Although the title of this one may seem a little racy, don't get too excited!
The main topic of discussion will consist of two things called SOPA and PIPA. These have both been a big deal recently, especially throughout the month of January. So I figured I would inform you all about what exactly they are, what they mean and why you should even care about them. In some cases, if it wasn't for the censored Google symbol or Wikipedia blackout (along with many other sites) some people still would not know what "anti-sopa!!" is all about.
The Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act are United States bills that are trying to be passed in order to stop copyright infringement, illegal file sharing, and things of the like. For example, if there is a site allowing visitors to download copyrighted material it would be shut down immediately. Keep in mind though, while this example may be easy to agree with, there are others that are not so "rights-friendly". The main person behind this bill is a Texas politician and U.S. representative, Lamar Smith. He wishes to stop copyright infringement as well as the selling, purchasing, or sharing of counterfeit goods over the internet. As most likely assumed he is backed by people such as the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America.
To some people it may seem as though it just disables people from downloading illegal content and stops copyright infringement. So they think what's the big deal?? But that's not all that goes into it. If you use or create any kind of content on websites that you frequently visit, they could be shut down by the government if they even think that the website is involved with or supporting copyrighted material illegally. This means that if the government thinks in the slightest bit that the website is a threat they can shut it down. Another factor that goes into it is privacy. If they can look into all of these things and find out everything you are doing on a website, where is the privacy? That is why many people are angered by the invasion of privacy as well as the absence of their freedom to expression.
Among the many citizens that are frustrated with these acts, is also a great deal of websites. These websites include the incredibly popular Google, Wikipedia, Yahoo, YouTube, Twitter, Craigslist, and many other sites. This is why on January 18, 2012 there was a massive internet strike against this bill being passed. Wikipedia was the most noted in this strike for their complete blackout for 24 hours. Google also participated by "censoring" out their famous logo and providing a link to for people to write to congress and sign an anti-SOPA petition.
After the strike Congress decided to delay any further action taken on these bills. So until then, every website will be armed and ready for another strike if needed. The internet is one powerful thing!
Do you think that this bill will ever be passed?
Would this be a good or bad thing in your opinion?
