PROTECT IP/SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) Breaks The Internet. PROTECT-IP is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011. It gives the government and corporations the ability to censor the net, in the name of protecting "creativity". The law would let the government or corporations censor entire sites - they just have to convince a judge that the site is "dedicated to copyright infringement." The bill would authorize the U.S. Department of Justice to seek court orders against websites outside U.S. jurisdiction accused of infringing on copyrights, or of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement.
The government has already wrongfully shut down sites without any recourse to the site owner. Under this bill, sharing a video with anything copyrighted on it, as sites like Youtube and Twitter do, would be considered illegal behavior according to this bill.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill would cost around $47 million U.S. tax dollars a year. Many people argue that this is a fix that won't work, disrupts the internet, stifles innovation, shuts out diverse voices, and censors the internet.
On January 14, 2012, the Obama administration responded to a petition against the bill, stating that it would not support legislation with provisions that could lead to Internet censorship, squelching of innovation, or reduced Internet security, but encouraged "all sides to work together to pass sound legislation this year that provides prosecutors and rights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond U.S. borders while staying true to the principles outlined above in this response."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act
-- UPDATE January 23, 2012--
Internet wins: Lamar Smith pulls the bill of SOPA
After the websites blackout protest, the chief sponsor of SOPA, Lamar Smith, pulls the bill officially. He said he need to find the wider agreement in the future.
It looks like he won’t give up since he said, “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”
Hence, we must keep an eye on it. Don’t let the government said protecting piracy while the fact is censoring the internet.
[via Mashable]
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