I think that congress is voting on the bill tomorrow. Do you guys think that the bill will pass? What repercussions do you think it will have on internet usage?
If you haven't heard of SOPA, here's a quick video explaining it:
"Now the government and corporations could block any site, foreign or domestic, just for one infringing link. Sites like Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook would have to censor their users or get shut down since they become liable for everything users post. And ordinary users could go to jail for five years for posting any copyrighted work - even just singing a pop song."
Does this mean that sites like KATG.com could get shut down because one person posts a link that violates copyright infringement?
I know that they want to pass this act to stop online piracy and save the poor CEOs in the entertainment industry some money but that can't be the only reason... If this bill gets passed, the government and corporations would have the power to block access to any website that they believe 'violates copyright infringement'. It would be a great way for them to control the information that reaches us. I don't get my news for watching tv/reading the newspaper - I get my news from the internet!
Anyway, I’m not super knowledgeable on this topic so I would love to hear other people’s opinions!
More info on the Protect IP Act/SOPA:
Stop American Censorship
House takes Senate's bad Internet censorship bill, tries making it worse
Dozens of law professors: PROTECT IP Act is unconstitutional
Avaaz - Save the Internet!