It is basically an open war between Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Although the intention behind the bill is legit, since it also aims to end illegal downloading of movies and other digital content. Having said that, it is a very badly researched move, a move that will result in unprecedented shut down of sites that we rely on everyday basis and also small business owners who have created their enterprisees around the concept of 'freedom of knowledge and speech'.
Therefore, as an Internet user it is imperative for you to learn everything you can about SOPA & PIPA (other than the fact that Wikipedia is shut down for 24 hours). I've compiled some of the best write-ups on this issue, have a look below:
What Is Sopa? (Gizmodo)
"If you hadn't heard of SOPA before, you probably have by now: Some of the internet's most influential sites—Reddit and Wikipedia among them—are going dark to protest the much-maligned anti-piracy bill. But other than being a very bad thing, what is SOPA? And what will it mean for you if it passes?" (Read More)
Protect IP/Sopa Breaks The Internet (Fight For The Future)
Infographic: How Does Sopa Work? (American Censorship)
Check out the infographic
Write An Email To Congress
Even if you are not a citizen of US, you can still be affected by SOPA & PIPA. So go ahead and let Congress know about protest against internet censorship. Visit this page to participate in SOPA strike, and become a part of largest online protest in US history.
PDF Copy of the Bill
http://static.arstechnica.net/2011/10/26/SOPA.pdf
Why Is SOPA Dangerous? (Mashable)
"I’m sure you’ve heard by now that SOPA is bad and would ruin the Internet, but have you actually read the bill? If not, it’s worth reading, for two reasons. First, if you are going to oppose a bill, you should know exactly what you’re opposing, not just the vague principle behind it. Second, it’ll provide you with a valuable insight: that these bills are written in an attempt to obscure the truth.
First off, I’m going to qualify that I’m not a lawyer. However, I am a programmer, and that’s made me pretty good at unraveling spaghetti code. If ever a bill was spaghetti, this is it. If a programmer on my team wrote code as convoluted as this bill, I would fire him on the spot. That being said, there may be provisions I’m wrong about; if there are, please do correct me. My intent is to communicate the truth of this bill as cleanly as possible." - Chris Heald (Read More)
Here's How Your Website Can Join The Strike
You can choose to black out your website for 12 hours through this link. You can also participate via Twitter or Facebook if you like. "Don't be silent that day. Tweet all day from your official company account (#SOPASTRIKE) and share news on sites like reddit. You will get much love in return from your users, and the bigger the action you do, the more love you will be feeling :)" (SOPAStrike.com)
White House Releases An Statement Saying That It Will Not Support Legislation That Threatens Openness Of Internet (Guardian.co.uk)
"Congressional leaders are preparing to shelve controversial legislation aimed at tackling online piracy after president Barack Obama said he would not support it.
California congressman Darrell Issa, an opponent of Sopa, the Stop Online Piracy Act, said he had been told by House majority leader Eric Cantor that there would be no vote unless there is consensus on the bill.
"The voice of the internet community has been heard. Much more education for members of Congress about the workings of the internet is essential if anti-piracy legislation is to be workable and achieve broad appeal," said Issa." (Read More)
These Websites Are Going Dark To Protest SOPA (Mashable)
"Much has been made of Wikipedia’s promise to “go dark,” or shut down the site, for the day as a way of warning what might happen if SOPA became law. The tech protesters say that SOPA would render any site that included links, even if they were user-submitted, practically unoperable and liable to government take-down. Going dark is a dramatic but not entirely unrealistic warning of what the Internet could look like in a SOPA world." (Read More)
Reddit's Founder Alexis Ohanian Talks About SOPA and PIPA (TechCrunch)
SOPA Is The Equivalent Of Smashing The Gutenberg Press (Telegraph)
"It's a breathtaking grab for power and control, one that seeks to use the very same powers and technologies that repressive governments in the Middle East and China use to stamp out free speech – except here, it's purely for the interests of rights holders. Talk about destroying the village in order to save it. And since the UK often blindly follows the US in these matters thanks to global media companies and star-struck politicians, we need to keep a very close eye on it.
What makes this entire affair so tragic is that SOPA and PIPA wouldn't even dent piracy; encrypted torrents, VPNs, anonymous proxies, use of foreign DNS servers and the TOR network: all of these technologies are trivial for pirates to use, and extremely difficult for authorities to track." - Adrian Hon (Read More)
Wikipedia Editors Question Site's Planned Blackout (Associated Press)
Can the world live without Wikipedia for a day? The planned shutdown of one of the Internet's most-visited sites is not sitting well with some of its volunteer editors, who say the protest of anti-piracy legislation could threaten the credibility of their work.
"My main concern is that it puts the organization in the role of advocacy, and that's a slippery slope," said editor Robert Lawton, a Michigan computer consultant who would prefer that the encyclopedia stick to being a neutral repository of knowledge. "Before we know it, we're blacked out because we want to save the whales." (Read More)
Viewpoints: Sites go offline in US piracy laws protest (BBC)
BBC asked some of the most important people involved in this protest to explain their point of view and role. Here's what Micheal O'Leary from Motions Picture Association of America Had to say:
"The bills will encourage innovation while preserving millions of jobs that depend on intellectual property protection, including about 2.2 million Americans whose jobs depend on the film and television industries.
Unfortunately, opponents of the legislation have resorted to attacking the legislation without engaging in a real discussion of the provisions of the bill. Hopefully, this is not a stalling tactic to avoid targeting these foreign rogue websites and the profits they create for American companies that facilitate their illegal behaviour.
Recently, the Obama Administration stated that it looks forward to working with all parties to pass legislation this year to combat foreign piracy. All industries should work together to pass the legislation.
Every day that Congress fails to act on the legislation, American jobs are at risk and more consumers are vulnerable to criminal and malicious behaviour."
Read More
SOPA Sponsors Calls Protests a 'Publicity Stunt' as Google Joins Up (PC Magazine)
"Google on Tuesday confirmed that it too will join Wednesday's SOPA/PIPA protest. But before you freak out about the possibility of being without Gmail, Google Search, Maps, or Google+ for a day, know that the search giant is not shutting down its services tomorrow, only raising awareness.
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), meanwhile, does not appear to be going anywhere, with bill sponsor Rep. Lamar Smith announcing today that a markup of the bill will commence in February—while also slamming the protests as a publicity stunt." - Chloe Albanesius (Read More)
SOPA & PIPA Protest In Pictures (BBC)
Check out all the images.
Humor
The Day The LOLcats Died
A humorous take on SOPA by comedy team of LaughPong.
Scumbag Prof. Hears Wikipedia Black Out (9Gag.com)
The Oatmeal Made An Animated GIF About SOPA
The Oatmeal is blacking out for the next 24 hours in protest. "As someone who creates content for the web, earns a living from it, and has had his content pirated, I do feel that we need better legislation against online piracy. I do not, however, think that SOPA or PIPA are the legislation we need." (Check out The Oatmeal GIF)
Uncyclopedia
If you find yourself experiencing withdrawal symptoms due to lack of Wikipedia dose for 24 hours, then pay a visit to Uncyclopedia, a satirical & humorous approach to SOPA & internet blackout. (Link)
Funny Pictures About SOPA by Reddit
Check out this page
Do share this information if you support protest against SOPA & PIPA. And do share your views and opinions in the comment section below.
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