You surf the web… so you’ve probably heard of all the SOPA (Stop Online Privacy Act) hype. Especially today… 1/18/2012.
MANY websites are in protest of SOPA and PIPA and are not functioning today! Wow!
If you visit Wikipedia today, you’ll find this:
Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge
For over a decade, we have spent millions of hours building the largest encyclopedia in human history. Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet. For 24 hours, to raise awareness, we are blacking out Wikipedia. Learn more.
Or how about Google.com? I bet you’ve been there (at least once) today! Did you notice they blacked out the GOOGLE wording? Whoa. Google onboard? That’s a really, really, really big deal.
And an eye opener, for me.
Many individuals, (look: I am even participating today – I am censoring my profile pictures!) companies and major corporations are getting the word out about the possibility of potential internet censorship of Americans.
What is it?? Well, basically congress is trying to pass internet censorship, (threatening many glorious freedoms of the web and the web communities) even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed.
It’s kinda frightening. If this bill passes, the Internet and Internet free speech will never be the same. Again. And we won’t get it back.
If SOPA passes, it would effect so many of my (and your) everyday web-browsing and lifestyles… YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google and more! (Um, that’s like my entire day!)
Not to mention that according to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill would cost us $47 million tax dollars a year — that’s what we would get to pay for CENSORING OURSELVES!
This bill does not protect or help me. At all. I love have free browsing rights and benefiting from all the neat things that are shared on the internet (like, what in the world would I do with out all of my pins on Pinterest – because some may be copyrighted?).
Honestly, it would be a sad, pathetic internet world.
Overall, we need to tell Congress NOT to censor our internet. We need to kill this bill – PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House – to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and most importantly – future prosperity.
(( End Rant ))
Readers,
What are your thoughts on SOPA and PIPA?
Have you heard about this bill before today?