By K.A. Laity
After some speculation about whether they would take part, it was telling that Google applied the now familiar black censorship bar over their corporate logo (in the U.S. anyway—Google.ie continued in normal mode). More obvious homes of net freedom like Boing-Boing, Reddit, Wikipedia and Wordpress likewise blacked out for the day, but the participation of Google confirmed the broadening opinion that even for a mega-global outfit like Google SOPA and PIPA continue to be very bad ideas.
The so-called "Stop Online Piracy Act" and the "Protect IP Act" would radically affect everyone who uses the net, by making a criminal of anyone who links to anything deemed to be copyrighted material as explained by the always insightful Stephen Colbert. Why catch criminals when you can make everyone a criminal? Anyone who thinks that of course the laws won't be abused this way by corporations should follow the horrifying saga of how the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) have already invoked draconian measures against anyone they can catch—apparently because they're frustrated with not being able to catch real criminals.
People who do not understand the internet should not be legislating for its control; the sad fact is they allow corporations like the RIAA and MPAA to do it for them. While many people will support measures to stop internet piracy, those who do not comprehend how these poorly written measures will forever change the net need to know that Facebook, Twitter and all the rest will be as dead as Napster should SOPA or PIPA pass.
So you're not in the States? Do you really think outrageous laws passed in that country will not be parroted elsewhere—like everything else tacky and sucky about American culture? Oh, it will.
Pretty much every country in the world already has laws about stealing: what we need are for those laws to be enforced against internet piracy. That's all. Of course it has the outrageous requirement that law enforcement officials and politicians get some kind of clue about how the internet works: much easier to just make everything illegal, right?
Insist that lawmakers and law enforcement do their job. Do no accept legislative idiocy. Fight the real enemy: bullshit.
Hands down, the best black out site: TheOatmeal.com "Orwellian bullshit makes me sad."