Several information providers on the world wide web, aka the Internet–or Interwebs if you’re really in the know–are in direct protest to bills that are presently pushing through congress.
PIPA and SOPA. Sounds like a musical-duo starring two Japanese sisters. If only… These two bills are anything but.
PIPA stands for the the Protect IP Act, which is currently in the Senate, and SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act. These seem like good things, don’t they? The music and movie industries are very much in favor of the Stop Online Piracy Act, yet other entities, a few smallish businesses known as Google, Reddit, Boing Boing and this little start-up company, Wikipedia, are not in favor of the bills.
Now. Don’t get these Internet giants wrong–they’re very much aware that something needs to be done in terms of the frequent theft of intellectual properties via Internet sources, but they realize that these bills are slick, well written and will ultimately make their free sources of information enforcers of the letter of the law. Forget the intent–if there is intent beyond bowing to big lobbyist dollars–you can’t police intent.
What does this mean? Ultimately, it means that these vast sources of information–sources of information which are changing the world–won’t be as accessible. File sharing and linking? Probably not. Not without proper sourcing and various permissions that will be required by the two potential new laws. So. Wikipedia. Reddit. Boing Boing. They’re going dark on Wednesday. They will remain dark for 24 hours.
You have a research paper due? Better print those Wiki super pages right now.
The hope shared among the Internet giants is that these blackouts will result in a “meltdown” of the phone lines in Washington. It’s safe to say, we’re all interested to see what happens.
