Should we black out our <a href="http://ucimc.org">ucimc.org</a> site tomorrow? Wikipedia, Reddit and many of our allies in media justice have already gone dark with messages about the dangers of SOPA. Thoughts? - Danielle<br>
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<h1>Momentum Builds Against SOPA and PIPA</h1>
<h1><span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium">Tomorrow you might be wondering who turned
out the lights. Don’t worry — it will simply be one of the biggest days in the
history of the open Internet.</span></h1>
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<p>Thousands of websites — including
Wikipedia, reddit, BoingBoing, FreePress.net and SavetheInternet.com — <a href="http://sopastrike.com/" target="_blank">will go dark</a> to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP
Act (PIPA), bills in the House and Senate that could open the door to
widespread censorship online.</p><p>Meanwhile, hundreds of supporters of the
open Internet will gather outside the Manhattan offices of New York Senators
Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to urge them — both are sponsors of PIPA —
to change course and oppose this legislation.</p><p>Millions of Internet users have succeeded
in slowing down the Hollywood-funded momentum of these bills. A House vote on
SOPA has now been <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/204167-sopa-shelved-until-consensus-is-found" target="_blank">indefinitely postponed</a>. And the mainstream media, which had <a href="http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/12/01/17/blog/12/01/09/news-networks-sopa-blackout" target="_blank">largely failed to cover</a> what is arguably the biggest tech story of the year, are
finally waking up. Last weekend, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes <a href="http://upwithchrishayes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/15/10161056-debating-sopa" target="_blank">devoted an entire segment</a> to a debate on the legislation. Meanwhile, Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/" target="_blank">defended PIPA</a>
on <i>Meet the Press</i> last Sunday (hey,
at least it got covered!).</p><p>Just in time for tomorrow’s blackout, the
White House <a href="https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition-tool/response/combating-online-piracy-while-protecting-open-and-innovative-internet" target="_blank">has announced its opposition</a> to provisions in both bills that pose a threat to free speech.
And even Google is <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-57360223-261/google-will-protest-sopa-using-popular-home-page/" target="_blank">altering its valuable homepage</a> to include a note protesting SOPA and PIPA.</p>
<p>A casual observer of all this activity —
Wikipedia is really going dark? Google is really changing up its homepage? —
might wonder what all the fuss is about. Here, in a nutshell, is why tech
companies, individual Internet users, members of Congress and the White House
have all expressed grave concerns about legislation that could usher in a new
wave of online censorship.</p><p>Supporters claim that SOPA and PIPA are
the only way to effectively fight online piracy. But while the rights of
content holders need to be protected, these bills are the wrong way to address this
issue. If they are passed, corporations (with the help of the courts) will
become the arbiters of what is and isn’t lawful online activity, with millions
of Internet users swept in their nets as collateral damage.</p><p>Both bills are said to target only foreign
websites that are explicitly in the business of promoting copyright-infringing
content. But they would <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/01/how-pipa-and-sopa-violate-white-house-principles-supporting-free-speech" target="_blank">do
much to harm the global Internet</a>, and a provision in both bills would allow
tampering with the Internet’s technical infrastructure in a way that Internet
engineers agree would <a href="http://boingboing.net/2011/12/15/internet-engineers-to-congress.html" target="_blank">harm online security</a>.</p><p>Another provision would empower private
companies to go after any website — lawful or otherwise — they accuse of
infringing on their copyright. Those companies could work with service
providers and financial institutions to shut off access to the potentially
offending sites, with no repercussions at all if the accused site is later
judged to be lawful. Meanwhile, a falsely accused site could go belly up from
all of the legal fees needed to defend itself.</p><p>Innocent until proven guilty,
anyone?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div>
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<div><font size="3"><span style="font-size:12px">Josh Levy<br>Internet Campaign Director<br>Free Press :: </span></font><a href="http://www.freepress.net/" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue"><font size="3"><span style="font-size:12px">www.freepress.net</span></font></span></a><font size="3"><span style="font-size:12px"><br>
<a href="tel:413.585.1533%20x208" value="+14135851533" target="_blank">413.585.1533 x208</a></span></font></div>
<div><font size="3"><span style="font-size:12px">Twitter: @levjoy </span></font></div>
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