Just the Facts, Ma'am; Just the Facts

Where did SOPA and PIPA come from and why should I be concerned?
Well, I'm glad you asked.  Media companies have been screaming about copyright infringements for years. Enter SOPA in the U.S. House of Representatives and PIPA in the U.S. Senate.  Both bills are aimed at shutting down foreign websites that infringe upon copyrighted media.  Both bills would potentially allow sites to be shut down because of copyright infringement.

That sounds like a good plan, why is it not?
According to EFF: Defending Your Rights in the Digital World, "a proposal in SOPA will allow the government to target sites that simply provide information that could help users get around the bills’ censorship mechanisms."

Also, service providers could shut down IP addresses due to bogus claims with no oversight at all!   The vigilante provision allows "broad immunity to all service providers if they overblock innocent users or block sites voluntarily with no judicial oversight at all. The standard for immunity is incredibly low and the potential for abuse is off the charts. Intermediaries only need to act “in good faith” and base their decision “on credible evidence” to receive immunity."

PIPA and SOPA both would give the Attorney General power to block domain name services forcing sites such as Blogger and Wordpress to become the internet police.

What can I do?

• Contact your Senator. Contact your Representative. Insist on No Support for SOPA nor PIPA.
• Visit the EFF site and sign the petition Stop the Internet Blacklist Legislation.
• Write a Letter to the Editor of your hometown newspaper.
• If you have a blog, write a blog post about your feelings/concerns for SOPA & PIPA.
• Visit Stop American Censorship for additional ways to help - even if you live outside of the United States.

Stop Censorship!