Sites begin self-censoring? Using Game Theory to Break The SOPA Code

swombat14y ago· 4 in thread

Moderately interesting article, but what evidence is there that sites have begun self-censoring? There's no reference to the title in the article.

ZenPsycho14y ago

it's hidden subtly. I think the point of the article is that the goal of SOPA was not to give the government the ability to censor sites, but to compel sites to censor themselves due to the threat of having their lives made difficult. And the title implies that this can be shown through an application of game theory.

drunkenmastaOP14y ago

Thank you for articulating this.

drunkenmastaOP14y ago

See the front page (on Hacker News) where there is a story on uploading.to blocking visitors from the US.

hlidotbe14y ago

Here in EU, a lot of sharing or aggregating sites are beginning to censor themselves or are closing doors completely (videobb, mixture video, allotvshow, ...).

Most of the US series I used to watch online (no legal alternative except waiting 1+ year for an overpriced DVD set) are disappearing since MU shutdown.

arjunnarayan14y ago

The legal term for this is "chilling effect": from Wikipedia, this is 'used to describe the inhibition or discouragement of the legitimate exercise of a constitutional right by the threat of legal sanction.'

This is well studied in law, but mostly in the context of freedom of speech. It is clearly applicable in this case as well, and I wish the author had looked this up instead of coming up with an independent parallel analysis of the same idea.

brador14y ago

The next step is Stockholm syndrome.

Where self censoring sites begin to believe they deserved to be censored.

Look out for it.

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Sites begin self-censoring? Using Game Theory to Break The SOPA Code (opens in new tab)

7 comments

7 comments