What’s this about? What is SOPA? And why a blackout? How does or will SOPA affect me? These are all great questions. The answers are political.
What is SOPA?
On October 26, 2012 H.R. 3261 was introduced to the US House by Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar S. Smith (R-TX) which if passed will allow the Department of Justice as well as copyright holders to seek court orders against sites that are believed to be in violation of copyright law. Sounds good on its face. Right? Wrong. Clearly this Bill is a violation of the First Amendment as it infringes our right to free speech. H.R. 3261 is a big step towards Internet censorship. As I recall China tightly locked down Internet access which effectively keeps its citizens “in the dark.” Is this the direction that we in the US wish to go?
Why the blackout?
Many websites will be “blacked out” in protest of SOPA. Take the time to support these sites rather than avoiding them. These particular websites understand just how devastating SOPA will be if allowed to pass in to law.
How will you be affected?
The SOPA protest blackouts should not be causing to much trouble accessing the information you want to view.
If SOPA is signed in to law all bets are off. Recall the limited access the Chinese citizens have? Expect that and likely worse.
