Spotlight: Digital Freedom

Articles: Event Coverage: CES 2007

Pre-CES | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Extended Coverage

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Richard Poelling
Brian

Jan. 7, 2007

Article

Specifications

Images

User Reviews (0)

Comments (1)

Spotlight: Digital Freedom

In the midst of all the latest and greatest in gadgets, sitting in a far corner of the hall was a booth from Digital Freedom. I had seen their logo several times in the past but knew nothing about them. Obviously, now I had an opportunity to remedy that situation. Even though this organization doesn't make any fancy devices or come up with the latest technology, their efforts can and will affect the devices and technology which are being showcased at CES this year and years to come.

Digital Freedom is a newer organization established in late October to fight the continual degradation of consumer rights and the continued removal of our digital freedoms. Some of the organizations which have joined this fight are the likes of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Media Access Project, Computer and Communications Industry Association, and CEA. These groups, as well as many others, are finally taking up the fight for the consumer.

To further this goal of digital rights, the organization has created "The Digital Freedom Bill of Sight and Sound" which states:

Therefore:

All Americans have the right to become artists, innovators, and creators, and to use digital technology to do so;
All Americans have the right to develop and use digital technology without unreasonable restrictions;
All Americans should be confident and secure that they will not face legal threats or lawsuits because they are lawfully enjoying the benefits of digital technology in their homes, cars and on the go;
Congress must respect the spirit of the Constitution and resist imposing government mandates that limit the use of digital technology; and,
Congress must recognize that creativity and innovation should be nurtured, and not restricted for the benefit of big record labels and movie studios.

This organization watches, publicizes and fights laws which could be used to further restrict our fair use of digital technology. Only by maintaining this vigilance can we keep unwanted legislation from sneaking into other bills or being forced through Congress by the RIAA and its brethren. Some of the threats which have emerged recently have been The PERFORM Act, Audio Broadcast Flag Licensing Act of 2006 and the Copyright Modernization Act of 2006. All of which would reduce your ability to use digital technology the way you want. If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out the rest of our extensive CES Coverage. You can help support us by Digging this article.

Subscribe to Pre-CES [more info]

Add Comment

1 User Comment

1 - Posted by aln12483 on January 10, 2007 - 8:32 pm

Dear Richard,
With all of the latest gadgets and there unveiling at the CES, I thank you very much for sharing to the community about the Digital Freedom organization. I think we all experience at one point or another the tough decisions of finding what is moral and ethical when traversing through the digital exploration era. After reading this article I am a well informed consumer and will spread the word on how import our freedon is even in the digital world!!

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.