Friday, 23 December 2011 22:44

The Anti-SOPA movement just keeps on growing

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un-censorship-InternetDespite being delayed until sometime next year the vote on SOPA is still fresh in many people’s minds. Just recently GoDaddy came under fire for their support of the bill. One of their primary accounts (Cheezburger, the group behind I Can Haz Cheezburger) has threatened to pull its 1000+ domains if GoDaddy does not stop its support of the SOPA Bill.GoDaddy has now officially pulled their support (go figure) for SOPA.

This is only the latest in a series of internet and technical companies that have come forward denouncing the bill as dangerous and anti-consumer. Even copy right advocates have spoken out against the bill. Let’s face it; the only people that really want this are the MPAA and RIAA. They want to be able to exert their control over their content and to make sure that there are no obstacles (like due process or anything legal) to get in the way.

Some are actually even more concerned now that the vote has been delayed. Delaying a vote or hearing can be used to allow for public opposition to something to die down. The general public has a very short memory span when it comes to things like this. If there are a few months between now when SOPA is in the headlines every day and when the hearing happens then you can often expect less opposition.

This time, however, there is little chance of that. The core groups involved are making sure to not only get the word out to new people but also to continue to keep SOPA fresh In our minds. As public awareness of this dangerous bill continues to grow we will see more supporters drop off. We have already watched as the BSA (Business Software Alliance) had pulled support for SOPA (which means pressure from companies like Microsoft and other members). Kaspersky even left the BSA because of a statement that seemed to indicate that the BSA might support a revised version of the bill.

Now, individual web companies are putting pressure on hosting companies that show any type of support for the bill. Things are starting to change, we can only hope that the lobbyists that are working hard to push this through are not more persuasive than what the public and the tech community can do to stop SOPA. Then again, if that does not work Anonymous stands ready to retaliate for SOPA. Their message this time is to spread the word by replacing the front page of every website they can with a message against SOPA. They have their own OpBlackOut kit that you can find on their yourannonews page on tumblr.com.

We just have one thing to say to congress and to the people behind SOPA. Take a real look at what the people that voted you in want. Do your job for a change and support your constituents instead of the companies that push their agenda on Washington. After all to get into the positions you have now you promised you would do this, now keep your word.

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Read 2729 times Last modified on Friday, 23 December 2011 22:57

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