January 18th Blackout FTW
Have you heard of SOPA and PIPA? SOPA and PIPA are bills that might soon be passed in the United States that give the U.S. government a stranglehold on...you. And me. And every single other person in the world who does what I'm doing right now....
So, you might’ve heard that a lot of sites are participating in a blackout today. But probably, you haven’t heard about it. Because the media aren’t really talking about it a whole lot. And, as we all know, we don’t know anything the media doesn’t tell us.
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The reason for the blackout are SOPA and PIPA. To summarize, SOPA and PIPA are bills that might soon be passed in the United States that give the U.S. government a stranglehold on…you. And me. And every single other person in the world who does what I’m doing right now*.
If SOPA and PIPA pass, this scenario could come true:
You quote four lines of copyrighted song lyrics on your WordPress blog.
Somebody complains.
The government shuts down WordPress.
Not just your blog.
WordPress.
All of it.
No, it’s not likely. But SOPA and PIPA would give the government the power to do that. (And when, in all of history, have governments not done something they have the power to do?)
To explain this in a casual, clear way that we can all understand, some people got together and made the following video. Some of you might feel offended by some of the content…but keep in mind that the laws which protect these people’s right to say what they think are the same laws that protect your right to say what you think — and that is the right our government is talking about curtailing.
In support of the blackout, I won’t be on Twitter or Facebook for the next 24 hours. (Those are the two websites I use the most.) That’s just a tiny droplet of protest in a big intarwebz ocean…but still, it’s my droplet, and I’m adding it.
Don’t just read this post and watch the video.
See you dears on the other side.
*I.e. using the internet.