Pirate Party Launches Pirate ISP; Demonstrating The Inevitable
from the can't-fight-the-inevitable dept
As a bunch of you have been submitting, The Pirate Party, who recently took on hosting The Pirate Bay, has now announced plans to offer a “Pirate ISP” service in Sweden, with the idea being to offer ISP service that maximizes privacy rights. The whole thing is a bit of a publicity stunt, of course, but it does seem to highlight the key point: which is that consumers do value these kinds of things, and for every attempt of certain industries to force ISPs to reveal info, there will always be incentives for others to set up ways for more privacy. I tend to cringe at the whole “pirate ISP” name, because it will almost certainly be misunderstood and demonized, but The Pirate Party long ago decided to embrace that name, so I guess it’s no surprise.
Filed Under: isps, pirate isp, pirate party, privacy, sweden
Comments on “Pirate Party Launches Pirate ISP; Demonstrating The Inevitable”
Me too...
“I tend to cringe at the whole “pirate ISP” name”
I’m with you. I know that they’re trying to gain notoriety by using it, but in the long run they’re just going to limit their growth among the masses.
I don’t get it. Why wouldn’t a name like “The Privacy Party”, or the “Free Party”, or even the “Common Sense Party” not have worked? All of those are attention getters, and they’re names people could understand as beneficial to the masses rather than the negative “Pirate” image.
It almost seems like the way rappers and some other African Americans claim that they use “nigga” and it’s derivatives as a way to claim ownership of a horrible slur and take power over it. I get that, but it still seems stupid and ignorant to me….
Re: Me too...
While “pirate” seems to have a negative connotation in English-speaking countries, in Sweden things are a bit different. The immediate connection to “The Pirate Bay” can’t be anything but a good thing for them!
Re: Me too...
The Privacy Party won’t garner the same image as “Pirate”. Free Party will certainly induce people to believe that they’ll do the same as NetZero, so I would cancel that out. Common Sense, unfortunately, is subjective. What may be common sense for one party won’t work for another.
Oddly, pirate is very apt here. It garners a rebellious undertaking and a defiant look at those who just want to use technology in new ways.
Re: Me too...
‘cuz you can’t have “privacy” without “piracy”
I would cheer if they hosted the servers on international waters :D.
Re: International Waters
Or better yet, a secret underground base of indeterminate location.
; P
Re: Re:
Ohhhh yeah, Google has a patent on that 🙂 http://www.seobythesea.com/?p=1357
I like the name...
If the party can make “pirates” sympathetic souls, trodden upon by mega international corporations who label them with a big scarlet “P”, then they stand to earn PR dividends in the long run.
In the short term, it does sound shady.
Re: I like the name...
I agree. By making the name common you prevent it from being demonized (at least any further) and can only stand to improve it’s reception…
Re: I like the name...
I like it as well and will gladly move my hosting service to their new setup. Hopefully they will have a good system in place to accommodate everyone who will want to.
What will probably happen is that all of the US ISPs will cry foul and start sucking congressmen off to the point that some new international treaty is suddenly drafted to curb the outflow of customers.
Re: I like the name...
I also like the name – it brings to mind images of sailing ships, the Jolly Roger and high spirited adventurers on the open sea.
If they named it the “Copyright Infringement ISP” well then I guess that would be be a bad thing.
I demand a US PP
Re: Re:
Demand and you shall receive:
http://www.pirate-party.us/
Re: Re: Re:
Very, VERY Awesome!
It exists.
There IS a US PP, it’s just way too tiny, and has done basically nothing to make people even know it exists.
Here’s the site for it:
http://www.pirate-party.us/news.php
I last looked at the site a few months ago… it looks like they’re making a bit more of an effort now, but I have yet to hear a single mention of them from any source that isn’t preaching to the choir.
I would very much like to see them actually win a couple of seats, as even though their direct power would be negligible, the people allowing a party with such a narrowly focused platform to actually make it into the federal government would send a very strong message – strong enough that the other parties would realize a good way to win votes. If they played the political game well, they could actually get some serious privacy, patent, and copyright reform to go through.
Re: It exists.
US Politics requires that they have more of a stance than anti-copyright.
I’d say they need to make their stance more about the 1st Amendment and less about specific parts of just copyright,
Would you care to explains what makes it “a bit of a publicity stunt”?
Re: Re:
Would you care to explains what makes it “a bit of a publicity stunt”?
There’s simply no reason to call it a “Pirate ISP” unless it’s a publicity stunt. It attracts all the wrong kind of attention.
Re: Re: Re:
Yeah. Why not call it “wepirateyourintellectualproperties.com”?
Re: Re: Re: Re:
Becuase your an idiot
Re: Re: ... publicity stunt?
“There’s simply no reason to call it a “Pirate ISP” unless it’s a publicity stunt. It attracts all the wrong kind of attention.”
Mike, thanks for TD. You’ve taught me a lot. But damn, sometimes you’re thick. Aren’t you the one who’s always pointing out how innovative artists are doing marvelous things marketing their brands online?
The point of the “Pirate” label is to denigrate those who call them that. They’re not pirates; they’re individuals enjoying the fruits of their culture and civilization. They’re not mass producing CDs/DVDs for commercial gain. They’re listening and watching and enjoying their connection to their culture and the rest of humanity.
The *AAs call that piracy. Such a ludicrous accusation demands an equivalent response. “Let’s call ourselves Pirates. It’ll be hilarious! Thanks *AA!”
Re: Re: Re: ... publicity stunt?
The point of the “Pirate” label is to denigrate those who call them that. They’re not pirates; they’re individuals enjoying the fruits of their culture and civilization. They’re not mass producing CDs/DVDs for commercial gain. They’re listening and watching and enjoying their connection to their culture and the rest of humanity.
I know. I recognize that. But I think it really limits the message *a lot*. It’s antagonistic, rather than inclusive. It’s not designed to convince people at all.
I think there are more effective ways to do it. Just because they resort to nasty tactics doesn’t mean that those who actually understand the problems copyright causes need to resort to the same tactics. I just find it cheap to stoop to their level.
Re: Re: Re:2 ... publicity stunt?
It’s antagonistic, rather than inclusive. It’s not designed to convince people at all.
I think it’s quite the opposite. Lot of people are sick ‘n’ tired of current state of politics. The Pirate Party is not conventional party and the name has to tell that.
In Finland the Pirate Party is not the first attempt to change these issues on political level. There was an attempt to form a party with similar agenda as the Pirate Party has but that didn’t go anywhere. The main difference was the “politically correct” name.
Re: Re: Re:3 ... publicity stunt?
I don’t think the name matters that much. The ideas that they represent will be criticized heavily.
Although it seems obvious that people should want privacy and such, there’s a lot of people around me who are willing to allow government intrusion, as long as it can stop whatever thing they don’t like.
It’s going to be a difficult sell.
Re: Re: Re:3 ... publicity stunt?
I agree with Jari on this.
The Pirate Party signifies defiance at the old way of doing things. Its a name which catches attention and allows it to make inroads where a tamer name might struggle.
Potentially it could struggle in the future if it grows to the point where it is no longer seen as a special interest group. However I would expect by that time it may have achieved one of its prime goals, to claim the word “Pirate” as a positive force in the copyright debate and so removed it from the lexicon of the Industry types who currently use it in the same way someone would say murderer.
Re: Re: Re:4 ... publicity stunt?
I’d also add, as callous as it sounds, that I think a large part of the criticism is based more along generational lines and that, over time, a more young people grow up and take an interest and more older people fall of their perches groups like the Pirate Party will begin to gain acceptance.
Ah, but they're crossing a line
It was much easier for me to be supportive of the Pirate Party when they were a small group fighting by the same rules as other political parties, but I think it’s more important that politicians be held to the same rules as the rest of us. Should a politician be able to steal a car to get to Parliament in time to vote? Holding the law makers to the same rules is a bedrock principle of democracy. Now the pirate party wants to undermine that by using their place in parliament as a “get out of jail free” card. What if murders, rapists or bribe takers uses the same rhetoric?
Re: Ah, but they're crossing a line
Strawman argument.
I guess you need to correct it, don’t you?
pirate parties in northamerica
all got shilled out and over taken by actual artists fr there friends thus undermining the validity of the parties.
CASE in point i actually had to put on the united hackers association website that the pirate party of canada was anti p2p cause they did not endorse non commercial file sharing. SOMETHING every NON north american party does, and i left it after they made a new leader who has friends in a govt news site ( CBC ) and has friends and art buddies in bc and California. GETTING the hint what happened here….
you would do better to create a new party in canada and then sue these twits out of existence as they are not actually a pirate party. OF note is the host of the website who seems to be doing it to only advert his hosting stuff.
@24 convicts have the right to vote in canada but almost never do
voting is to convicts like supporting the very system that jailed them.
pirate party is merely pointing out the imbalances of patents and copyrights that exist due to the USA system of gov’t allowing you to bribe politicians…
and htere have been politicians if you look whom have criminal records btw….in fact that is becoming more of a norm which bodes not so well.