If you haven’t heard about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) so far, most are bound to have noticed Tuesday, January 18, 2012 when they were unable to get to many of their favorite sites from Wikipedia to Reddit to WordPress to Mozilla to Craigslist.
NEW: Where do members of Congress stand on SOPA
MUST WATCH VIDEOS: CBS C/Net Complicit in Piracy
SOPA LOSING SUPPORT VIDEO
Do not fall for the red herring that these bills – both SOPA (in the House) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) (in the Senate) are ONLY about stopping “renegade pirate sites”.
ANY site could be taken down!
SOPA and PIPA are NOT only a threat to big sites.
See this MUST WATCH video:
Look at all the videos that have been removed from YouTube because of copyright violations. That could be YOUR blog or any site you visit!
“This bill is about using the government to shut
down the competition from bloggers, podcasters,
Web TV and other independent content creators.”
~ Rick Calvert, BlogWorld Co-Founder ~
SOPA and PIPA would make it simple for YOUR blog or favorite site to be “reported” and taken down or cut off from PayPal and other payment gateways without proof of wrongdoing or any chance to defend your innocence.
Did you know that it is ILLEGAL to sing Happy Birthday in a restaurant
unless that restaurant pays royalties to the people who wrote that song?
Or that you could be found guilty and sentenced to up to FIVE YEARS
in prison for posting a video on your site or YouTube or anywhere else
online that contains any part of that song?
And some actually believe you should report others and
PAY UP if you unknowingly sang Happy Birthday to anyone!
GOOGLE SOPA BLACKOUT LOGO:
Google is NOT going dark – but they did post a message
“Tell Congress: Please don’t censor the web!”
MEDIA IN DENIAL:
As has been their usual response, major media ignores what they don’t want the public to know about for as long as they can:
“Living in what can only be described as pure denial, the MPAA announced today that the SOPA/PIPA protests “failed to enlist big sites.” Honestly, there’s really not much more to say about that. Google. Wikipedia. Facebook. Amazon. Craigslist. All participating. Let’s just stare in wonder at the MPAA’s hubris and ability to deny reality.” ~ TechDirt ~
HOW TO JOIN SOPA BLACKOUT:
- INSTANT >> Twitter Blackout SOPA Avatars
- WordPress SOPA PIPA Plugins
- How to SOPA Strike
- How To Blackout Your Site (For SOPA/PIPA) Without Hurting SEO
- Participating in the SOPA Black Out? Don’t Forget to SEO
- Stop American Censorship SOPA Strike – site includes huge list of participants in strike, ways to participate, and SOPA infographic with NO OBVIOUS WAY TO SHARE IT so go see their SOPA INFOGRAPHIC at WebProNews!
- Zachary Johnson’s blackout page
- ProtestSOPA.org
- CloudFlare’s Stop Censorship app
- SOPA Strike WordPress Plugin
- Did you make something? Tweet it to #StrikeTools
MORE INSANE LAWS
- SNOPES: Happy Birthday is STILL Protected by Copyright! Sing Happy Birthday and We’ll Sue!
- Techdirt: The Happy Birthday Copyright Saga: Generating Millions On A Copyright That May Not Exist
- Techdirt: Senators Want To Put People In Jail For Embedding YouTube Videos
- Techdirt: New Anti-Streaming Criminal Copyright Bill Could Mean Jail Time For Lip Synchers
WHAT IS SOPA?
- XLNT: The Super PIPA-SOPA Action Info Flowchart Reference Guide
- What All Marketers Need To Know About SOPA – The Stop Online Piracy Act
- The Big List Of SOPA Links
- Factbox: The ‘Stop Online Piracy Act‘ explained
- Kikolani: About SOPA and Today’s Blackout – Infographic, Video, and Call to Action
WHAT IS PIPA?
- TodayIRead: SOPA and PIPA will BREAK the Internet!
- ThatBaldChick’s position on SOPA PIPA Blackout
- AHens’Nest Videos and Details about Protesting Internet Censorship
WHAT IS COPPA?
- Proposed FTC COPPA Changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act includes yet ANOTHER call for a National ID – does NOT protect children but does threaten privacy, free speech and freedom.
EFFECTS of SOPA / PIPA:
- SOPA and PIPA bills could threaten natural health websites with government-ordered shutdown
- ?US Chamber Of Commerce Appears To Argue That SOPA & PIPA Apply To NO Websites At All
- ?If SOPA’s Main Target Is The Pirate Bay, It’s Worth Pointing Out That ThePirateBay.org Is Immune From SOPA
Gail Gardner
Thanks for a really great laws compilation! That’s a strange and at the same time relevant topic for all of us interested in media
Wow. Sopa is a complete abjection of our rights to free speech.
Hi David,
Yes, SOPA is bad and CISPA is worse. The internet as we know it is under constant threat.
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If implemented rigorously, it will bring an end to what is perhap’s man’s greatest invention since computers.
You cant record a video that contains a logo, emblem or livery and upload it on youtube. That would be illegal.
What next? You cant discuss X until you pay royalty to the guy who came up with X?
I’m so proud I was a part of the blackout movement, even though my site isn’t nearly as important as others, it just makes me feel like I did my part for Internet freedom. Let’s just hope ACTA loses support too…
More site need to stand up for their rights. The government need to get their hands off of our life.
SOPA and PIPA is not a good innovation for internet activities.it will definitely criple internet activities if the bill is past.mega upload went down,very soon they take in other sites including blogs.
I am late to this post, but I followed the SOPA protests closely. I am so happy to see the turnout, and to see all the politicians bailing from SOPA and PIPA.
Of course, the real danger is now that there has been a positive step, don’t let these guys sneak in legislation now that everyone feels it has been defeated. Laws like this always come back, like a liberty crushing zombie
SOPA and PIPA are already too much for us. Not only the US citizens, but it also affects us all around the world. It’s a good thing that now both of them are shelved, their big brother ACTA is approaching and more worse than that because its global.
We must put an end to this mess, no matter what stupid bill or treaty they created.
Dan Lew
We’ve won the battle; but, I fear this is only the first of many attacks yet to come on our internet freedoms. I am encouraged at the effectiveness of our efforts to stop SOPA and PIPA. We each must remember what we did and be ready to do it again if/when the need arises.
Ellie
Ellie would love you to read ..Prevent Anxiety Attacks
ACTA is most certainly worse. It could be argued SOPA was a planned failure so we didn’t see ACTA.
You must never sit back. Please oppose ACTA! http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_save_the_internet_spread/
Made me feel proud as a citizen of the web to see so many sites banding together to protest SOPA. I was really impressed with the job Google did with their blacked out logo that led to the petition to stop the bill. I must have saw that link shared twenty times on Facebook during the day. Hopefully that big wave will knock these ridiculous bills out.
Actually I think that the real goal of SOPA and PIPA was to divert attention from ACTA which affects more or less the whole world instead of just the USA. And it has been already passed by the Europen Union and signed by some world leaders. Obama has been one of the first to do it. That’s why I think that the real goal was to pass ACTA and they succeded. Now Acta should pass votes in every country but there are some like Italy where it will surely be approved. Well, we’ll still stand and defend freedom.
Take some time and writ an email to your state Representatives. I spent a little time and received some good responses on the issue. I was clear in my emails that I was watching and would not vote for someone who would support this bill.
These bills are more than a bit worrisome. It seems George Orwell’s 1984 was misdated, but…could have been labeled 2012.
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One has to wonder if this is only the beginning of the battle. Even with this legislation defeated how long will it be until they try to ram the same thing by adding it to some necessary legislation like a defence spending bill. We’ve all seen this sad charade play out in the past. If we know anything these guys won’t go away just because they are defeated once.
I shut down my site for the day too! What a well put together protest… It’s a shame that the NDAA didn’t get the same amount of attention.
SOPA gone now .. yuppieee ..!!!
thanks to all fellow bloggers for protesting against this .
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With the increasing support against SOPA and PIPA, the government has delayed the introduction of this bill but the fight should not stop here. We need to gather more and more support as possible as the government will go out of its way to try and introduce this bill in the next session. Internet belongs to everyone and it is answerable to none.
Good to see many people have joined hands to wipe out this bill. What we should do is continue our effort and gather as much support as possible against SOPA and the congress who is keen to pass this bill. Internet should not be controlled by anyone.
Yeah I heard too about the blackout of wikipedia. Is the blackout already done? I guess many wanted to remove pirates over the net!
It was so awesome to see all the solidarity from the internet on this issue.
John would love you to read ..ABCs of Travel
Question is…which other fileserver is next?…Thanks for the article
Megaupload.com also joined and hackers hacked government sites I guess their way to protest SOPA. I hope this would really work and I will be glad if you keep us updated. No to censorship!
I thought the support to SOPA was phenomenal! I never thought that they lost the battle, Infact I’d like to believe that these small steps will help us in getting together and making a step that will help us in having a free & independent internet. With out no one blocking or stopping us!
I might be a bestselling author, but I personally have a varied taste and I would love to have my freedom in what I want to see and what I dont!
It is really sad to see how little by little our freedom is being taken away by big corporations and basically by money.
I do hope that all the blackouts and protest will make more people aware of the sopa bill and hopefully it will never pass.
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I really hate this bill..I’d rather Hollywood stop making films than SOPA get through.?.
Kyro would love you to read ..Discover how “No Poo”
These kind of laws really makes me hate USA Government.
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Hey guys congratulation no SOPA this is the power of blogging.
Keep blogging..
It was great to see some extremely powerful websites fight SOPA. It really was a great day in history to show the power of the internet and how much support honorable businesses can give. All in all, it’s good to see Congress has practically thrown this bill out.
I was so happy that blackout of big internet sites went effectively, hope Lamar Smith won’t push this kind of Bill.
I was glad to hear that, following all these websites shut-downs, support for these bills if decreasing. but lets face the facts, if the people who control the money want these bills passed, sooner or later they will be passed and there’s nothing we can do about it. You can write to your congressman or senator and it wont change a thing because these people get elected using campaign contributions made by companies trying to get these bills passed. If these elected officials want to get re-elected or run for better positions they better do what their campaign contributors say. Money rules the world. Sad but true.
Hi Tom,
Well, actually it does. I can see I am going to have to write a post about the big picture soon.
growmap would love you to read ..Every worthwhile Small Business IS doing important work – How YOURS could go viral #smbiz
While it IS true that they will let the outrage die down and then quietly try to slip these laws through any way they can – often by tacking them onto some totally unrelated piece of legislature they’re rushing through Congress, I am encouraged by the fact that so many actually DID SOMETHING about this. That is unusual.
The political system is so corrupt that even the Judicial branch has been bought off. (Note the decision they made yesterday to extend copyright protection in spite of overwhelming opposition or there increasingly ridiculous rulings that defy all logic.)
There IS a solution – the masses refusing to take it any more – and it appears they are dumb enough they are going to be what causes that solution to happen because they just keep on stepping in it over and over and are probably even surprised that more and more are willing to speak out.
That is why they need to censor the Internet and they will keep trying to do it. So be prepared, people. Get contact information for key people you respect and make sure you can reach them as many ways as possible (phone, email, blogs, forums, Skype, IM). While they control all the major sites they do NOT control every independent site until they use their kill switch (yes they CAN do that) or take all the sites down.
If they do that we will have to get around it. We could use bulletin boards and dial in or see if the Ham radio folks have a satellite working and might let us use a little of their bandwidth or create physical communities of people who want to come out of the world.
growmap would love you to read ..Why We Need Group Geo-Targeted Niche Blogs
I sure hope they don’t get this passed. I did do my duty and write to congress. Did anyone else?
Hopefully this big push by the major players in the website business will crush SOPA. I’m sure yesterday was a big wake up call to a lot of political representatives. We don’t like SOPA…we don’t like it at all. Keep up the pressure!
The real reason why many sites are blacked out is not known by many. It is great that you have not just stated the reason but also put forth both points of view in this very complicated argument. I totally support the side of the people who are against the piracy law as it will do more damage than help.
Hi Gail,
When will the politicians get it into their heads that the internet is bringing in so much revenue that without it they’d be far worse off. Maybe they should get up out of their seats and have a look around for themselves rather than just reading what is put in front of them.
Like other commentators have said, it’s nice to see all the big sites getting behind this and joining together. We were ok in the UK but it was on the news detailing Wikipedia’s blackout.
Barry
Barry Wells would love you to read ..Developing Alliances and Friendships With Other Bloggers
Hi Barry,
What we have to start realizing is they DO NOT CARE – they just follow the way of this world and “do what thou wilt” is the guiding principle of those who crave power.
The economy is being destroyed ON PURPOSE as is much more because they have no discernment at all and either can not see or do not care that they will destroy themselves along with us.
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Internet marketing is surely going to suffer if this act passes. By making blackout is the good way to make government and also other citizens who are not aware of this make realize. More than half of the population’s large share of income is based on internet marketing. It is the best and easiest medium to earn. More such protests must be carried to get away with the privacy act.
Protesting against government always need strength. And by blacking out it showed the strength among internet marketing organizations. It is very important that congress should understand that by imposing such acts will help in achieving anything. By participation of the big names in this protest, it has only made the protest more stronger.
I hope government realize what they are trying to do in internet world. Not only businesses are affected but million of ordinary people who depend their income in online jobs and small businesses.
***COMMENT CENSORED BY THE GOVERNMENT DUE TO SOPA***
heh..and funny 😉
anyway..they fail yesterday 😀 ..cheers!!
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Oh my, can’t imagine the days without Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo and so on…
We must stop those idiotic government from killing the economy and destroy millions of jobs
The government doesn’t really understand how important knowledge is to a common man. Its clearly visible that they just want to control everything they can in this world. No one owns the internet. So the website owners should decide whether they want to provide their service for free or not.
Thanks for all the information on stopping SOPA. It sounds like it is a way to sensor and feed only the info that Politicians deem relevant.
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Great to hear about the “real” reasons for the black out. Was a little confused after reading the newspapers and watching the news on TV. They all seemed to be giving their own versions of it. I must say that I am a big supporter of free knowledge on the internet. The reason the internet is such a big success is the fact that it if free. But I guess politicians always want to fill their own pockets and after newspapers, television are now after the internet the new arm of the media that they should make money out of and control. I also see this move as a way of preventing people from using this free media platform to express themselves. The internet allows people to talk what they want, when they want to whomsoever they want all around the world. this is a move to curb this power that the internet possesses.
Hi Thomas,
I haven’t seen the major media coverage so I appreciate you sharing that they are doing what they usually do: spinning what they want the masses to THINK is going on instead of reporting impartially and presenting all sides.
growmap would love you to read ..Small Business Internet Marketing: Where to Start
Hey Gail,
I don’t think SOPA will even going to pass as there are so many supporters for STOP SOPA movement from all over the world.
-Dev
Those bills will definitely slows down the growth of the economy. This is purely suppression of the freedom of expression.
I did what I could being living in Italy, signed the petition for foreigners and tweeted it. I don’t know if the strike will be enough, it probably depends on how much money the lobbies has thrown into the pockets of supporters. I’ve read yesterday that politicians are driven by money and not by citizens’ interests, all over the world. Anyway there are two points I’ve found pretty interesting. The first is that if the strike is really successful and they don’t disguise SOPA and PIPA in something else it demonstrates the power of the net and the real amount of influence that democratic human beings can exert. Second that Big G. joined this battle for democracy, even if its reasons are not so clear. Interesting uh?
For a free net!
What does the government thinking? for Internet marketers this can be their worst nightmare. what will happen to online businesses. once the congress approves this Internet Marketing will be gone for sure. I hope that this will not happen.
Im glad to see these bills are dying. Congress realized if they have any chance of getting reelected they better stay away from this.
As Ileane mentioned above, i cant actually see this being successfully passed.
Thanks for taking time out to inform us all of this anyway Gail, those who are against the move appreciate it!
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Excellent article A+ Coverage of this important issue. I like how hostgator came out against this legislation.
Think about what can be done if they protested the NDAA? Which is more dangerous for people?
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SOPA/PIPA is like a nightmare for the internet and its users. I has to be stopped and will be hopefully! Today many sites are down opposing it. Even wikipedia is down which is losing its 420 MILLION unique users!
I am completely against this bill, however I understand the meaning behind the sites that are opposing it. While it does impose negatively on the users of these sites, if this will help prevent the bill from passing, why not try?
Good to see so many standing against this awful law – it prevents the whole web 2.0 trend and takes us back years!
Lets hope congress take our petitions into account.
Huge opposition to SOPA.
Almost the whole internet is down.
Hi Gail, It is beyond me why anyone would support this bill. It’s also beyond my comprehension that it will ever get passed. Thanks for spreading the word and educating others who don’t know what this is about.
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It is really nice that you have taken great trouble to go into the details of today’s black out. Many people are only looking at the problems they are facing today and are totally ignoring the long run problems. Today is the experience that people are having is a slice of the bigger cake that will be an everyday reality if the censorship works. I most definitely support the SOPA strike blackout, it is for a greater good and a bigger cause.
Turn out for today’s blackout is overwhelming. I did not expect so much response for blackout. But the appreciation for such result really goes to big sites like Wikipedia, Google, etc.. Due to their participation it is going to get sure shot success I guess. Government should understand that by blocking sites would not bring any change in the mindset of the people. Hope this blackout would make them realize this.
Nice to see some big name sites participating in this, as well as smaller sites. I saw wordpress, wikipedia, and another one I forget right off hand, but I did come across a couple smaller sites doing the blackout thing. Hope to see a few more through the course of the day. I was going to do something similar, but turns out I didn’t get around to it. 2 thumbs up for those that are participating in the blackout today!
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Nice post, i will see the rest of the blog later, by the way you have great writing skills… Keep It Up 🙂 🙂
Like Illeane said there would be no reason anyone with a sane mind would support this bill, I dunno what had gotten in Godaddy when they had first supported this bill. None the less, they changed their stance but after the damage was done. SOPA will certainly spoil the equilibrium of the internet and at the end it will do more harm instead of doing any good and in fact will help in increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. It will totally ruin small business in the internet.
This is the biggest problem in the internet world. Piracy are growing fast. SOPA and PIPA are one of them.
Also the oatmeal and wikipedia are blacked out 🙂
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This one is so important as it could change the internet forever as we know it. Thanks for sharing! Even some sites that are not shut down are putting up big black boxes like Google.
I am one of the ones who is participating in the black out today. I don’t think the internet should be censored. I encourage everyone to also blackout their site on Jan 24th, the day they are supposed to be voting over these bills. These bills are just a transitivity right now.
I had no idea about this until I was listening to the radio this morning and heard that Wikipedia was shutting down for the day. Copyright infringement can be a serious thing, yes, but there’s such a thing as taking it too far. I mean if all copyrighted material was removed from the internet, it wouldn’t be what it is today!