Homeland Security arrests Internet user for linking to other sites (FDL)

[chill_wind]

Documents Unearthed: Homeland Security arrests Internet user for linking to other sites

By: demandprogress Tuesday March 8, 2011 4:32 pm

This story could have huge ramifications for Internet freedom, and the press — and even the Netroots — have been disturbingly quiet. There’s a drastic shift underway in how the government polices the Internet:

Brian McCarthy ran a website, channelsurfing.net, that linked to various sites where you could watch online streams of TV shows and sports networks. A couple months ago, the government seized his domain name and on Friday they arrested him and charged him with criminal copyright infringement — punishable by five years in prison.

We just obtained a copy of the complaint that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made against him — and they don’t even allege that he made a copy of anything! Just that he ran what they call a “linking website” which linked to various sites with copyrighted material. Under that sort of thinking, everyone who’s sent around a link to a copyrighted YouTube video is a criminal.

more: http://my.firedoglake.com/demandprogress/2011/03/08/documents-unearthed-homeland-security-arrests-internet-user-for-linking-to-other-sites/

[northoftheborder]

1. huh?

[stockholmer]

2. the attempted criminalization of most life processes trods on......

got to keep those private prisons full with fresh meat for the stockholders P/E ratios

[d_r]

3. wouldn't the whole web be criminal?

I mean something links to something links to something etc.

[chill_wind]

6. You have to asume there was at least some criminal aspect

(sites being linked to or aggregated containing possible illegal content) but even the discussion in the comments still leave me a little unclear about what all this might mean for sure.

[Ohio Joe]

4. Seems he was also streaming MMA PPV's

http://www.sandiego.com/news/houston-area-man-popped-for-internet-piracy-channelsurfing.net

Thats going to make people take notice.

[chill_wind]

7. Thanks Joe. It's still unclear to me that he was the one streaming

the content. All the discussion (comments sections)seems to be saying he was linking rather than hosting the streamed and/or illegal content himself. I'm probably missing a lot here, like why, at least, this is a Homeland Security action on behalf of Ultimate Fighting Championships as opposed to a civil court case.

[Rex]

5. Oh GAWD! Did the idiots at the DHS finally discover the Internets!

Fuck that THING needs to go bye-bye, like their creator GWB and Cheney...up to NO GOOD and willing to fuck over citizens for no apparent reason! Anyone got a second source on this!? This really is huge is the DHS is getting into privacy issues on the Internet...we are all FUCKED! Think FEMA on steroids and an unlimited budget and authority!

[fascisthunter]

8. homeland security working for corporate interests

who didn't see this coming?

Weren't they created to keep us safe from "terrorism"? Fucking morons...