SOPA, PIPA today: Internet on strike!

By: CBS News Staff
Topics: Tech Talk

(Credit: Google)

(CBS/CNET) - Google joins sites like Wikipedia, MoveOn, Reddit, BoingBoing, Mozilla, WordPress, TwitPic and the ICanHasCheezBurger network in a day-long protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA).

Full coverage of SOPA, PIPA at Tech Talk
SOPA opera: the Internet dukes it out with Congress
SOPA supporters facing boycotts, thanks to Reddit
SOPA opposition from tech heavyweights Google, Facebook

The bills represents the latest effort from the Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America, and their allies to counter what they view as rampant piracy on the Internet, especially offshore Web sites. CBS Corporation is among the media and entertainment companies that support the legislation.

It would allow the Justice Department to obtain an order to be served on search engines, Internet service providers, and other companies, forcing them to make a suspected piratical web site effectively vanish. It's opposed by many Internet companies, users, and civil liberties groups.

SOPA and PIPA are intended to curb the illegal download of copyrighted materials from foreign "rogue" sites, like The Pirate Bay. There is already legislation that provides some protection for copyrighted material, like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which requires companies to remove copyrighted content "in good faith."

Worst-case scenarios are being debated. The Electronic Frontier Foundation speculates, "Instead of complying with the DMCA, a copyright owner may now be able to use these new provisions to effectively shut down a site by cutting off access to its domain name, its search engine hits, its ads, and its other financing even if the safe harbors would apply."

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by CBS_Supports_SOPA January 18, 2012 10:22 PM EST: CBS and Viacom are big Censorship supporters. It's great when the big bosses speak their minds publically. It makes it much easier to motivate others to avoid their products. CBS Nightly News this evening almost completed ignored the SOPA censorship issue. Only providing about 15 seconds of coverage. They might have been directed to ignore this important topic.; Reply to this comment


by srjmsbnd January 18, 2012 5:14 PM EST: IN PROTEST OF SOPA AND PIPA,
WE HAVE MAYBE 12 hours TO BLACK OUT THE INTERNET!
I MEAN THE WHOLE INTERNET, ALL OF IT!

Can't be too difficult if every acted with a minimum of effort?

BLACK OUT TO REESTABLISH AN ACTIVE CIVILIAN PRESENCE ON THE INTERNET!
BLACK UP AGAINST CENSORSHIP AND UNLAWFUL INTRUSIONS!
BLACK OUT AGAINST IT CORPORATE ABUSES!

BLACK OUT IN A PRESENCE WHERE THE CORPORATE ELITE IS MEANINGLESS!

I see an internet I want it painted BLACK
BEFORE TODAY IS OVER, I want it painted BLACK
I WANT NO THE PROFILE PHOTOS In their cheerful tones
ON FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE PLUS
PROFILES SHOULD BE BLACKED OUT!

http://zito.biz/*******/?p=2630
http://templeofreason.org/news/?p=2787; Reply to this comment


by Scimajor January 18, 2012 12:53 PM EST: SOPA

Save
Our
Profits
Act

It's all about greedy corporations.; Reply to this comment


by Wordizm January 18, 2012 11:06 AM EST: Protect your freedom.

http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Contact your representative and tell them to stop SOPA. Then spread the word. You can use my Timeline cover on your Facebook to get the word out:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2485531337208&set=a.2325220689542.2107098.1220382708&type=1&theater; Reply to this comment