USA asks: Where does a 900 lb Gorilla sit?

[TalkingDog]

http://www.techeye.net/internet/usa-forced-swedens-hand-on-piracy-and-pirate-bay-crackdown

An eagle eyed member of the SomethingAwful forums spotted that the States has been exerting its power and making demands within the IPRED legislation.

The US was allegedly the driving force behind threats to Swedish ISPs in 2008, and it is currently the driving force behind the so-called “step two of the data retention”, presented by the Justice Minister last week.

This legislation will give police access to all and any collected records under Data Retention in the proposed Police Methods Report. Ordinarily, prison sentences of more than two years would have been required to collect IP addresses, but the PMU changes this before the Data Retention is even in place. The aim is to get enough evidence from ISPs to highlight illegal file sharing sites and then close them down.

snip

"Disobeying these points would mean Sweden would be added to the Special 301 list of countries not sufficiently compliant with US trade demands, meaning trade sanctions would be enforced against Sweden," forums user Bisse suggests.

[gratuitous]

1. There's an awful lot of activity for the publication of a bunch of worthless cables

It's all very strange; like the behind-the-scenes maneuvering doesn't match up with the public statements hardly a-tall.

[TalkingDog]

2. Well, some people don't believe it

but that's how politicking works. Mostly behind the scenes.

I posted a blog by a guy who suggested the ease of DADT repeal was a trade off for "wealth-fare" tax breaks.
I was immediately accused of posting conspiracy theories. I don't think that word means what they think it means.

Assange admits he is holding out the "best stuff" as insurance. He's a bit on the paranoid side.


The "insurance file" contains all. But it's highly encrypted. That doesn't mean it won't be broken. And when it is, (because these guys are geeks after all and subsequently have no lives said with affection), they are under no constraints. They can pass along the "key" and there will be no way to put that djinn back in the bottle.

[truedelphi]

3. In this article, Wired states that if Sweden does not comply

With exactly what the USA wants, then trade sanctions will be put in place.

Oh Gee, so very very scary for Sweden. Since the USA is an importer, and no longer much of an exporter of most things, how will such sanctions affect Sweden? Will Sweden have to start dealing with manufacturers in China, rather than American outlets like Sears?

And oh noes! No genetically modified food from the USA to come over to Sweden. Take that Swedish people - we are cutting off your supply of stomachache-producing corn, wheat and rice. Again, the Swedish consumer will have to start dealing with Chinese food directly, which has many faults, but right now, the Chinese have not been growing GM corn.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. I run my own servers and am effectively my own ISP

There are no records. None. Nothing on disc either. Its easy enough to do if you know how. I share it with some family and several select friends. Short of tapping at the router and breaking PGP, there is nothing for them to get. I like it that way.