The World Wide Web is currently dazed with the actions made by several websites as support to the anti-SOPA/PIPA to serve as a protest in the ratification of a bill to stop online piracy in United States. SOPA/PIPA is a way of censoring the Internet.
When I visited Google’s main page to make use of their extensive search engine, I was greeted with a different UI (User Interface). Google censored its logo (just like what they do on TV) by putting a black box over the website’s logo. It was so surprising to find out that there is an issue stirring the web and knowing about it already means how widespread its nature is.
Before we proceed on discussing this issue, it is better to know some of the few details about these House Bills.
What is PIPA (Protect IP Act)?
PIPA gives US corporations and the government the right to seek legal action against any website that they see as committing copyright infringement whether US in origin or not. It was originally introduced in the US Senate on May 12, 2011. This bill will work in conjunction with SOPA.
What is SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)?
House Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261, is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, that would expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.
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.
These two bills are similar in its goals and the enactment of these two into a law will possibly affect majority of US Internet users and even the rest of the world in sharing online information as we presently enjoy.
Truly, piracy and intellectual property infringement has always been a problem since the dawn of digital computing machines yet limiting and monitoring the flow of data is against several issues like privacy, liberty to information and freedom of expression.
I can’t imagine that with the existence of these laws, it is possible that one of my blog sites will be shut down due to an illegal sharing of digital information as seen by its proponents. Featuring logos, products or even information (doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad) can be grounds for a possible closure of my own website.
Definitely, there will be a huge drop in Internet traffic when these bills are passed. No one would ever be able to enjoy the same privileges while they go and surf the web. Tech giants will in the end be affected by the presence of these bills. Filtering the flow of information will not only slow down the way we receive information but also inhibit anyone the access to a certain website.
I hope people around the globe will support in preventing the approval of these bills. Enactment of these bills despite the disapproving audience would mean there’s something that the people from the US government and its supporting agencies wouldn’t like to tell or be found out.
