--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Laws and mechanisms originally meant to…" description: "\"Laws and mechanisms originally meant to enforce copyright, protect children and fight online crime are abused to silence or intimidate political critic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to_1850995.png" --- # Laws and mechanisms originally meant to enforce copyright… ![“Laws and mechanisms originally meant to enforce copyright, protect children and fight online crime are abused to silence or intimidate political critics.” quote by Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to_1850995.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to_1850995.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to_1850995.png) > “Laws and mechanisms originally meant to enforce copyright, protect children and fight online crime are abused to silence or intimidate political critics.” [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Legal tools meant for protection are sometimes repurposed to suppress dissent. **In simple terms:** Rights tools can be misused against critics. Key Takeaway Guard against misuse of protective laws. Themes freedom law politics Mood cautious critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - activism - policy making - media - online platforms Key Concepts Digital rights censorship authoritarianism Questions to Reflect On - How can safeguards be improved? - What signs indicate abuse? A Different Perspective Balancing protection and free speech is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Abused Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abused-silence-2428098/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Copyright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copyright/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crime Abused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-abused-2428096/) [Critics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics/) [Enforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enforce/) [Enforce Copyright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enforce-copyright-2428097/) [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Intimidate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimidate/) [Intimidate Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimidate-political-2428099/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/) [Meant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant/) [Mechanisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanisms/) [Online](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/online/) [Originally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originally/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political Critics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-critics-2428095/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ## Related quotes > [While I'm acutely aware that justice doesn't need a modifier and that not every bad thing that happens to me is a hate crime,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-pearson/while-i-m-acutely-aware-that-justice-doesn-t-need-a-modifier-and-that/) [Adam Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-pearson/) > [Citizens' rights cannot be protected if their digital activities are governed and policed by opaque and publicly unaccountable corporate mechanisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/citizens-rights-cannot-be-protected-if-their-digital-activities-are/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [When U.S. commercial interests press the Chinese government to do a better job of policing Chinese websites for pirated content, a blind eye is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/when-u-s-commercial-interests-press-the-chinese-government-to-do-a/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [As in Pakistan, Tunisian and Egyptian human rights activists are concerned that any censorship mechanisms, once put in place, will inevitably be abused for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/as-in-pakistan-tunisian-and-egyptian-human-rights-activists-are/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [The trend in China is toward tighter and tighter control. They are basically improving their censorship mechanisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-trend-in-china-is-toward-tighter-and-tighter-control-they-are/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Being connected to the Internet means being vulnerable to coordinated actions that can knock down walls of secrecy and shatter mechanisms of control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/being-connected-to-the-internet-means-being-vulnerable-to-coordinated/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [“All biological and artificial mechanisms -no matter how well designed- are vulnerable to malfunctions, failures, and breakdowns. Even if developmental processes are canalized against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-del-giudice/all-biological-and-artificial-mechanisms-no-matter-how-well-designed/) [Marco del Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-del-giudice/) > [“The mechanisms that have traditionally been suggested for understanding companies can be divided into three broad categories: transaction costs, organizational structure, and competition in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-west/the-mechanisms-that-have-traditionally-been-suggested-for/) [Geoffrey West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-west/) > [Life has survived for more than three billion years because it is robust, and almost no mutations can easily outwit the defense mechanisms built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/life-has-survived-for-more-than-three-billion-years-because-it-is/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [No one has characterized market mechanisms better than Friedrich von Hayek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-simon/no-one-has-characterized-market-mechanisms-better-than-friedrich-von/) [Herbert Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-simon/) > [Before 9/11 there were weak procedures, willingness, and mechanisms for communicating among agencies for foreign intelligence and the FBI with its focus on law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-c-blair/before-9-11-there-were-weak-procedures-willingness-and-mechanisms-for/) [Dennis C. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-c-blair/) > [There is no shortage of mechanisms by which to measure almost anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-buckingham/there-is-no-shortage-of-mechanisms-by-which-to-measure-almost-anything/) [Marcus Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-buckingham/) > [Always wear a good watch, no matter what if you are wearing a suit or sweats. A good watch will hold value over time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-songz/always-wear-a-good-watch-no-matter-what-if-you-are-wearing-a-suit-or/) [Trey Songz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-songz/) > [A number of well-understood mechanisms, including single gene mutations, produce changes that qualify as macroevolution. These include heterochronic mutations that alter structures by changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/a-number-of-well-understood-mechanisms-including-single-gene/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More by Rebecca MacKinnon > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support for nicknames and pseudonyms, but those registering with a name other than their real-life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-roll-out-support-for-nicknames/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [It becomes dangerous for somebody who doesn't want their boss to know their sexual preference to use online networks to push for laws supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/it-becomes-dangerous-for-somebody-who-doesn-t-want-their-boss-to-know/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [If high-tech companies are serious about doing the right thing, they can join together and lobby for more transparency and accountability in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-high-tech-companies-are-serious-about-doing-the-right-thing-they/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Any new legal measures, or cooperative arrangements between government and companies meant to keep people from organizing violence or criminal actions, must not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/any-new-legal-measures-or-cooperative-arrangements-between-government/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Every news organization needs a social media strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/every-news-organization-needs-a-social-media-strategy/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Professional camera crews are rarely there when a bomb goes off or a rocket lands. They usually show up afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/professional-camera-crews-are-rarely-there-when-a-bomb-goes-off-or-a/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Google's entire business model and its planning for the future are banking on an open and free Internet. And it will not succeed if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/google-s-entire-business-model-and-its-planning-for-the-future-are/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [A number of countries, including Russia and China, have put forward proposals to regulate aspects of the Internet like 'crime' and 'security' that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/a-number-of-countries-including-russia-and-china-have-put-forward/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [You don't have to be a nerd or a programmer or a network engineer to make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-nerd-or-a-programmer-or-a-network-engineer-to/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [A moral argument about whether censorship is good or bad deteriorates quickly into accusations about who is more or less patriotic, moral, pious, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/a-moral-argument-about-whether-censorship-is-good-or-bad-deteriorates/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [There's a real contradiction that's difficult to explain to the West and the outside world about China and about the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/there-s-a-real-contradiction-that-s-difficult-to-explain-to-the-west/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [The relationship between citizens and government is increasingly mediated through the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-relationship-between-citizens-and-government-is-increasingly/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Consistently, Baidu has censored politically sensitive search results much more thoroughly than Google.cn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/consistently-baidu-has-censored-politically-sensitive-search-results/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Human rights in cyberspace are really no different from rights in the physical world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/human-rights-in-cyberspace-are-really-no-different-from-rights-in-the/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) [Explore all 206 Rebecca MacKinnon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. 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They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Laws and mechanisms originally meant to enforce copyright, protect children and fight online crime are abused to silence or intimidate political critics.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca MacKinnon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to-enforce-copyright-protect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to-enforce-copyright-protect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to_1850995.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to_1850995.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/793/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_abuse_laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to_1850995.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Laws and mechanisms originally meant to enforce copyright, protect children and fight online crime are…” — Rebecca MacKinnon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rebecca MacKinnon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Laws and mechanisms originally meant to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to-enforce-copyright-protect/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/laws-and-mechanisms-originally-meant-to-enforce-copyright-protect/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```