Online Censorship Is Coming--Here's How to Stop It

Your Weekly Newsletter [view in browser »]( Want to stay more up to date on all things open source? Follow us on [Twitter](. [Copyright]( Online Censorship Is Coming--Here's How to Stop It Glyn Moody - July 2, 2019 EU's upload filters are coming. Why and how the Open Source world must fight them. A year ago, I warned about some [terrible copyright legislation]( being drawn up in the EU that would have major adverse effects on the Open Source world. Its most problematic provision would force many for-profit sites operating in the EU to use algorithmic filters to block the upload of unauthorized material by users. As a result of an unprecedented campaign of misinformation, smears and outright lies, supporters managed to convince/trick enough Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to vote in favour of the the new [Copyright Directive](, including the deeply flawed upload filters. A number of changes were made from the original proposals that I discussed last year. Most important, "open source software development and sharing platforms" are explicitly excluded from the scope of the requirement to filter uploads. However, it would be naïve to assume that the Copyright Directive is now acceptable, and that free software will be unaffected. Open source and the open internet have a symbiotic relationship—each has fed constantly into the other. The upload filters are a direct attack on the open internet, turning it into a permissioned online space. They will create a censorship system that past experience shows is bound to be abused by companies and governments alike to block legitimate material. It would be a mistake of the highest order for the Open Source community to shrug its shoulders and say: "we're okay—not our problem." The upload filters are most definitely the problem of everyone who cares about the open and healthy internet, and about freedom of speech. For example, the GitHub blog points out that [false positives are likely to be a problem]( when upload filters are implemented—regardless of nominal "exemptions" for open source: "When a filter catches a false positive and dependencies disappear, this not only breaks projects—it cuts into software developers' rights as copyright holders too." So, what can be done? [read article]( [Linux Journal July Cover]( The Command-Line Issue Bryan Lunduke - July 1, 2019 Summer. 1980-something. An elementary-school-attending, Knight Rider-T-Shirt-wearing version of myself slowly rolls out of bed and shuffles to the living room. There, nestled between an imposingly large potted plant and an over-stocked knick-knack shelf, rested a beautifully gray, metallic case powered by an Intel 80286 processor—with a glorious, 16-color EGA monitor resting atop. [Read Article]( [Podcast]( Episode 22: Don't Panic, It's All About the Kernel Katherine Druckman talks to Linux Journal Editor at Large, Petros Koutoupis, about building your own kernel, kernel panics, and other projects. [Listen Now]( Sponsored Content How to Build an Enterprise Kubernetes Strategy [Download Whitepaper »]( [Rancher Kubernetes]( [SELF]( Ten Years of "Linux in the GNU/South": an Overview of SELF 2019 Matthew R. Higgins - June 26, 2019 Highlights of the 2019 Southeast LinuxFest. The tenth annual SouthEast LinuxFest (SELF) was held on the weekend of June 14–16 at the Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. Still running strong, SELF serves partially as a replacement for the Atlanta Linux Showcase, a former conference for all things Linux in the southeastern United States. [read article]( in case you missed [Computer Garbage Pile] Deprecating a.out Binaries Zack Brown - June 25, 2019 Remember a.out binaries? They were the file format of the Linux kernel till around 1995 when ELF took over. [Read Article »]( [Security] Why Smart Cards Are Smart Kyle Rankin - June 12, 2019 If you use GPG keys, learn about the benefits to storing them on a smart card. [Read article »]( upcoming events [Open Source Software Conference]( July 15, 2019 - July 18, 2019 Portland, Oregon USA [Open Source Summit North America]( August 23, 2019 - August 24, 2019 San Diego, California USA [All Things Open]( October 13, 2019 - October 15, 2019 Raleigh, North Carolina USA [Rancher]( [Storix Software]( [Twistlock]( [PIA]( Subscribe to Linux Journal for only $2.88 an issue! [Subscribe Now »]( [Renew Now »]( You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive newsletters from Linux Journal. You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe]( from this list. Copyright © 2019 Linux Journal LLC, All rights reserved. Mailing address: 9597 Jones Rd, #331 Houston, TX 77065