The goal of this repo is to create the desired language, points and criteria for a United States Constitution amendment that provides unrestricted freedom of access to the internet. This is envisioned to include:
- The right to access any web site, anywhere, any time without restriction should the provider of the information, e.g. a web site owner, choose to provide it publicly.
- The inability of the government to remove access to information that is publicly accessible for any political or economic reason.
- The right to not have your private data accessed by the government without a warrant and notification, as SOPA would consider sites to infringe if they do not make it easy to confirm no violation of IP rights.
- Linking or otherwise referring to information of any kind would not be a crime and instead considered expression, entitling it to the same protection under the constitution.
I made this as a git repo simply because it seems like the most elegant and simple way to create a living document that at times will have many different moving parts. You may fork this repo and make changes you see to the documents contained inside. Changes proposed will be considered and if needed integrated into the core document. Ideally, I'd like to see people discuss various ways to not only implement the core goals above, but also help come up with even clearer goals that ensure the continued freedom we have come to take for granted.
- HN Discussion about this, please use to comment on this and help get the ball rolling
- Sal from Khan Academy explains SOPA in clear terms here
- Google's more-information page on SOPA
January 18, 2012:
- This repository was created today during the protests against SOPA/PIPA. Currently the very simple README has been uploaded with the goal of finding any interest in pursuing this document.
- Just registered OpenSourceLegislation.org/net to host this
- Read the first draft of the amendment
I'm glad to see some people interested in this. Please watch/fork and participate on HN!
I'm just an entrepreneur that loves to make things. I'm hosting the repo for now to see if enough people want to partake in this - if people do, I'll make and fund an organization on GitHub to hold the repo and will let the community take this the direction it needs to go.