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posted by martyb on Sunday July 27 2014, @04:12PM   Printer-friendly

RT reports that:

The incarcerated co-founder of torrent tracker site The Pirate Bay, Peter Sunde, has found a new way to be a thorn in the back of Swedish authorities holding him. He demands that his religious needs are met with a visit from a Kopimist priest.

Earlier Sunde complained that the Västervik Norra prison, where he is serving a term for assisting in copyright infringement, can't accommodate his vegetarian diet choice, a problem that has already resulted in him losing 5 kg in weight.

The Church of Kopimism (wikipedia) is a peculiar phenomenon. Founded by a group of self-styled internet pirates four years ago, it holds sacred the copying of information and people's right to do it without restrictions. It even declared keyboard shortcuts for copy and paste commands Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V as its holy symbols.

In December 2011, at its third attempt it was officially recognized as a religion in Sweden and now enjoys all the legal protection that goes with the status.

So, is this a case of religious oppression?

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The Pirate Bay Opens Mobile Site 10 comments

El Reg reports:

The Pirate Bay has poked Big Content's sore spot again, by erecting a site for mobile devices at themobilebay.org. [blocked in some countries]

The new site doesn't do much beyond features offered by The Pirate Bay's other ventures. The site's overseers told Torrent Freak that "The normal version of the site renders like crap on mobile devices", an experience the small-screen version seems designed to improve.

BitTorrent clients exist for Android, iOS devices (after jailbreak), and BlackBerry, so the existence of a mobile site does make it possible more torrents will land in mobile devices.

Satanists Citing Hobby Lobby Ruling Demand Religious Exemption from Abortion Restrictions 76 comments

The Center for American Progress reports:

The Supreme Court's recent Hobby Lobby decision, which allowed some for-profit companies to claim a religious exemption to Obamacare's contraception mandate, has sparked a heated debate over the definition of religious liberty and its role in modern society. At this point, even a Satantic cult has decided to weigh in.

The Satanic Temple - a faith community that describes itself as facilitating "the communication and mobilization of politically aware Satanists, secularists, and advocates for individual liberty" - has launched a new campaign seeking a religious exemption to certain anti-abortion laws that attempt to dissuade women from ending a pregnancy. The group says they have deeply held beliefs about bodily autonomy and scientific accuracy, and those beliefs are violated by state-level "informed consent" laws that rely on misleading information about abortion risks.

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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Nerdfest on Sunday July 27 2014, @04:36PM

    by Nerdfest (80) on Sunday July 27 2014, @04:36PM (#74414)

    If they deny him any silly requirements of his religion that are legally required to be given to any other religion, then yes. I'm sure eventually people will learn that their religion is their problem. You have a right to practice it, but others do not have to support you in that.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by maxwell demon on Sunday July 27 2014, @07:35PM

      by maxwell demon (1608) on Sunday July 27 2014, @07:35PM (#74450) Journal

      Well, looking at their web page, they have a contradiction in their fundamental dogmas: On one hand, they state: "All knowledge to all" and "The search for knowledge is sacred", on the other hand they state that "In our belief, communication is sacred. Communication needs to be respected. It is a direct sin to monitor and eavesdrop on people." But monitoring and eavesdropping is one way to obtain knowledge (namely the knowledge about the monitored/eavesdropped communication) and thus would be covered by "all information to all" and certainly is a way to search for knowledge (and therefore, according to that statement, sacred).

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
      • (Score: 5, Funny) by Nerdfest on Sunday July 27 2014, @07:46PM

        by Nerdfest (80) on Sunday July 27 2014, @07:46PM (#74453)

        I find it hard to believe that religious dogma contradicts itself. You must be interpreting it wrong.

      • (Score: 2) by tibman on Sunday July 27 2014, @08:07PM

        by tibman (134) Subscriber Badge on Sunday July 27 2014, @08:07PM (#74456)

        I suppose it depends on your definition of "knowledge". I doubt knowledge in this case encompasses everyone's credit card numbers. Somewhere between credit card numbers and public domain there is a line. In this religion it sounds like the websites you visit is not considered knowledge.

        --
        SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by rts008 on Sunday July 27 2014, @09:20PM

        by rts008 (3001) on Sunday July 27 2014, @09:20PM (#74467)

        ...they have a contradiction in their fundamental dogmas...

        I thought that was a reguirement for a religion, as they all seem to have this core trait. ;-)

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday July 28 2014, @02:42AM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 28 2014, @02:42AM (#74519) Journal

        On one hand, they state: "All knowledge to all" and "The search for knowledge is sacred", on the other hand they state that "In our belief, communication is sacred. Communication needs to be respected. It is a direct sin to monitor and eavesdrop on people."

        I see not contradiction: your search of knowledge needs to be done by any existing other mean than eavesdropping and monitoring people. I think one shouldn't have difficulties in finding alternative means.
        Besides the endeavour of "search for knowledge" doesn't necessary guarantee success; moreover, it may well be a case of "the journey is sacred, the destination is irrelevant".

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 2) by etherscythe on Monday July 28 2014, @11:53PM

        by etherscythe (937) on Monday July 28 2014, @11:53PM (#74818) Journal

        I wouldn't say it's a contradiction if you use the implied definition of communication as being an explicitly intended process. Surveillance is a one-way process "forcibly" transferring information that was not intended to be communicated, and thus, disrupting the integrity of any related communications (particularly those intentionally withheld).

        Analogy time: copyright infringement. Just because someone sells a copyrighted work does not mean they approve of their work being distributed for anything less than full price per copy, nor that it be used in other commercial endeavors such as car advertisements (unless they have an explicit contract for such) without proper royalties. If you hold copyright as inviolable, piracy and commercial infringement are definitely not agreeable.

        As far as the phrase "all information to all" I think you may be interpreting it in a different way due to a translation (or non-native speaker usage) obfuscating the original meaning, similar to how interpretation of the phrase "nothing is true, everything is permitted" formed an important plot point in the original Assassin's Creed game. The intent is probably more to do with publicly available or otherwise published information, but of course it's just not as catchy to spell out all the exceptions.

        --
        "Fake News: anything reported outside of my own personally chosen echo chamber"
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 27 2014, @04:36PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 27 2014, @04:36PM (#74415)

    ...that demand the sacrifice of virgins.

    In cases where the law conflicts with religions' demands, the law trumps religious rights.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by tathra on Sunday July 27 2014, @06:16PM

      by tathra (3367) on Sunday July 27 2014, @06:16PM (#74441)

      except in the US, where we have SCOTUS precedent that religion allows you and your company to be exempt from federal law. [soylentnews.org]

      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 27 2014, @08:01PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 27 2014, @08:01PM (#74455)

        Note that to be exempt, you need to be incorporated and large enough to give a sizable donation to the proper[1] political party.

        [1] Notice that I was very careful to avoid using the term Right.
        ...though, in the USA, the Big 2 are both well to the Right. [politicalcompass.org]
        ...with Kucinich (since then, redistricted out of office) being a notable instance among Blues, actually Left of center economically and south of the Civil libertarian/Authoritarian divide.

        Can't wait for their 2016 chart and see where they place Elizabeth Warren on the grid.

        -- gewg_

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Horse With Stripes on Sunday July 27 2014, @04:39PM

    by Horse With Stripes (577) on Sunday July 27 2014, @04:39PM (#74416)

    So, is this a case of religious oppression?

    No. They aren't banning him from having a visitor who is a Kopimist priest. They can't provide religious services for every religion.

    If they aren't letting him "ctrl-c" & "ctrl-v" it could be because he's not allowed near a computer? If he is allowed near a computer then he can ctrl-c/v all he wants. Hell, they can just give him a keyboard that isn't connected to anything.

    A little tip for Mr Sunde (I used ctrl-c/v on his name in his honor): once you're inside you really should do everything you can - within reason - to not be a PITA to your jailers. They have all the power in your situation, including the power to make your stay easier and shorter.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by choose another one on Sunday July 27 2014, @05:30PM

      by choose another one (515) Subscriber Badge on Sunday July 27 2014, @05:30PM (#74427)

      Might want to balance that tip with not being a PITA to your fellow inmates too - they might have just as much, if not more, power to make your stay easier or harder...

    • (Score: 1) by tathra on Sunday July 27 2014, @06:24PM

      by tathra (3367) on Sunday July 27 2014, @06:24PM (#74443)

      ...jailers. They have all the power in your situation, including the power to make your stay easier and shorter.

      i don't know about other countries, but in the US, jailers can not make your stay any shorter. if you commit crimes while in jail, you can get a longer sentence, but they cant make it any shorter. you don't really have that much to gain by not being a dick to your jailers, because you dont get any benefits or special treatment by being buddy-buddy with them, and you get the risk of being known as a "narc" by your fellow inmates, which can get you killed in prison. really he just needs to stick to the basic rule of mutual respect, but by refusing to meet his religious and dietary needs, they've already broken that and deserve all the hassle he can give them.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 27 2014, @06:39PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 27 2014, @06:39PM (#74444)

        Actually they can influence your early departure. Their reports of your "good behavior" play a key role in a shortened stay. Parole hearings aren't base on the verbal testimony of prison employees; it's base off all the good & bad they've written about you in your file.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 27 2014, @09:02PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 27 2014, @09:02PM (#74462)

        you don't really have that much to gain by not being a dick to your jailers

        In the deep south of the USA, there was once a "trustee" system. [wikipedia.org]
        There were even "trusty shooters", who remind me of the black overseers in Uncle Tom's Cabin.[1] [google.com]
        The movie Cool Hand Luke has some dramatizations of trustees in a "more conventional" system.
        To get to be one of the capos|flunkies, you had to knuckle under and kiss a lot of ass.
        It wouldn't surprise me if a similar hierarchy still exists unofficially.

        Now, there are inmates who make a sport of seeing just how far they can push their jailers.
        The retribution that that gets caused the L.A. County jail (staffed by Los Angeles County Sheriffs who would rather not be there) to be required to install a video recording system that covers all areas.

        [1] Many people say "Uncle Tom" when they should be saying "Sambo".
        Uncle Tom allowed himself to be beaten to death rather than betray his own people; Sambo was a sadist who enjoyed inflicting pain on other black people.

        -- gewg_

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Magic Oddball on Monday July 28 2014, @07:29AM

          by Magic Oddball (3847) on Monday July 28 2014, @07:29AM (#74547) Journal

          Many people say "Uncle Tom" when they should be saying "Sambo".
          Uncle Tom allowed himself to be beaten to death rather than betray his own people; Sambo was a sadist who enjoyed inflicting pain on other black people.

          Most people aren't thinking of cruelty when they refer to Uncle Tom, though, so that wouldn't work. To quote Wikipedia:

          "The term "Uncle Tom" is used as a derogatory epithet for an excessively subservient person...[or]...who betrays their own group by participating in its oppression, whether or not they do so willingly."

          Allowing himself to be beaten to death was a subservient act that reinforced the image of black people as 'naturally' servile -- had he fought back violently, he would have still been killed, but his attackers would have thought twice the next time they considered beating someone like that.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @06:57PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @06:57PM (#74725)

            Most people aren't thinking of cruelty when they refer to Uncle Tom
            If that was the case, no one would have taken any notice of the book.
            Your statement would be correct if it said "Those people who have gotten their "information" second-hand from untrustworthy sources...".
            I note here that there are still a lot of people that believe Sadaam had something to do with 9/11.

            Wikipedia
            ....mostly misses the point. Surprise!

            Allowing himself to be beaten to death was a subservient act
            No. His only other option was to rat out his own people.
            What he did was a noble personal sacrifice.
            The escaped members of his group continued their journey northward on the Underground Railroad.

            -- gewg_

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by jelizondo on Sunday July 27 2014, @07:44PM

      by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Sunday July 27 2014, @07:44PM (#74452) Journal

      Given that he is a modern prison facility, managed humanly; I would say he can be as PITA as he likes. Once they thrown you in jail, they've done the worst they can do. If he was on some hell-hole prison on a third-world country, I would say, do whatever you can to get out early, including escaping.

      • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday July 28 2014, @05:47PM

        by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday July 28 2014, @05:47PM (#74685) Journal

        Given that he is a modern prison facility, managed humanly; I would say he can be as PITA as he likes. Once they thrown you in jail, they've done the worst they can do.*
         
        *Offer not valid in the Unites States.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @02:55AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @02:55AM (#74520)

      Just remember he's not going to an American jail, things are a little different in other places in the world.

  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by looorg on Sunday July 27 2014, @05:42PM

    by looorg (578) on Sunday July 27 2014, @05:42PM (#74432)

    "So, is this a case of religious oppression?" No. This is just a case of Sunde being a jackass and a pain in the arse. He is in PRISON not some daycamp for naughty boys. Yes it might be a bullshit crime he has commited (copyright infringement or whatever) but it is still prison. He isn't really suffering, swedish prisons are like little hotels. It's not like he is in fear for his life or is dropping the soap in the shower, he is basically complaining that the "service" is bad and not up to his personal living standard. They should just tell him to STFU and serve his time.

    • (Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Sunday July 27 2014, @09:11PM

      by Nerdfest (80) on Sunday July 27 2014, @09:11PM (#74465)

      I think he's actually just complaining that the service is not fair and equal, two concepts that some find far more important than the right not to have people make copies of your song.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @12:20PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @12:20PM (#74581)

      I case you haven't noticed, after a promising start we're slowly being overrun by the elements that make geek culture repulsive. i.e. grown ups acting like spoilt 14 year olds.

      • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday July 28 2014, @02:23PM

        by tangomargarine (667) on Monday July 28 2014, @02:23PM (#74619)

        Grown ups acting like grown ups got us into this situation so why the hell not? When "grown ups" manipulate the system to casually and legally fuck over the everyman, I see very little reason for us to "act like grownups" if it doesn't help anything anyway.

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @04:46PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @04:46PM (#74666)

          "Waaah! They did it first!"

          Why are you being so defensive? Step back and take a long hard look at yourself.

    • (Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Monday July 28 2014, @04:21PM

      by bzipitidoo (4388) on Monday July 28 2014, @04:21PM (#74659) Journal

      Sunde shouldn't be in prison at all. This is like Martin Luther King being imprisoned just for asking the US to stop being hypocritical and racist and live up to their "equality for all" ideals. All copying should be legal. Sunde should be as big a pain as possible to the authorities, make them follow every petty little rule. If they don't like it, then they can change the rules, including the rules that are being used as the excuse to imprison him.

      Even though some copying is not legal, and the law breaking is called copyright infringement, it is still a civil matter, not a criminal matter. Or should be. One big, big difference between civil and criminal is that only the criminal is handled with prison time. People should never go to prison for being on the wrong side of a civil matter.

      We should do something. Write letters to the Swedish government. Maybe we should boycott Sweden until Sunde is free. Threaten to sue Sweden in an EU court if Sunde is is mistreated in any way while in prison. And that includes denying him a visit from a Kopimist priest. Sweden needs reminding that we, the people, are their bosses, not some corrupt industry group. We pay their salaries. Could the EFF help?

      It sounds entirely appropriate that he should ask for a visit from a priest of that religion. This is not just picking the most obscure religion ever known just to be difficult, no. Rather than deny him a chance to see a Kopimist priest, they should release him from prison first. If they can't find a priest willing to visit, that's what they should do. He shouldn't be in prison at all. If being unable to fulfill or ignore this demand gets him freed sooner, so much the better.

  • (Score: 4, Funny) by aristarchus on Sunday July 27 2014, @09:06PM

    by aristarchus (2645) on Sunday July 27 2014, @09:06PM (#74463) Journal

    Darn Copts! Even after the council of Nicaea, and the anathema of the heresy of Arius, they kept copying and pasting illegal gospels into codices! And of course, eventually some of these copies were discovered in Eygpt, and also eventually released the scourge of Dan Brown novels on the unsuspecting world. What evils will Sunde unleash?

    (What? Not the same religion? One iota of difference? Oh, never mind.)

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 12 2014, @04:30PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 12 2014, @04:30PM (#92473)

      G8oWK6 gqwvngkehrcz [gqwvngkehrcz.com], [url=http://zsugeuajxtxk.com/]zsugeuajxtxk[/url], [link=http://tnssmgouurah.com/]tnssmgouurah[/link], http://nuyhpxdnjrhz.com/ [nuyhpxdnjrhz.com]

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by kaszz on Sunday July 27 2014, @10:39PM

    by kaszz (4211) on Sunday July 27 2014, @10:39PM (#74475) Journal

    Why can't they just fix some soy or whatever his vegetarian diet requires?

    (btw, prison systems vary widely between countries)

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by zafiro17 on Sunday July 27 2014, @11:24PM

    by zafiro17 (234) on Sunday July 27 2014, @11:24PM (#74483) Homepage

    Go dude, rock the system. This is awesome.

    --
    Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Monday July 28 2014, @01:49PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday July 28 2014, @01:49PM (#74606) Journal

    Sunde is hacking the system, which is brilliant. It shows us all an example how we can turn the state against itself. Imagine the changes that could happen if we all did likewise (and we should).

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @05:55PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 28 2014, @05:55PM (#74690)

    So, is this a case of religious oppression?

    More like a case of a man on a mission making the authorities look mighty foolish. Eventually, Sunde will just make them look more and more foolish until Swedish authorities decide that it is easier to just let him go and tell publishers to change their business model. Honestly, it probably would have made publishers more money in the end if they had decided to go that route in the first place.