SOPA and PIPA are pieces of legislation that congress is trying to pass with the help of lobbyist. They are intended to help protect copyrighted materials on the internet. The entertainment industry is backing this effort claiming it will help the fight against piracy and protect their bottom line. It grants power to the government and other private parties to blacklist websites, exclude them from search engine, and have ISPs block them all together. In short, it’s another level of censorship that reaches farther than before.
Please take a few minutes and learn about SOPA and PIPA and the potential impact it could have on you and the sites you love. If you think it won’t affect you, think again. That cool Facebook group where everyone trades/sells their items, yep it could get taken down. Why? Because if some accidentally posts a copyrighted picture and it anger the copyright holder they can file a complaint and have it blacklisted. It will affect everyone.
The Consumerist interview with Ben Parr -Explains potential impact on how this will affect us.
US House of Representatives -Search for SOPA and look a the list of backers.
Wikipedia Blackout -Stop by find out how to contact your elected officials.
video via [laugh pong]
featured photo [Isaac Mao]
