Did you know it's internet blackout day? Sites all over the internet of censored their own content as an indication of what the web might be like if internet censorship is passed into law. The web is abuzz with opinions on SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act): two bills that seriously threaten intellectual and creative freedom on the internet. The trickiest things about the bill is that it markets as self as defending rights (note the very conscious usage of the word "Protect"), but the way it goes about this could not only technically undermine the way the internet currently functions, but would actually hamper creative artists and freedom of speech, and would put control of web content into the hands of the government and big business. I've posted some of my thoughts on the bill here before, but if you are interested in learning more, there are lots of ways to learn about these bills:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's one page guide to SOPA: here
and their explanation of how this affects internet freedom of speech: here
reddit's technical examination of SOPA and PIPA: here
Dyn's explanation of some of the practical problems with implementing these bills: here
Information on protesting: here
You can always try Wikipedia, but since it's participating in the blackout, finding those quick easy answers may not be that simple.
And of course, if you, like almost everyone else on the internet, feel like voicing your opinion on this issue, be sure to tell not just to tell your friends, but the people who will actually be deciding on these bills.
