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Raul Colon - photographer, digital marketer & writer living on the beach in Puerto Rico.

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Understanding Sopa with Black Humor

January 18, 2012 by Raul Colon

sopa Understanding Sopa with Black Humor
Thanks to TheOatmeal.com

I have been so busy trying to get a few things out of the way  did not set up my site to black out today. Previously we had shared and avatar photoshop kit (Censored and Stop SOPA MOTHA Foka) so you could support the Anti-Sopa & Anti-Pipa movement. We also included an brief explanation on what SOPA is. This morning I caught this tweet by fellow dad blogger extraordinaire @cc_chapman on the great job TheOatmeal.com did on sending a message with a moving image (.gif) and some great humor.

https://twitter.com/#!/cc_chapman/status/159625434340921344

I think many others have blacked out there sites but we also support SOPA by creating awareness. I could not agree more with @cc_chapman on how the creative, fun, and informative animated gif above should definitely win the award for best idea on blacking out a site.

I guess the fact that I am based in Puerto Rico and although we are a U.S. Territory and/or Colony we don’t have any representation in congress so all I can do is create awareness for those that can actually talk to their congress representatives (Although SOPA will affect all of us).

Want to help in the fight against SOPA / PIPA? First, go learn about the bills. After that go contact your elected officials. Wikipedia has a handy-dandy page set up which allows you to locate your state representative.  (yes I did Copy paste this from TheOatmeal.com)

Do your support SOPA?

A few interesting posts on SOPA I found and I would like you to visit:

  • SOPA, PIPA and bills like them want to kill this blog. And yours.  by Olivier Blanchard | @thebrandbuilder
  • Get Educated About SOPA & PIPA by C.C. Chapman | @cc_chapman

 

Filed Under: Featured, Online Privacy Tagged With: Censorship, Pipa, SOPA

Stop SOPA Motha Foca Avatar Kit

January 15, 2012 by Raul Colon

stop-sopa-motha-foca_CENSORED_raul Stop SOPA Motha Foca Avatar Kit

I guess the best way I can exercise not being Censored yet is with the Avatar created above with a concept suggested by @lucymfel and designed by @ricklipsett.

In spanish “Foca” means seal so for those of you stressing out because you thought you saw a bad word just read it in spanglish.

There is no better feeling than being able to express yourself via your blog or other channels such as email on the internet. I served the U.S. in their military with the purpose of protecting freedom of speech and it worries me greatly that they are trying to censor the internet.

Stop SOPA Motha Foca Avatar

stop-sopa-motha-foca Stop SOPA Motha Foca Avatar Kit

Download Stop Sopa Motha Foca Kit (357kb)

If you want to learn more about SOPA Feel free to visit our previous post with an info graphic on SOPA.

Any other ideas on how to create Awareness?

Filed Under: Online Privacy Tagged With: Blacklisting Bloggers, Censorship, SOPA

Get your SOPA Censored Avatar Kit!

January 14, 2012 by Raul Colon

square_CENSORED-raulcolon-avatar Get your SOPA Censored Avatar Kit!

Update: Jan 16 8:45pm est – Official White House has response can be found at the end of this post.  (thanks to @margieclayman for pointing me to the post)

The white house in general responded that they will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.

On the other side in the same response they are seeking sound legislation for something I believe is not controllable. In my opinion trying to stop privacy from other nations because of suppose job losses is a lame excuse to keep moving bills that can restrict our freedom of Speech. SOPA has not been killed yet so stay alert on any new changes that might still affect our use of the internet as we know it.  Take a look at our Papaheroes.com editorial created by the awesome @ricklipsett. 

 

Full Size Image Here

Original post

I am a firm believer in Free Speech not only do I touch on occasions issues that relate to Censorship. Although Puerto Ricans are enchanting our government can find ways in attempting to silence bloggers like myself when we say something that goes against the bigger interests that put those politicians in Power.

SOPA better known as the Internet BlackList attempts against one of the basic rights that the U.S. Gives its citizens which is freedom of speech. We always have known big brother is watching but now they can silence and knock communications freely when they find a purpose for it.

Censored Avatar Kit

Thanks to our friend and business partner @ricklipsett we where able to obtain since he shared the SOPA Censored Avatar Kit in PSD which can be downloaded here:

Download: Avatar Kit (963 KB)

square_CENSORED-raulcolon-avatar Get your SOPA Censored Avatar Kit!

Our Own Creation of Avatar Kit (creation by @ricklipsett & @lucymfel)

stop-sopa-motha-foca Get your SOPA Censored Avatar Kit!

Stop SOPA Motha Foca Avatar Kit

Understand SOPA – Infographic

IF you want to get familiar with Sopa Feel free to visit the Infographic (Created by Americancensorship.org) Below to get a better understanding:

infographic-259x1024 Get your SOPA Censored Avatar Kit!

 What are your Thoughts on SOPA?

If you are not handy with Photoshop first 20 people to subscribe to the mailing list so you can receive my blog via email and contact me here I will gladly create their avatar in .jpg free of cost.

To stop this bill find out what you can do on americancensorship.org.

Combating Online Piracy while Protecting an Open and Innovative Internet

By Victoria Espinel, Aneesh Chopra, and Howard Schmidt

Thanks for taking the time to sign this petition. Both your words and actions illustrate the importance of maintaining an open and democratic Internet.

Right now, Congress is debating a few pieces of legislation concerning the very real issue of online piracy, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the PROTECT IP Act and the Online Protection and Digital ENforcement Act (OPEN). We want to take this opportunity to tell you what the Administration will support—and what we will not support. Any effective legislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from content creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet.

While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.

Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small. Across the globe, the openness of the Internet is increasingly central to innovation in business, government, and society and it must be protected. To minimize this risk, new legislation must be narrowly targeted only at sites beyond the reach of current U.S. law, cover activity clearly prohibited under existing U.S. laws, and be effectively tailored, with strong due process and focused on criminal activity. Any provision covering Internet intermediaries such as online advertising networks, payment processors, or search engines must be transparent and designed to prevent overly broad private rights of action that could encourage unjustified litigation that could discourage startup businesses and innovative firms from growing.

We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet. Proposed laws must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System (DNS), a foundation of Internet security. Our analysis of the DNS filtering provisions in some proposed legislation suggests that they pose a real risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online. We must avoid legislation that drives users to dangerous, unreliable DNS servers and puts next-generation security policies, such as the deployment of DNSSEC, at risk.

Let us be clear—online piracy is a real problem that harms the American economy, and threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle class workers and hurts some of our nation’s most creative and innovative companies and entrepreneurs.  It harms everyone from struggling artists to production crews, and from startup social media companies to large movie studios. While we are strongly committed to the vigorous enforcement of intellectual property rights, existing tools are not strong enough to root out the worst online pirates beyond our borders. That is why the Administration calls on all sides to work together to pass sound legislation this year that provides prosecutors and rights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond U.S. borders while staying true to the principles outlined above in this response.  We should never let criminals hide behind a hollow embrace of legitimate American values.

This is not just a matter for legislation. We expect and encourage all private parties, including both content creators and Internet platform providers working together, to adopt voluntary measures and best practices to reduce online piracy.

So, rather than just look at how legislation can be stopped, ask yourself: Where do we go from here? Don’t limit your opinion to what’s the wrong thing to do, ask yourself what’s right. Already, many of members of Congress are asking for public input around the issue. We are paying close attention to those opportunities, as well as to public input to the Administration. The organizer of this petition and a random sample of the signers will be invited to a conference call to discuss this issue further with Administration officials and soon after that, we will host an online event to get more input and answer your questions. Details on that will follow in the coming days.

Washington needs to hear your best ideas about how to clamp down on rogue websites and other criminals who make money off the creative efforts of American artists and rights holders. We should all be committed to working with all interested constituencies to develop new legal tools to protect global intellectual property rights without jeopardizing the openness of the Internet. Our hope is that you will bring enthusiasm and know-how to this important challenge.

Moving forward, we will continue to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis on legislation that provides new tools needed in the global fight against piracy and counterfeiting, while vigorously defending an open Internet based on the values of free expression, privacy, security and innovation. Again, thank you for taking the time to participate in this important process. We hope you’ll continue to be part of it.

Victoria Espinel is Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget

Aneesh Chopra is the U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Technology at the Office of Science and Technology Policy

Howard Schmidt is Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff

Link to Official White House Response

 

Filed Under: Featured, Online Privacy Tagged With: Censorship, SOPA

Poder 5 and Blogger Censorship

June 25, 2011 by Raul Colon

Screen-shot-2011-06-25-at-5.37.35-PM Poder 5 and Blogger Censorship

There is no better satisfaction than receiving a comment on the blogs I work or write for. Overall I have to say Michael Castro stands out as the one individual who is a frequent commentator. @MichaelDCC runs Poder 5.

“…the internet as an improvement of traditional communication channels, and the possibilities of uniting in a social network, would be the 5th power, in this case it will escape what is controlled by part of the government and private traditional massive media and handled y its accountability will fall on society” – Ignacio Ramonet (this is a translation from spanish more info at Poder 5)

The blog’s main purpose is to keep tabs on the local press in Puerto Rico. Sadly most of our local newspapers are heavily influenced by the individuals that pay their bills. I know this is something that happens elsewhere. Living on the island and seeing how local press operates, it provides any individual a better understanding of the level of control they have over what is publishied for the masses.

Michael has pushed the envelope and developed a following with people like myself that find huge areas for improvement in the way that the local press reacts. Michael is a giver and he gives lots of his time into exposing the many injustices Puerto Ricans that reside on the island have to deal with. It is not easy standing up to the press on an Island where only a few others, outside of the U.S. Government, control the key decisions of what is going and use printed media to disseminate information in an attempt to control the masses.

The local government censors those who point out those faults.  They are continuously seeking new ways to censor and quiet those who are not aligned with their interests. Recently we had two situations where they decided to block bloggers just because they did not agree with those bloggers.

The most recent incident was of a blogger who was blocked from the Puerto Rico Tourism Company’s facebook page just because he has criticized their discrimination of tourism offers to local residents. Instead of recruiting him they want to censor him. Not sure how the PRTC envisions this as being a positive thing. I have reached out to the PRTC waiting for an answer on why he was blocked from the facebook page and I have not received any reply. I will be writing a follow up  post on this issue with more detail on this blog and a few other occurrences where bloggers where censored. Feel free to subscribe if you want to receive it via email.

Michael’s blog has inspired me to make sure I keep a balance of watching out for those injustices that happen every day. Michael is one of the few local bloggers that really defines what I think a blogger should be. He has inspired me in so many ways. I am grateful that he visits my blog almost every day to ready my posts and comment with his great insight.

Stop by Poder 5 and give Michael your point of view and congratulate him on my behalf for such an awesome job! ( If you need a translator feel free to tweet me I can give you the quick overview in your language of preference).

If you are one of those bloggers or person that feels that you where censored on-line for no reason feel free to contact me directly.

Filed Under: Featured, Politics Tagged With: Blacklisting Bloggers, Censorship

Our Representative in Congress Pierluisi Censors Blogger!

June 20, 2011 by Raul Colon

42897463_5847aae136_z Our Representative in Congress Pierluisi Censors Blogger!

Most U.S. Citizens have the privilege of freedom of speech and have politicians that will protect those rights and make sure that everyone has the opportunity to express themselves. One of the reasons I joined the U.S. Military at the early age of 17 was to protect those rights.

One of the biggest disadvantages of being a colony is that elected officials on occasion can put Fidel Castro and other oppressing dictators to shame. At least Fidel Castro is firm on the censorship he has imposed on his government. The difference from Fidel is that elected officials like Pierluisi want to become the 51st state of the Union but still want to censor those who might not agree with him.

In the post I wrote on Obama’s quick profitable layover , I wrote how my friend Julio Varela got censored from Pierluisi’s Facebook Page because he made a comment that his staff did not agree with. Please listen to the phone call (which I have included as a audio file here ) so you can clearly see that they have no answer as to why they blocked him.  I would take a precise guess and say it was because they did not agree with what he said.

Pierluisi Representative and Julio Varela Phone Call

Pierluisi’s Office sent official communication which at first appeared as an apology but as one begins to read it, it was not a sincere apology. Listening to the previous audio file also confirms that they think bloggers are a joke.

I have been censored in various occasions by organizations in the government and private sector. The approach of these offices is to give the run around and not give an answer until the situation goes away.

This common practice by individuals who call themselves PR practitioners on the Island (PR standing for Press Release because in most occasions they have no idea of that acutal meaning of Public Relations) is to avoid the situation until it disappears. Guess what? We are in a completely different world where addressing the situation can clearly put you in the position of advantage.

Not only did Pierluisi and his staff censor Julio they have made and keep making the following mistakes:

They did not give an Answer

As you can read in the written statement or listen to the audio file, they provide no answer.

Pierluisi’s Team contradicted themselves

First the person named Karla Coto indicated that she was aware of Julio’s situation and even laughed in a very nervous way . Later on she told him that she could not give him a clear answer. Either you know what happened or you don’t. I guess when you are lying and nervous it is difficult to keep your story straight. How can you say “Sincerely and honestly I can’t answer” but yet she was aware of the situation.

Representative’s Laugh

Most people here especially in Government think bloggers are a joke and they have little or no respect for them. The same way she laughed when she recognized it was Julio. Well Mr. Pierluisi the joke is on you now.

Congress Page

Karla mentioned a Congress page. Not sure what she was talking about because the page where Julio got blocked from was the Facebook Like Page.

Who Runs the Facebook Page

I guess Pierluisi has a robot typing and blocking on his Facebook page. Not sure why they have to keep it a secret. Something that is key in using social media channels is making sure there is transparency.

Accuracy Lays in Hiding the Facts

For most Goverment officials here accuracy lays in hiding the facts and not informing the public.

In January we had a situation where the Puerto Rico Tourism Company brought my friend and reporter Nelson Alcantara from Hawaii so he could interview the Director of Tourism regarding an article created by Elinor Garely. (Puerto Rico Paradise Plagued with Pollution )

The PRTC wanted to accuse Elinor from creating an article with many inaccuracies. They decided to bring Nelson with a promise to have him sit down with the PRTC Director of Tourism Mario Gonzalez-Lafuente. After promising a meeting with the Director of Tourism they canceled on short notice. They never gave Nelson the opportunity to sit with him and clear the issues. In that occasion I reached out to various elected officials to see if they could fit in as a representation of the local government to clear out the issues for Puerto Rico and nobody stepped up to the plate.

The PRTC thought it was going away and it did not. Finally in March they gave me the opportunity to sit down with the Director of Tourism under a rigid set of rules so I could interview him in getting some answers. Just as the Tourism Company learned its lesson that they needed to step up to the plate, I recommend Pierluisi and his folks do the same.

Like Julio said censorship is Bad in America and it also applies to the only existing colony in the world.

In my opinion Pierluisi forgets often about his position as a a PUBLIC official; he is not royality. We see how he already uses his position to spend good US tax payer money. Pierluisi is the individual with the most expenses in the House of Representatives by spending the huge amount of 2.1 million beating Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi by approximately $300,000

  1. Pedro Pierluisi, D-Puerto Rico: $2,117,000
  2. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.: $1,860,000

Not sure if he is investing his expenses in the most accurate way since his staff acts the way a dictator would in a third world country. They can’t even give an explanation of the actions taken on something so simple as managing a Facebook Like Page.

What do you think of having organizations blacklisting bloggers and silencing them?

Do you know of any organizations who blacklist bloggers just because they don’t agree with their views?

Photo by Andréia

Filed Under: Featured, Politics, Puerto Rico Tagged With: Blacklisting Bloggers, Censorship, Pierluisi, Politics, Puerto Rico

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