I've never been in the habit of copying and pasting anything to my blog for the sake of originality and creativity—but today I'm making an exception. You see, I'm the passionate sort, but only when I'm 100 percent convinced that my course of action is right and true. I question authority, bow only to morality, and I'll fight the masses and powers that be if my heart of hearts tells me they've lost their way. I've never been the quiet type. Unlike those who only speak of change—I take action for it—and I hope you'll do the same. After all, Mahatma Gandhi had it right when he admonished us to, "Be the change you want to see in the world."
Today is January 18th and unless you've been living under a rock, in a hobbit hole, or in the world of Skyrim, you'll know that the date marks the day the internet rises up in protest of SOPA and PIPA. Wikipedia has gone dark, Google has censored their logo, Wired has blotted out their content and Reddit has gone offline. The H.R.3261 "Stop Online Piracy Act" and S.968 "PROTECT IP" are real dangers that require real action to prevent one of the most despised congresses in U.S. history from turning our beloved internet into a fallout styled wasteland of blocked sites and broken opportunities.
But what are SOPA and PIPA really about and why the outrage? Copying and pasting time!
From Reddit.com:
FAQ:
What is the intent of SOPA/PROTECT IP?
The stated intent of the bills is to provide tools for law enforcement and copyright holders to protect their intellectual property rights.
What's wrong with protecting copyrights?
Nothing! The devil, as they say, is in the details. PROTECT IP and SOPA will cause too much collateral damage, have a high potential for abuse, and won't even be that effective at stopping the crimes they target. Read alienth's examination of where these bills fail.
I'm not in the U.S. Why does this affect me?
Many of the sites that you may use (e.g. Google, Facebook, Wikipedia, etc.) are all affected by this law and will be required to hide offending domains from you.
If a non-U.S. site is blocked in the U.S., the site could suffer financially or even be bankrupted by the loss of U.S. traffic and revenue.
What are the differences between PROTECT IP and SOPA?
At a general level, the bills are very similar. SOPA, the "Stop Online Piracy Act," is from the House of Representatives, while the PROTECT IP Act is from the Senate. Either or both bills may pass a vote in their chamber of congress on their way to becoming law. Both must be defeated to end this threat.
What about ACTA?
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, is a multi-national agreement with similar goals to the U.S.-only PROTECT IP and SOPA bills. It is criticized for many of the same reasons that PROTECT IP and SOPA are, but is also concerning because it has been drafted in secret. ACTA is not the focus of this blackout but please take the time to learn more about ACTA.
I'm not a U.S. citizen. How can I help?
You can still call or e-mail the U.S. representatives (sponsors of the bills would be a good choice). However, you may want to turn your attention more towards ACTA or other over-zealous copyright bills in your country.
For more Information: http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/sopa
Sign the Petition: http://sopastrike.com/modal/strike-modal/index.html
SOPA and PIPA go well beyond stopping piracy and threaten to destroy sites like GameSpot as they transform the face of the internet, destroy creativity and innovation, and abolish jobs in a world economy that's already desperate for them. If you do anything today—take the time to sign the petition and put your name among the thousands already in opposition. Oppose corruption, resist excessive censorship, and be a force for bettering the freedoms of our great nation! After all, it only takes a minute to stop talking about change—and start making a change.
~Saigo Out~