A key bill currently before the U.S. Congress, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and its companion bill in the Senate, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), need to be torpedoed ASAP. At THG, we normally refrain from such overt political messages, but the fact is these bills would censor content and impose harmful regulations on millions of people. Legions of Internet users and entrepreneurs oppose SOPA and PIPA, and for good reason. They would enable the government to – indiscriminately – regulate the web. If these bills pass, which is a real threat, the web will be transformed dramatically. Not only are the livelihoods of sites like THG at risk, but behemoths like Google. Google! Check out their SOPA “blackout” logo today in defiance of the legislation: In a nutshell, the bill would enable easy, and unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small ones won’t have sufficient resources to defend themselves against corporate giants. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding for competitors, even if copyright isn’t infringed. Millions will be suppressed, strong-armed and blacklisted – LEGALLY. Combating piracy of intellectual property is a worthwhile goal, but there are fair, effective means of achieving it without broad government overreach into our lives. SOPA and PIPA are not it. In fact, they will do just the opposite, quashing the innovation of small businesses everywhere while rewarding a select few arbitrarily. The only PIPA we like is Pippa Middleton . The only SOPA we care about is … we have no joke for that one. It hits so close to home, we can’t even think straight. Follow this link to make a call to your U.S. representative . It only takes a minute, they connect you immediately. Or follow this link to join Google’s effort . Stand up for individual liberty or the Internet as you know it may be altered forever.
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SOPA Blackout: Help Stop Internet Censorship!
