Right now an Internet bill is making its way through the United States Congress. This proposed bill, called the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA), is something I strongly oppose, and I want to alert your attention to the dangers it brings should it become law.
SOPA gives the government greater control to censor the Internet.
SOPA reduces Internet security.
SOPA erodes the "safe harbor" protections that many websites like YouTube and Facebook rely upon to conduct business without being mired in legal issues from what customers post. As Melanie Jones of the International Business Times writes,
Source: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/250888/ ... ersial.htmCurrently, the Digital Millennium Copyrigth Act (DMCA) grants immunity to Web sites for content posted on their site by users (which is why all of Youtube isn't taken down every time someone posts the entirety of "The Princess Bride" online). SOPA blurs the distinction between the site's host and those who post there, eliminating many Internet "safe harbors" for shared content. Sites could be punished simply for not doing enough (and the bill does not yet specify just what "enough" would be) to police their site, even if the owner didn't post anything illegal themselves.
This bill is particularly relevant because SOPA threatens sites that rely on user-posted content, like forums. We have to worry enough about what people post on here, and this proposed legislation only makes it worse. We have jobs that rely on IP and are against piracy, but this bill goes too far.
Please stand with me in opposing this ill-conceived bill, and contact your congressional representatives to voice your opposition. The bill has had a hearing, and is currently expected to pass, but it is not too late! Please visit the Mozilla action page for an easy link.
For more information:
* SOPA Should Be Stopped: 5 Things To Know About the Controversial Bill
* Analysis: Internet Blacklist Bill Is Roadmap to ‘The End’ of the Internet
You can read the full text of the bill here: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h3261/text
Thank you for your time, everyone!