Firewalls now illegal in Michigan

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n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
0
Originally posted by: LordJezo
Wouldnt that make Windows XP usage illegal?

It comes with a built in firewall..

I believe the real problem is NAT. The built in firewall does not do NAT, but ICS does.
 

n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
0
Originally posted by: MichaelD
Originally posted by: MainFramed
my whole house is illegal....

*ratting you out* "Uh, hello Michigan Dept of Electronic Enforcement?"

j/k

I think this is a complete crock. If firewalls are ILLEGAL, how to banks, hospitals and other large companies in MI protect themselves? :confused:

Hospitals typically don't.
 

Mill

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
28,558
3
81
Yes! Alabama is too stupid to even know what a computer is. My plan worked. ;)
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Screw Michigan. Let the politicians there rot in the void they are creating. Web based business owners in Michigan (people actually live there?) should take their business to a state that cares.
yes there are 3 people that live in michigan...on a side note, after this past election we got a bunch of new rep's and a new govenor...everything is going down sh!t creek...they cut funding to the schools by 13%, have cut a ton of really useful programs that the state had set up, and then went about redecorating all of the offices at the state house with a budget of $125,000 per room...now this...someone tell me where a good place to move to would be

 

bonk102

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
5,473
2
0
Originally posted by: Tyler
I hate politicians passing laws governing technology that they don't understand.

seriously, this needs to stop, we need to get people who understand wtf they're talking about
 

MainFramed

Diamond Member
May 29, 2002
5,981
1
0
Originally posted by: MichaelD
Originally posted by: MainFramed
my whole house is illegal....

*ratting you out* "Uh, hello Michigan Dept of Electronic Enforcement?"

j/k

I think this is a complete crock. If firewalls are ILLEGAL, how to banks, hospitals and other large companies in MI protect themselves? :confused:

lol, this is a crock of sh!t. all these programs (zone alarm, and everything..) being sold. and we have been allowed to buy. now there saying this stuff is illegal. screw that...:|

Originally posted by: bonk102
Originally posted by: Tyler
I hate politicians passing laws governing technology that they don't understand.

seriously, this needs to stop, we need to get people who understand wtf they're talking about

agreed.
 

n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
0
Originally posted by: bonk102
Originally posted by: Tyler
I hate politicians passing laws governing technology that they don't understand.

seriously, this needs to stop, we need to get people who understand wtf they're talking about

Stop voting for old, rich men.
 

LeeTJ

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2003
4,899
0
0
so once the electronic security part of HIPAA is implemented, doctors in Michigan are going to be in a real bind. They will by Federal law HAVE to secure their data and by State law they won't be allowed to. DUHHHH.

how stupid is that.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: vi_edit
This actually PASSED?!?!?!?!?!

Yes it passed in Michigan and 5 other States!

I posted this below in Networking and was told by a Member here I'm over reacting and this stuff won't get passed. It has already passed.

Topic Title New Unnecessary, invasive State DMCA Laws, learn and Voice Concerns!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date Posted: 04/16/2003 8:48 PM
Posted By: dmcowen674 (Elite Member)
A Brief anaysys of the State "Super DMCA" Laws already passed by 6 States

A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF THE ?SUPER DMCA? (THE DRAFT MODEL COMMUNICATIONS SECURITY ACT)

Background

Over the past two years, lobbyists from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) have been lobbying in state legislatures for passage of a model ?Communications Security Act.? This act, which has already been passed by six states ? Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wyoming ? has been represented to legislatures as little more than an updating and minor amendment of existing state laws designed to prevent theft of cable or telephone service.

A close reading both of the acts that have been passed and of the ?draft model act? shows, however, that the proposed law could have a far broader impact ? it could undermine existing consumer rights to use cable, telephone and Internet services, and could also hurt technological innovation and the development of new products that benefit consumers.

The model act, together with the state acts that already have been passed or that currently are being proposed, are often referred to by some opponents as ?super DMCAs? or ?state DMCAs? ? in reality, their scope is different from, and far broader than, the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Overbroad Definitions

The acts protect ?communication services,? which include any ?service lawfully provided for a charge or compensation? delivered via electronic means using virtually any technology. This includes every wire in your house for which you pay a fee, including your telephone, cable TV, satellite and Internet lines. This category also sweeps in any Internet-based subscription services for delivery of copyrighted materials, including digital music services such as pressplay, MusicNow, or Rhapsody.

The acts would regulate the possession, development and use of ?communication devices? and ?unlawful access devices.? A ?communication device? is virtually any electronic device you might connect to any communication service. The definition of ?unlawful communication device? is somewhat narrower, sweeping in any device that is ?primarily designed, developed, ?possessed, used or offered? for the purpose of defeating or circumventing? a technological protection measure used to protect a communication services.

What the Acts Prohibit

The proposed bills generally prohibit four categories of activity:
(1) Possession, development, distribution or use of any ?communication device? in connection with a communication service without the express authorization of the service provider.
(2) Concealing the origin or destination of any communication from the communication service provider.
(3) Possession, development, distribution or use of any ?unlawful access device.?
(4) Preparation or publication of any ?plans or instructions? for making any device, having reason to know that such a device will be used to violate the other prohibitions.

The Proposed Acts Are Unnecessary

The MPAA has argued that this law is necessary to ?update? existing state laws to prevent ?Internet piracy? and ?cable theft.? But copyright infringement and cable-service theft are already expressly prohibited under current state and federal laws. In addition, any service provider who believes a subscriber has violated the terms of his or her service contract can terminate the contract.

The MPAA has not identified any specific problem that is not already addressed by existing law. Nor have state law-enforcement personnel called for or supported these proposals.

Controlling Consumers and Undermining Innovation

These prohibitions, together with the broad definitions, dramatically expand the power of entertainment companies, Internet service providers, cable companies and others to control what citizens can and can?t connect to the services that they pay for. If enacted, they will slow innovation, impair competition and seriously undermine consumers? right to choose what technologies they use in their homes to lawfully access these services.

These acts could make a citizen a criminal for simply connecting a TV, PC, TiVo or VCR (all of which can ?receive? communication services) to the cable TV line in his or her living room without the cable company?s permission. It could also make a citizen a criminal for connecting a Wi-Fi wireless gateway (which can ?retransmit? Internet traffic) to your DSL or cable modem line without the permission of your ISP.

The shift proposed by these bills is radical: all technology that is not expressly permitted becomes forbidden. This would give communication service providers unprecedented control over the home entertainment and the technology marketplace.

As noted above, the proposed bills also forbid a consumer from connecting anything to a communication service without the service provider?s express authorization. This creates an enormous opportunity for anticompetitive conduct. Broadband Internet service providers, for example, could require that their subscribers use only a particular brand of PC or operating system. AOL could effectively ban its subscribers from using any instant messaging software other than its own. Cable-TV providers could limit subscribers to using only certain brands of VCRs and could ban TiVo in favor of their own proprietary PVR technologies. This flies in the face of the Federal Communications Commission?s longstanding policy to encourage the development of open, interoperable standards for cable-compatible televisions, and to allow users to attach their own equipment to cable or telephone networks, so long as doing so does no harm to the network.

?Intent to Defraud? Is Not A Fix

In response to criticism, the MPAA has offered to modify the proposal by adding an ?intent to defraud? requirement for liability. While that language may address some concerns, it does not adequately narrow the scope of the act, and in any case has been incorporated inconsistently or not at all in the various proposed or enacted state statutes. Furthermore, is unclear whether a civil breach of service contract terms would be interpreted to add up to a criminal ?intent to defraud.?



Attack on Privacy and Anonymity

The bills include a ban on devices that ?conceal ? the existence or place of origin or destination of any communication.? On its face, this ban would outlaw many ordinary home-networking products, including routers that include ?network address translation? and/or security firewalls, because they conceal some user activities and identifying information from the larger Internet. The use of ?virtual private networking? (VPN) software by corporations to secure communication with off-site employees could also be swept up by this provision. Products like Anonymizer that are designed to protect the privacy of Internet users against advertisers like Doubleclick might also be implicated.

Broad and Bad Remedies

The proposal provides a number of provisions and remedies that add up to bad public policy. These include:

· Adding a civil remedy to broad criminal statutes, which enables private parties to exercise the same kind of discretion as a prosecutor, but without the same degree of public accountability.

· Enabling state courts to order ?remote downgrades? of software or equipment by vendors on a nationwide basis through ?auto-update? features.

· Imposing one-sided fee-shifting (losing defendants have to pay attorneys? fees for the winning plaintiff, but the converse is not true).

· Allowing automatic preliminary injunctions, without any showing of likely actual damage, irreparable harm or inadequate remedy at law.

· Awarding of statutory damages that may be crippling to defendants, even when a plaintiff cannot show any actual damages at all.

Time to Be Heard

Laws like the Super-DMCA make it clear that Hollywood has overlooked or disregarded vital consumer and public interests in eagerness to craft new (and superfluous) laws to "protect" its copyrighted works. Public Knowledge believes it is legitimate for Hollywood to protect its copyright interests, but also believes it is bad policy to attempt to do so by making it illegal for citizens and consumers to do anything but what the studios and other corporate content providers dictate.

Public Knowledge is working to counter the efforts of the MPAA on these bills, but we cannot do it alone. We ask that you educate yourself on this issue, contact your local representative, and reassert your rights as a citizens and consumers.

For further information, contact Mike Godwin, Senior Technology Counsel, Public Knowledge at 202-518-0020 or godwin@publicknowledge.org


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Date Posted: 04/17/2003 7:22 AM
Posted By: tcsenter (Diamond Member)
Wow, it would seem that nothing can get a particular person's feathers in a ruffle against any and every digital content, computer tampering, and copyright protection bills quite like getting caught tampering with computers. Thou doth protest too much...me thinks.

04/17/2003 07:24:05|U



 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,949
575
126
Wow, people will truly believe anything and everything they here or read. Just put any old crock of bullsh-t out there, like "Michigan just passed a new law authorizing police officers to rape your wife and daughter legally" and watch the suckers wail and decry and protest in outrage.

Has a single person here actually bothered to read the text of the bill? You can read, can't you?

Huh? What? Read? Umm..uhhh. Jee, well, I was gonna do that, but I figgered that strange guy with the website had already read the bill, that's how he 'knows' all this stuff about it, right?
 

n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
0
Originally posted by: tcsenter
Wow, people will truly believe anything and everything they here or read. Just put any old crock of bullsh-t out there, like "Michigan just passed a new law authorizing police officers to rape your wife and daughter legally" and watch the suckers wail and decry and protest in outrage.

Has a single person here actually bothered to read the text of the bill? You can read, can't you?

Huh? What? Read? Umm..uhhh. Jee, well, I was gonna do that, but I figgered that strange guy with the website had already read the bill, that's how he 'knows' all this stuff about it, right?

I'm human, not a lawyer. Reading laws is like pulling your own teeth.
 

boi

Golden Member
Apr 12, 2002
1,695
0
0
Originally posted by: tcsenter
Wow, people will truly believe anything and everything they here or read. Just put any old crock of bullsh-t out there, like "Michigan just passed a new law authorizing police officers to rape your wife and daughter legally" and watch the suckers wail and decry and protest in outrage.

Has a single person here actually bothered to read the text of the bill? You can read, can't you?

Huh? What? Read? Umm..uhhh. Jee, well, I was gonna do that, but I figgered that strange guy with the website had already read the bill, that's how he 'knows' all this stuff about it, right?

Sorry, some of us were taught in public schools.:Q
 

GroundZero

Diamond Member
Oct 17, 2002
3,669
1
0
Originally posted by: tcsenter
Wow, people will truly believe anything and everything they here or read. Just put any old crock of bullsh-t out there, like "Michigan just passed a new law authorizing police officers to rape your wife and daughter legally" and watch the suckers wail and decry and protest in outrage.

Has a single person here actually bothered to read the text of the bill? You can read, can't you?

Huh? What? Read? Umm..uhhh. Jee, well, I was gonna do that, but I figgered that strange guy with the website had already read the bill, that's how he 'knows' all this stuff about it, right?


hehehehehe
the sheep have once again flocked blindly after another idiot shepherd....
:D
 

LeeTJ

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2003
4,899
0
0
Originally posted by: GroundZero
Originally posted by: tcsenter
Wow, people will truly believe anything and everything they here or read. Just put any old crock of bullsh-t out there, like "Michigan just passed a new law authorizing police officers to rape your wife and daughter legally" and watch the suckers wail and decry and protest in outrage.

Has a single person here actually bothered to read the text of the bill? You can read, can't you?

Huh? What? Read? Umm..uhhh. Jee, well, I was gonna do that, but I figgered that strange guy with the website had already read the bill, that's how he 'knows' all this stuff about it, right?


hehehehehe
the sheep have once again flocked blindly after another idiot shepherd....
:D

I take it your the flock and TScenter the shepherd. :)
 

n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
0
Would one of the people that thinks this law does not forbid NAT please post a link to the text of the law? I don't think I want to be searching around all day for it.
 

isaacmacdonald

Platinum Member
Jun 7, 2002
2,820
0
0
Originally posted by: tcsenter
Wow, people will truly believe anything and everything they here or read. Just put any old crock of bullsh-t out there, like "Michigan just passed a new law authorizing police officers to rape your wife and daughter legally" and watch the suckers wail and decry and protest in outrage.

Has a single person here actually bothered to read the text of the bill? You can read, can't you?

Huh? What? Read? Umm..uhhh. Jee, well, I was gonna do that, but I figgered that strange guy with the website had already read the bill, that's how he 'knows' all this stuff about it, right?

gee, someone's paranoid. Anyway, if you want to read the bill go ahead. I did, and sure enough, the guy was right:


(b) Offense defined.--Any person commits an offense if he knowingly:

(1) possesses, uses, manufactures, develops, assembles, distributes, transfers, imports into this state, licenses, leases, sells or offers, promotes or advertises for sale, use or distribution any communication device:

...

(ii) to conceal or to assist another to conceal from any communication service provider, or from any lawful authority, the existence or place of origin or destination of any communication; or

modifies, alters, programs or reprograms a communication device for the purposes described in subparagraphs (b)(1)(i) and (ii) above; or...

(5) Assist others in committing any of the acts prohibited by this section.
---

(c) Criminal Penalties.

(1) Except for violations of this section as provided for in paragraph (2) or (3), an offense under this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than three thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than two and one half years or both.

Obviously the part about obscuring the origin of any communication (packets as defined in the document) is what the website guy is referring to. the critique is valid. The law is far to broad.

The good news is that the fines pretty light and hey, 2.5 yrs in prison isn't that bad ;)
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,949
575
126
Would one of the people that thinks this law does not forbid NAT please post a link to the text of the law? I don't think I want to be searching around all day for it.
Of course Michigan's internet and telecommunications service providers, universities, colleges, and businesses were never consulted about this bill.

If you believe that, I have an ATI 9900 512MB Fire Glint GL Super Sabre Dual GPU...no...a Triple Super Sabre GPU dual AGP12x/PCI-X| Deep Space Nine Video Card for sale - the first $1,000.00 takes it home!

 

n0cmonkey

Elite Member
Jun 10, 2001
42,936
1
0
Originally posted by: tcsenter
Would one of the people that thinks this law does not forbid NAT please post a link to the text of the law? I don't think I want to be searching around all day for it.
Of course Michigan's internet and telecommunications service providers, universities, colleges, and businesses were never consulted about this bill.

If you believe that, I have an ATI 9900 512MB Fire Glint GL Super Sabre Dual GPU...no...a Triple Super Sabre GPU dual AGP12x/PCI-X| Deep Space Nine Video Card for sale - the first $1,000.00 takes it home!

By the quote that was posted, I could go to jail for possessing an OpenBSD machine in Michigan. Pretty simple.
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,949
575
126
By the quote that was posted, I could go to jail for possessing an OpenBSD machine in Michigan. Pretty simple.
Somehow, I don't think the judge or the police or the prosecutor is going to rely upon "edited" versions of the bill which leave out what isaacmacdonald edited-out (deliberately).

Interestingly, I cannot find any of these mystery 'sections' alleged by isaacmacdonald in the Michigan statutes.

Why do people have to lie? What are they afraid of?