Some of you may have noticed that some popular websites were temporarily shut down or "censored" today (Wikipedia, Google, Tumblr, Reddit, etc.) in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). This act, currently being considered by U.S. Congress, aims to put a stop to copyright infringement by eradicating websites that share/pirate music, movies, photos, videos, and text owned by others. For example, if you post a music video by an artist on your Tumblr, or share a photo on Facebook that is owned by someone else, the government could essentially shut down Tumblr and Facebook for hosting the material. To add insult to injury- you could also face prison time for posting the material in question.
While I am against piracy, I don't believe censoring the internet and violating the First Amendment is an acceptable means to an end. SOPA would do just that.
But you can help put a stop to this outrageous act- head on over to Google's 'End Piracy. Not Liberty' page and sign the petition that will go directly to Congress!
Do it now- before it's too late!
