Stop SOPA Stop This Internet Censorship!If you have been unto the news lately, especially the political news, you must have heard of two controversial bills being sponsored in the American Congress that are aimed at initiating censorship of the internet. Personally, I’ve ignored all of it until now because I’ve never been political with this blog.
However, when I saw this blog post from wordpress.org a few days ago, I decided to break my silence on this issue. I think it’s time every blogger should stand up and support the move to stop SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and its sister bill in the American Senate PIPA (Protect IP Act).
As much as those who are proposing these bills will want us to believe that they have good intentions, we do know the dangers this could pose to the freedom of speech that the internet has afforded the whole world today. Please take a few minutes to watch this video for some insights:
Tell Congress not to censor the internet NOW! – http://www.fightforthefuture.org/pipa[PROTECT-IP is a bill that has been introduced in the Senate and the House and is moving quickly through Congress. It gives the government and corporations the ability to censor the net, in the name of protecting "creativity". The law would let the government or corporations censor entire sites-- they just have to convince a judge that the site is "dedicated to copyright infringement."]
So, why continue to be an onlooker? Whether you’re in the US or outside the US, you can add your voice to this move and help stop SOPA. Click here now and make your voice heard.
As a blogger you can do more to promote this cause. I’ve just found this wordpress plugin that will add a banner at the top right hand of your blog with a link to the Stop America Censorship site so that visitors to your blog can easily click and add their voice. [Take a look at the top right of this and see it at work!]
If in any case you are not very clear why you, as a blogger, should concern yourself with these political problems, here are some thoughts from the wordpress.org post you may want to note:
- In the U.S. our legal system maintains that the burden of proof is on the accuser, and that people are innocent until proven guilty. This tenet seems to be on the chopping block when it comes to the web if these bills pass, as companies could shut down sites based on accusation alone.
- Laws are not like lines of PHP; they are not easily reverted if someone wakes up and realizes there is a better way to do things. We should not be so quick to codify something this far-reaching.
- The people writing these laws are not the people writing the independent web, and they are not out to protect it. We have to stand up for it ourselves.
And if you’re thinking there is nothing we can do as bloggers then you’ll also need to note this:
“Some people will tell you that taking action is useless, that online petitions, phone calls to representatives, and other actions won’t change a single mind, especially one that’s been convinced of something by lobbyist dollars. To those people, I repeat the words of Margaret Mead:
‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’
We are not a small group. More than 60 million people use WordPress — it’s said to power about 15% of the web. We can make an impact, and you can be an agent of change.”
Yes, your voice does matter and it can be the deciding factor. Click here and let your voice be heard!
Update: There indications that the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has suffered some setback already. The Obama administration is reported to be strongly opposed those who wants to enforce copyrights on the Internet. In yet another report, it does appears that the proponents of the controversial bill (SOPA) is being shelved until consensus is found.
All of these may have arisen from the efforts of those who are opposed to the bill. We must therefore do more to ensure that the gains so far are not lost as there are strong indications that a similar bill is set to be introduced in less than 2 weeks from now.
Join million other bloggers to stop SOPA, click here to add your voice. And if you’re using wordpress as your blogging platform, get the stop SOPA plugin.
UPDATE: Just read on the Wikipedia blog that the Wikipedia community has decided to black out the English-language Wikipedia for 24 hours, worldwide, beginning at 05:00 UTC on Wednesday, January 18 as their support for this stop SOPA movement. I think this is a good move and should you do something in support!
Author: Chadrack
I am the Founder/Executive Editor of the Web Income Journal. I am a Professional SEO Web Content Writer with special interest in wordpress blogging, content development, online marketing and social media. Hire me to help you create web content that will improve your site rankings, boost your brand loyalty and increase your website traffic in a cost effective manner!
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That’s really great that you offer all your readers to download stop SOPA plugin! Maybe it can become a forward step in this confrontation
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Chadrack Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
@BuySellWordpress,
Actually, that’s what I wanted. At least every blogger who read this should be think of adding the stop SOPA badge to their blogs. What happened all of the internet yesterday, January 18, was really great. Now that the black out has lasted, we should be able to continue the agitation through things like this badge. Have you added something to your site?
Chadrack recently posted…Put the WOW Effect on Your Blog with these WordPress Plugins!
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BuySellWordpress Reply:
January 20th, 2012 at 8:39 am
@Chadrack, I haven’t done it because of some reasons that don’t depend on me. But I still hope to join all of you
BuySellWordpress recently posted…Business WordPress Themes
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Thanks for posting this. Definitely something worth fighting for. You’re right, the internet has done so much for free speech.
Doug Gene@ Outdoor Gear Reviews recently posted…Rock Creek Coupon Code and Review
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Chadrack Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 6:42 pm
@Doug Gene,
Glad that you love it. Remember to join the crusade by adding the stop SOPA badge to your blog.
Chadrack recently posted…Put the WOW Effect on Your Blog with these WordPress Plugins!
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That is so true This Internet Censorship As an author and business man, I like how you said “If you have been unto the news lately, especially the political news, you must have heard of two controversial bills being sponsored in the American Congress that are aimed at initiating censorship of the internet”. I hope more people discover your blog because you really know what you’re talking about. Can’t wait to read more from you!
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Chadrack Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 6:50 pm
@Daniel Milstein,
Thanks for the good words. I also look forward to seeing more of you here.
Chadrack recently posted…Put the WOW Effect on Your Blog with these WordPress Plugins!
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It’s awesome to see all these web properties uniting and standing against SOPA – the Google link supporting the fight on it’s homepage is a brave but wise move.
You can tell the government truly don’t understand the benefit and powers of a free web
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Chadrack Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 6:46 pm
@Sam,
The support was really awesome! It’s not that they don’t know the power of a free internet, their personal gains will not allow them to think of the general good. But we are in a democracy and so the people has spoken. They definitely will have to listen to what the people has said.
Chadrack recently posted…How Google Local Drive Targeted Traffic – My Wooden Watch Review Blog
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I totally agree, I just can’t find my favorite musics on youtube because they’re all removed because of the copyrights. It’s a shame.
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Chadrack Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 7:05 pm
@Catwoman,
Well, it’s true that all of us have our different reasons for doing this. As a writer and author I wouldn’t support anything that has to do with undermining the rights of any creative artiste. We are not against copywrite laws but against a blanket censorship which the SOPA act seeks to do.
It’s unfortunate that you couldn’t have access to your favorite music because they have been removed. If you value these musical works so much it will be thing of good if you can invest on them or don’t you think so?
Chadrack recently posted…Put the WOW Effect on Your Blog with these WordPress Plugins!
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I’ve just got the ideas about SOPA and PIPA. This is great step by you and the only thing i can say is this is the right time for this move.
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Chadrack Reply:
January 19th, 2012 at 7:09 pm
@bjohn,
Thanks for the understanding and I hope you do something to help support this noble cause!
Chadrack recently posted…Put the WOW Effect on Your Blog with these WordPress Plugins!
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Its indeed even not possible to imagine a world without knowledge. SOPA indeed wants to scare everyone. Megaupload went down, the black out certainly affected millions of users across the world.
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Chadrack Reply:
January 27th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
@Jesse McGreevy,
What happened to Megaupload is a pointer to what we should expect in the days ahead. It’s not too late, all of us must rise up to ensure that the wide sweeping reach of that ACT is not passed into law.
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Hello all, Seriously I never bought that with the Sopa and Pipa. A world without internet freedom is just unimaginable.
I don’t think something like this would pass.
Hopefully
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Chadrack Reply:
February 10th, 2012 at 10:58 am
@Jack,
And that is exactly what they want for us! We only hope that the stop SOPA movement will help things.
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So true that this SOPA is affecting the whole internet world, I hope that they wouldn’t approve this because many internet marketer and website will be close. we all know that almost many people work online.
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Chadrack Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 3:58 pm
@Kate Brown Wilson,
The Act is not actually targeted at everyone working online. The purpose is to guide against piracy. However, as we all know our government officials could take things to the extreme. We’re ignorant of the fact that an Act like SOPA will give the government and its agent great powers which could be missed in taking down any site that they consider a threat.
Our stand is that the internet has provided an avenue for the whole world to interact without any restrictions. Bringing in obnoxious regulations will negate this. Of course, to ensure that this is maintained, internet users must also show maturity and not give the government a reason to do what they want.
Thanks for the comment.
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Thanks for explaining it well Chadrack, before I am thinking that this SOPA will affect the entire internet, well guess I am wrong, because they are only protecting some site who don’t do illegal. am I right, I am just wondering how about the torrent site does the SOPA will affect this?
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Chadrack Reply:
May 15th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
@Kate Brown Wilson,
I’m afraid sites like the torrent site may be affected if SOPA come into effect! However, I understand that the torrent site actually host downloads uploaded by the owners themselves. If that is the case then the downloads are legal since they have the backing of the owners. But sites that take other peoples work without any permission and host for free or paid downloads are actually the target of the Act.
Nevertheless, those of us who are against it are of the opinion that this Bill, could be used to shut down any site the government perceive to be contrary to government ideas.
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Thank you so much Chadrack, you have given me a great knowledge regarding on this matter, I will keep in touch.
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Chadrack Reply:
May 16th, 2012 at 11:39 am
@Kate Brown Wilson,
The pleasure is mine and thanks for keeping the conversation going.
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