Two new laws proposed by US legislators, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), have led to a day of protest. The basic explanation of the law is that it aims to reduce copyright infringement on the interwebs by giving the US government power via the SOPA and PIPA. Pretty much the internet as we know it will cease to exist if these acts pass. Even though we live in Canada, make no mistake this will have ramifications on us and the rest of the world as well. Even though it looks as though it will be defeated, this is only the beginning as US legislators will try to restrict the freedom of the internet.
Wikipedia, the biggest player, has gone dark for the full 24 hours on January 18th (sorry kids, should done your research earlier, or why not go to a library). It’s also joined by Reddit, Mozilla and Google among many other websites. The funniest and yet still informative blackout of comes from website The Oatmeal.
Rather than break this down further, this video illustrates everything you need to know and why it’s important to rally against the US legislators:
PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.
Follow Channels and Categories