'more transparency' in the way the service processes copyright reports. This is because other users can now see what was removed and why, rather than just not being able to see the message. The copyright notices that Twitter receives can be seen on the Chilling Effects website, where the firm posts all such messages with personal details excised. Some call for messages to be axed because they contain a copyrighted image, while others note that certain tweets contain links to unlawful copies of games and other media on the web. Other types of censorship can also be seen on Twitter's Chilling Effects page, notably instances where certain messages had to be withheld in certain countries due to local laws regarding privacy or political freedom."
Friggin' legalese (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Its still there, alive and kicking. its just you have to go looking for it, its not avaiable to the 'click and droolers'.
Re: (Score:2)
Its still there, alive and kicking. its just you have to go looking for it, its not avaiable to the 'click and droolers'.
In four words: Usenet, IRC, Tor, Freenet.
Re: (Score:2)
While i agree both are options, Usenet and IRC are both quite trackable, and Usenet is nothing like it used to be, due to censorship by most carriers.
You did leave out I2P however. It belongs with Tor and Freenet, 'our' future, for free expression on the network.
Re: (Score:3)
It really is depressing, I've found myself wondering whether the smart move is to ensure I have no real assets, so if I am taken to court over something I can just
Re: (Score:1)
Being too poor to sue does seem to be the only deterrent.
Don't stay poor. Use only cash so nobody will ever know how much money you have ($1 or $1m...)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Where are the days of the 90s internet ??
They're in the 1990's. Perhaps you can telnet yourself back there.
Good Move (Score:5, Informative)
For those who can't be bothered to even read the summary, this is not more censorship, it can actually be seen as less.
Instead of deleting the tweet whole, they'll be logging the deletions at Chilling Effects.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
So the place ( the internet ) we had for ourselves, as a true nearly-free place, is gone -- and ruled by lawyers and legalese. THAT is my point.
And you expected it to last forever?
No, no, I want you to seriously think about this before you answer. You really, honestly believed that a free and open no-rules society would never be invaded by undesirables taking advantage of that nature, that a society which requires a very large financial investment to continue its existence (infrastructure, international routing, uptime, speed advancements, etc) would be free of any intervention from the only entities with the finances to support such functionality
Re: (Score:3)
So the place ( the internet ) we had for ourselves, as a true nearly-free place, is gone -- and ruled by lawyers and legalese. THAT is my point.
The Internet is not a place, and never was. It is, and always has been, a network of computing devices. When those devices are operated by an entity that is subject to a nation's laws, they are required to comply with those laws, and this has always been the case.
While the culture of Internet users has long enjoyed its "Wild West" anarchy, the eventual expansion of civilization and enforcement will not be stopped, because it comes with the order and security that people like so much.
Someday, people will mak
Re: (Score:2)
While the culture of Internet users has long enjoyed its "Wild West" anarchy, the eventual expansion of civilization and enforcement will not be stopped, because it comes with the order and security that people like so much.
If by "the eventual expansion of civilization and enforcement" you mean 'rules and regulations put into place at the behest of monied interests.
The GP has a point. We used to have the internet to ourselves, until the copyright and trademark owners decided they didn't like how things looked, so they bribed^w lobbied until they got the rules they wanted.
I mean, have you seen the current batch of SOPA/PIPA/ACTA copyright laws being pushed?
When Big Business discovered that the DMCA meant they had to spend time
Re: (Score:1)
It's still a blockage that desperately needs to be cleared or circumvented. The message needs to be sent to the whole world that all censorship of any kind will not be tolerated, no matter who feels offended.
Re: (Score:2)
The amount of censorship that is actually happening is the same. The difference is, now it's easier for people to find out that it is happening, and (at least in general terms) why.
So while it's not less censorship as such, it is an improvement.
But Not Threats (Score:2)
But they don't seem to care about explicit threats to presidential candidate's lives, nor incitements to riot either.
How can a tweet infringe copyright? (Score:2)
No work less than 150 characters should be able to receive copyright in the first place.
Re: (Score:2)
You don't have to quote an entire work to infringe copyright. Also, linking an pirated work will earn you a takedown notice.
And yes, I know that a brief quote is often considered "fair use". But that's not an official rule, just a popular rule-of-thumb.
(And we're back on the "I know the law as well as any fucking lawyer" trope.)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Either way, the point is the same. The person is just telling you that there is something illegal. Whither or not you choose to break the law with that information is up to you, not the person that told you. Hold
Copyright? (Score:2)
When you go to ChillingEffects, the lead post is about suppressing anti-Semitic tweets originating in France.
only 38 comments after one day (Score:2)
It's interesting, that where there's good news we don't want to comment on that.