Well, it looks like Occupy Wall Street has gone to Occupy Internet. Of course the two protests are completely different with no link whatsoever, but it certainly seems that a lot of America is protesting lately.
The truth is I had not heard about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) or the Protest IP Act (PIPA) until this week when I randomly clicked on Wikipedia. As a joke I was tempted to post something about in light of Wikipedia going dark for the day, for the next 24 hours Ill be taking all of your questions here instead. Seriously, though, I have to admit, although I dont use Wikipedia often, having the site blocked was a taste of narrowed freedom, of controlled information an un-American feeling.
I clicked on the Wikipedia link to learn more about these proposed laws. The idea not the legislation, but the idea of thinking of ways to navigate the Internet in a healthier, more responsible and fair way, spoke to me. Raising this issue is an important one. But legislating it, at least in the way these specific bills suggest, feels like a huge mistake.
I am no legal scholar, but it smacks of tampering with the sacred American principle of freedom of speech. It has the taste of the first step in imposing a surveillance mentality on American society. True, infringement of copyright and child pornographic sites are critical issues, but legally silencing or punishing the American peoples opportunity for economic innovation or sense of freedom is not the way to go.
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