Web users woke up this morning to find that, as promised, several prominent Web sites had gone dark or put up messages asking visitors to contact their members of Congress to vote against two online piracy measures: the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act.
Most notably, Wikipedia has gone dark. Any visitor to that site sees a shadowy “W” and a message saying, “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge.”
I'd like to say that I'm posting out of some desire for non-conformance, but it's really just that I missed the boat here. Everything going on and all, I just plain missed it. I see that Wikipedia has gone dark for the day, limiting the ability of folks to find general information, which is a valid point; Google has blackened their logo and asked folks to contact their CongressCritter; also valid points. There's simply no need for the .gov to be sticking its nose inside this particular tent, especially when work-arounds are so simple and plentiful.
It is interesting note where these companies draw their lines in the sand, isn't it? As soon as they come under fire, they're quick to rally together to protest government intrusion. It's also interesting to note that the sponsorship of the bill - by a Republican, thanks a lot guys - is noted prominently, and much less so that the Democrats on the committee are going right along with it. I have no idea whatsoever what the Stupid Party thinks it's going to accomplish with this idiotic stunt except to cement the idea in people's heads that the GOP is the party of big business as well as Big Brother.
Way to go, morons.
That is all.
5 comments:
"I have no idea whatsoever what the Stupid Party thinks it's going to accomplish with this idiotic stunt..."
Well, you hit it on the head with your "big business" point. The MPAA and RIAA are the major instigators here, and the GOP tends to favor things the job creators (look at all the lawyers they employ!) like.
But publicly, they're helping the "little guy," the starving artists and writers whose intellectual property is also being stolen by evil pirates. So they crafted a law that would allow the government to padlock the library door just because somebody photocopied a couple of magazine pages, even if it means nobody can get in to see the rest of the books.
Remember in 2004 when Charlie Rangel introduced a bill that reinstitute the draft?
All the headlines were "Republican-controlled House considers Draft"
These same websites that are protesting SOPA (which Eric Cantor killed already, and Obama said he wouldn't sign) were spreading that half-truth.
I almost support SOPA just based on the people screaming about it being so horrible. But my spite complex isn't that big.
Lamar doesn't seem to be getting much support for SOPA and now co sponsors are pulling out.
Con. Issa is opposed and his committee might have something to say about it.
Just because one Republican Congressman is a wholly owned subsidiary of the entertainment industry doesn't mean we have to hate all of them.
Then again Lamar is from Austin, the Cambridge of Texas.
If you read the proposed legislation it appears to be pretty specific...if it looks like you are violating already existing copyright laws then the DoJ has the option of getting a court order to shut you down pending trial.
Not to say the bastages don't warrant watching, though.
I saw on TV that if you hit the "escape" key while on the site you will bypass the blackout and get the regular site.
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