BLACKOUT Jan 18 – Battle Rages over Proposed US Internet Regulations
As awareness of the full implications of efforts to enact US regulation to control Internet content grows, so does the intensity of opposition to the proposed legislation. At this time, two acts are wending their way through the US Congress, one in each chamber. The Senate version is called Protect IP Act. The House version, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is more well known as can be seen by a high volume of Twitter activity with the tag #SOPA.
The stated goal of the proposed legislation is to control “piracy” and to reign in “rogue” web sites. For months, a small but vocal number of critics have railed against the proposed legislation, claiming that it places too much power in the hands of the US Federal government and will result in censorship.
The growing wave of dissent directed toward the proposed legislation has resulted in amendments to some of the more onerous provisions. However, a growing list of web based organizations has scheduled a “blackout” for Wednesday, January 18th to increase public awareness. Several Internet heavyweights including Wikipedia and reddit have agreed to participate in the blackout.
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