The online voices against SOPA just keep getting stronger, but Congress and Big Money are not hearing the outcries – at least not that I can tell. Every hour, there is a new angle that makes this bill more horrific for anyone who believes in free expression. Considering that the entire globe is up in arms, you’d think that our government would get the big picture. But we all know that they’re not capable of seeing the big picture through all of the potential $$$ that they expect. Running a government like a store about to go under is not a way that embraces logic. They might be desperate in their economic interpretation, but this conversation surpasses their selfish beliefs and leaves it in the dust.
To all of you supporters of SOPA, please explain why it’s so great…other than the copyright infringement windfalls you expect to reap. Except that there won’t be any windfalls because creative distribution and innovation will be handed to those with the largest purse strings, and that is not the individual artist. And while the artist may get a few tiny scraps (check out this infographic by Information Is Beautiful.net and posted by @robschwager – and this theft isn’t limited to musicians), they’ll be losing personal freedoms for themselves and the entire Net while destroying its functionality in the process.
Here’s the latest stories that tell the story:
- CNET’s SOPA’s Latest Threat: IP Blocking, Privacy-blocking Packet Inspection
- Aljazeera’s US State Department Not For Internet Freedom
- Huffington’s Hollywood Takes Over the Online Space: Shopping Paralyzed Worldwide
- CNET’s OpenDNS: SOPA Will Be ‘Extremely Disruptive’ to the Internet
- CDT’s US Piracy Law Could Threaten Human Rights
- The Hill’s GOP’s Issa: Efforts to ‘Grease the Skids’ For Online Piracy Bill Has Failed
- Notes From The House Judiciary Committee Hearing On the Stop Online Piracy Act
There’s more coming out every hour, but it’s clear that those at the top are the ones who need a lesson that there are things that should not ever in their purview. When we make legislation without seeking out all of the SMEs, then we only create more opportunities for unknown casualties because of our lack of knowledge. And some things can’t be fixed once they’re shattered. Keep the word going and I’ll keep passing on more info against SOPA as I find it. This is one fight we can’t let go until it’s over and buried.
After all, I prefer the image above to be how our Net looks, and not some fragmented networks that remove our global interconnections. If you want to join your voice with the international community opposing this draconian bill, add your name to Avaaz’s global petition: Save the Internet! And contact your Congressmen to tell them that you’re against censorship and demand to keep the Net free for us all.
