In the lecture this morning, we will address SOPA and what it might mean for us as internet users and content creators.
STOP SOPA Code Turns Any Site Dark to Protest Stop Online Piracy Act
by 
Sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit are going “dark” this Wednesday, Jan. 18, to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) which, critics contend, would compromise the ability of any site that includes outside links to carry on current operations.
Feeling left out? A simple piece of code is helping the entire web (from major sites to even the humblest of Tumblrs) go dark in solidarity. The code, called STOP SOPA, replaces any site’s landing page with a black screen. Using your mouse a flashlight uncovers a message explaining the need to kill SOPA and a link to anti-SOPA site AmericanCensorship.org.
The idea of “Going Dark” is a worst-case scenario protest against SOPA, essentially warning that link-heavy sites such as Reddit and Wikipedia might get shut down, or go dark, if SOPA becomes law.
The STOP SOPA code was created by Zachary Johnson, a developer and Internet enthusiast, out of anger:
I’ve been calling my representatives in Congress, but this gave me another outlet for my frustration with this legislation. I place this code in the public domain. I require no attribution.
You can find the code here and get a sense of what sites will look like before and after application. Make sure you don’t add it until Jan. 18, otherwise your site will prematurely go dark.
Via The Guardian:
Stop Sopa or the web really will go dark
The corporations lobbying for Sopa know exactly what they want: control of online information for profit. This is a crossroads
• See the Guardian's explainer: understanding Sopa
• See the Guardian's explainer: understanding Sopa
Jimmy Wales announced that Wikipedia will be switched off on 18 January in protest against Sopa and other legislative efforts to control and censor the internet. Photograph: PR handout
As thousands of websites, including the English version of Wikipedia, prepare to "go dark" Wednesday in protest against internet censorship, a new explanation is emerging for the would-be censors' acts: they simply don't understand how the internet works. The evidence suggests otherwise.
Search on the these terms – "don't understand" Sopa Congress – and you'll find a lots of blogposts and news stories making this point. Sopa, of course, stands for the Stop Online Piracy Act, which may or may not be stalled at the moment.
Change "don't" to "doesn't' and "Congress" to "Rupert Murdoch" in that search and you'll find a bunch of new ones stemming from Murdoch's spate of Tweets over the weekend, in which he denounced Sopa opponents and took special aim at his longstanding object of loathing, Google. Two of the resulting "he doesn't understand" pieces came from people whose work I greatly respect: see this post at the Guardian by Jeff Jarvis, and this one by Mathew Ingram at the GigaOm technology blog.
Read the entire article here.
Although I agree that privacy should be a higher priority within the internet community, it would greatly affect my education and research.
ReplyDeleteI think this "going black" protest is a very effective way to show the english speaking world how STOP would effect them personally. Piracy is a crime, but is it right to limit everyone's freedom to information and free speech because of the crimes of some?
ReplyDeleteIt seems ineffective to shut down sites that provide reliable information to the public in order to punish unethical users. There must be a less drastic alternative that would keep the integrity of the Internet while still managing misuse.
ReplyDeleteI think this is absolutely ridiculous! If this were to go through ALES 204 would have a hard time existing! This would take away our most current form of dissemination of knowledge. Like the Scientopia website designed to get science out there to the general public, gone. I feel like this law is being put forth by people who are ignorant of the usefulness of the internet and how it is assisting in educational institutions. They should try attending a University or College class without using the internet at some point to get notes or clarify a concept then try to go forward with this law. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that they want to stop piracy but the execution of it is poor. I'm not in favour of it being passed though because I believe the free exchange of information on the internet is its most important component.
ReplyDeleteIf the SOPA legislation is passed, it will change the way I write my papers, and the way I interact with others. It is scary to think that any links I want to post on my twitter or blog could get me fines or even something worse! If Wikipedia is gone, I believe I would lose a valuable source of knowledge. Now maybe this knowledge isn't useful to my papers, but I look up random facts on Wikipedia quite regularly. I sincerely hope that the Black Out put on today can help sway the Congress away from SOPA and towards the wants of the citizens.
ReplyDeleteIf SOPA bill is successful, my internet usage for research and recreation would be greatly affected. I would no longer be able to use Wikipedia as a textbook-like source for general information, and may experience difficulty sharing links on Twitter, which I do often.
ReplyDeleteThe internet is such a viable resource to everyone communicating around the world, if these bills were passed, it wouldn't just effect communication, it would effect every aspect of our lives. The US is Canada's biggest trading partner, can you imagine how that would effect us
ReplyDeleteI think that this bill is ludicrous as society today has such a strong need for information contained in the world wide web. If free speech is so important to American society, how will the population react to have that right taken away from them on the internet? Probably not peacefully...
ReplyDeleteStop SOPA is definitely something we should support. I tried to access Wikipedia yesterday evening, and was devastated when I couldn't access the article that I wanted - it made me realize how much we've come to depend on specific sites (like Wikipedia) for information that can be accessed at any time, at our own convenience. SOPA not only limits the information that we can access, but also the freedom with which that information can be made accessible to others. With sites like Reddit, I know some of my friends frequent the site several times per day and rely on it for both recent updates and entertainment. The SOPA bill would be greatly met with displeasure if it was truly enacted.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the last gentleman in the video, I am still trying to figure out how it would affect me. Or at least the depth of its effect. But in general I don't think "controlling" the internet will really give the government any control...if anything it will give them less. It's rule of thumb that if you say no to someone, they will only want what you are saying no to more.
ReplyDeleteKtreats
I think that taking a stand against Internet piracy is important and is an issue that needs to be addressed. However many people rely very heavily on certain sites and there is a less dramatic way of getting your support across. Also, being dark for a day will not stop people from stealing information. So I agree with what they are standing for however there might be a better way to go about it.
ReplyDeleteJulia D
Internet censorship would affect the way we conduct research online and the freedom we have to share our thoughts and ideas with each other. This could make it difficult for students like us, who are required to conduct research papers etc. all the time. I think internet privacy is important but, like anything else, there is an extent to which it should apply. I think the hardest part would be deciding what should and shouldn't be hidden. With this, sparks many more debates.
ReplyDeletePiracy is definitely an issue but restricting sites like google and Facebook are not the answer. They may enable piracy but they were created to share knowledge and connect with people. Shutting theae sites down would affect my education because they have been used um my classes and help me research assignments.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to put that that's from Hayley Kosolofski
DeleteThe most important thing about the internet, for me personally, is the availability of fast information. I do believe that protecting intellectual property is important, but these Bills (SOPA and PIPA) are threatening the freedom and access of the internet. Is this Bill and its intent actually feasible? I am not sure it is.
ReplyDeleteI've only heard about SOPA today and I think it's highly hypocritical of the US to even consider a bill like that. Weren't they the biggest opposers to China's internet censorship? It goes against their whole idea of "freedom".
ReplyDeleteI believe that internet censorship would greatly affect my research which would in turn affect my education and knowledge (this is because information would not be as readily available); which would really have an affect on students as a whole. But at the same time, more privacy on the internet could be a good thing for security reasons.
ReplyDeleteI believe that sites like Wikipedia have revolutionized the way people find information and the community that it has created is so novel. It is a site that is maintained by its users, which keeps it a free resource. Putting a privacy act in place that would shut down a site like this would be a huge step backwards in the way we access information.
ReplyDeleteI found that the information posted on the class blog did not fully explain what the Piracy Act is. I understand why and how SOPA is working to stop the act, but it is unclear what the act really is.
ReplyDeleteThis link from the Wall Street Journal has explained what the act does in a clearer way:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203735304577167261853938938.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Sydney:)
I'm very annoyed by this whole situation. I don't think that they can effectively police the Internet, and in the meantime they are going to hinder the lives of everyone who uses the Internet. I cant even tell you how many times a day I google random stuff to quickly get answers. Where would we turn? The library? Full of old encyclopedias and.... Computers! For the Internet! Outrageous.
ReplyDeleteI feel that if Sopa is passed, the creativity and freedom of speech that the internet has been based on will come to an end. Big corporations will be able to control all information that is posted, changing the types and variety of information we have access to.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the 'black out' will be very effective in educating the public on how the bill will effect their everyday lives.
ReplyDeleteIf this bill is passed it would be devastating to everyone, the academic community especially. The internet allows people to access information from all over the world that they would not be able to get ahold of otherwise. By taking this away, the future of knowledge and research would definitely suffer some serious repercussions.
ReplyDeleteSOPA would completely change the way we access information, music, videos, etc. I rely heavily on the Internet every day, and can't even imagine what it would be like without the Internet as it is now!
ReplyDeleteWhile sites such as Wikipedia are interesting to look at if I am curious about something from a personal stand point, I personally don't find them very useful in my research. As everyone knows, wikipedia isn't considered a viable source for papers or research, so I'm not sure that I would miss it that much if it were gone. However, I feel like censorship is never the answer and will only enrage people and cause greater problems.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if this legislature would be a permanent solution for piracy- perhaps it is time for society to accept the changes technology has brought to our ability to access free information with ease. Censorship seems more of a concern than sharing information via the web
ReplyDeleteIf the SOPA bill gets passed, it would greatly impact our lives and so much of our time is consumed on popular social networking sites like facebook, twitter. Internet provides easy access to information right at our fingertips.It would be very inconvenient for the legislation is passed!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like everything is all about money, people always feel the need to gain a profit from information and knowledge! I feel that there should be a higher priority on the proper citation of information on websites but completely blacking out entire websites would make the dissemination of knowledge extremely difficult and put a damper on how we learn and study!
ReplyDeleteI don't think SOPA bill is a good idea. Internet is a very valuable and convenient tool for communication and information exchange. If SOPA bill is successful, fewer people will use internet to communicate or gain information.
ReplyDeleteIt would make it really hard to access the information that we use for a lot of our research just here at University. Scientific articles and information like that would be really hard to access. Wikipedia is used for a lot of information and is linked to some articles. This is the easiest way to access information. SOPA would definitely change the way we learn from the internet and find information.
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe that there does need to be a way to increase privacy and protect individuals' information, this would greatly impact my studies and information gathering.
ReplyDeleteThe Internet stands now as a place where people are free to post their own opinions and publish information in whatever way they'd like, resulting in a massive amount of information available for anyone to access. SOPA would ultimately prevent everyone from being able to access the variety and mass amount of information they can now, which would directly affect me and my ability to access research for school or just general information of interest. Piracy is a crime, but the way to solve it is not to lock down the Internet and the ability to publish copyrighted material. The Internet is great because it is essentially a free, open space to post what you want and access what you need and SOPA would hugely infringe this freedom.
ReplyDeleteIf the SOPA bill is passed it will greatly affect my internet usage. I wouldn't be able to watch youtube videos or use wikipedia and other sites as sources of information. I also feel the SOPA act would limit free speech and that's a scary thought.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a good idea to "black out" sites and protest. I agree people's rights and ideas should be protected on the internet, especially when people abuse it and use such information to deface a person (ie. thedirty.com -- eww) or take credit for another person's work. However, I cannot even fathom how this would restrict us in a daily way. How many of us go on blogs or something like Pinterest, and get ideas for recipes or how to do our nails?!
ReplyDeleteI understand the concens of copyright but by passing a law for the internet to go black would seriously hinder and make it extremely difficult for the general public and especially students who rely on the internet for extra information. I definately think people abuse there right to take information from the internet and should also be recieving info from books and other newspaper but lets face it, the internet is quick and easy!
ReplyDeleteI don't think SOPA would be effective in achieving their goal in stopping piracy, it would only have the unfortunate result of inhibiting our freedom of speech and shutting down sites such as wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that privacy is a crime and should be stopped, I think that SOPA is a bit too extreme. I think that banning entire sites all together because of one person`s actions limits the public`s access and right to access information. It sounds like the first step to something out of the book 1984.
ReplyDeleteThis bill seems like the US government is just trying to control one more aspect of society. Yes piracy is a crime but it does not seem fair that people's information would be limited because of this bill. Research would be much more difficult as some information would just not show up. The idea of "going black" is a great way to show how many people would be affected because of this bill.
ReplyDeleteAlthough some people take advantage of the resources available on the internet, for example copying movies and selling them as burnt copies for profit, not everyone uses the opportunity to access this info. in that way. We use wikipedia and google very often as a part of education and everyday life! We shouldn't be burdened with the absence of this info because of other peoples mistakes! What would the 20th century do without Facebook and Twitter!? :I ........
ReplyDeleteThe entire issue of piracy and infringement of copyright on the internet is a very difficult one. Legislature like SOPA would indeed limit our freedom of speech,use of the internet and access to all sorts of information, however at the same time, by letting things continue as they are, others, such as artists, people in the movie and music industry (and not all of them are making the big bucks and can afford to loose money...), will continue to be harmed. Personally, I think that SOPA is too extreme. If it were passed how it is now, it would throw us back about 10 years in the technology world. We would be back to the early days of the internet, with very limited access to information which would completely change how we live our lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jess. SOPA is punishing those who use the information inappropriately but at the same time everyone else is getting punished as well because our access to info on the web is limited. I think it is unfair to the innocent people and makes it a lot harder to find out info on the web.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like everything is all about money, people always feel the need to gain a profit from information and knowledge! I feel that there should be a higher priority on the proper citation of information on websites but completely blacking out entire websites would make the dissemination of knowledge extremely difficult and put a damper on how we learn and study!
ReplyDeleteThe SOPA bill will impact the lives of everyone, as the internet has become the basic tool of life. Without the internet, and the freedom of speech, where else can some people be able to speak freely and express themselves? Although I agree that piracy is a large issue, this seems a bit extreme.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a good idea if it stops piracy and people hacking into account.I do think closing down all information exchange websites is unfair for those of us that use them for school and wht not
ReplyDeleteI think SOPA brings up a valid concern that there is a high level of piracy on the web. It will be interesting if the bill passes and to see how they enforce consequences. The web has always been a tool to obtain free information, and it is in a way, a form of free speech through twitter and blogging and other platforms. I think there are certain forms of piracy that should endure consequence, however there are websites like wikipedia which are great tools for quick reference of general information. I do feel that companies, publishers, and musicians are hurting from piracy, but if piracy is stopped, those people who weren't willing to pay for a service in the first place, still may not pay.
ReplyDeleteI think that if SOPA is passed, it is a surface solution to a much deeper issue. With the growth of the internet, the government needs a new method for copyrighting as opposed to censoring the information. Piracy is an issue, but he unrestricted flow of communication and information is important, especially as a student.
ReplyDeleteIf SOPA were to be passed my internet usage would decrease severely. 2/3 of the music I have on my iTunes is from torrent sites, I will admit, but lets me honest, being a student doesn't really allow for unlimited access to funds to be purchasing music every time I want a new song. I agree to a point with SOPA because it can be unfair to people who either A)depend on the money from copyrights and B)are honest and pay for the use of the information. Writing papers for classes would become a lot more tedious and time consuming if SOPA were to be passed. I do understand why piracy is a crime but as a student, trying to get by with the little money I have, I still support STOP SOPA.
ReplyDeleteI think that piracy and copy right infringements are important issues that need to be dealt with but I feel that there are better ways to go about it. If the bill were to get passed it would significantly influence my internet use for school and in my free time. I think it would also severely reduce peoples right to freedom of speech as many of the websites that would get shut down all for all sorts of people to present their own ideas and opinions. As a student it would greatly affect me but I do not think that there would be anyone who it would not affect, which shows the severity of the bill their trying to pass.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that is fair to shut down an entire website due to the actions of 1 individual. To limit the freedom of access to everyone is completely unrealistic. If this bill is passed it would restrict the sharing and expanding of ideas. This would effect our education as students and the education of the future. Considering all the people with access to the Internet, the internet would eventually become completely blocked and restricted due to individuals that wouldn't care about the law or simply made a mistake.
ReplyDeleteIf left as is, SOPA will essentially kill the internet as we know it. The passing of this bill is detrimental to American freedom of speech online, even if it's intended targets are online pirates. I personally am heavily against SOPA and I wholeheartedly agree with Wikipedia's method of raising awareness of such a bill. Slightly good news, whether you believe in The White House or not, they hint towards being against the bill as well ; http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/14/obama-administration-responds-we-people-petitions-sopa-and-online-piracy
ReplyDeleteI think it is a person's responsibility to protect themselves which means not posting compromising pictures of themselves or making incriminating comments, because once it goes viral then it is public domain or open to anyone with a computer. So I feel this bill is not really protecting individuals, but money greedy corporations that feel they are missing out on a buck or two. I feel when people make links and comments about certain things they are not claiming it as their own, but actually trying to point them out or make problems more publicly known. I feel that these corporations should be giving bloggers and internet junkies a huge "thank you" for giving them free advertising even if it is good or bad the comments, pictures, reviews, etc are still getting out there for people to take interest in. If this bill is to go through then their would be no point to the internet at all and we might as well all get a public library card again.
ReplyDeleteI think that the SOPA act is a terrible idea. Sadly enough i first heard of this act at the website of a video game, and I was very surprised to see how far the act goes. The URL is http://na.leagueoflegends.com/news/help-us-stop-sopa. Although piracy is a crime, i know myself and many other people own pirated content, for example, movies and DVDs. Because the Internet is a form of public media,where everyone has access to what is on there, I do not believe that we should be penalized for downloading. I mean, directors, actors and musicians make enough money anyway right? I know people who download their school textbooks online! We live in a global community, why should one act stop that? I say stop SOPA.
ReplyDeleteThe passing of SOPA will cause the internet community to go into a tailspin. Us poor university students will no longer be able to quickly retreive information, or even look at Youtube's "homework help" videos (I know I'm not the only one).
ReplyDeleteWe've taken our accessibility to the internet for granted for too long, and the threat of SOPA allows us to realize how privileged we have been. SOPA must be petitioned against, and the "Stop SOPA" blackouts are a great idea. Now lets cross our fingers in hopes that they are a success!
SOPA is against freedom of information. I believe that social issues are sure to emerge without access to information that websites like wikipedia, youtube, and facebook provide. I completely support the protests by sites like wikipedia, and reddit. Hopefully the sharing of ideas continues and this legislation is scrapped.
ReplyDeleteI think this blackout is a great way to raise awareness- but I don't think this form of protest will have any real impact on legislation by itself. It may, however, encourage people to find out more about it and potentially contact their local governments. I'm still not sure I really understand all the issues around SOPA, but I do know that if it is passed, my university career could get a lot more challenging! It's websites like Google and Wikipedia that make information so accessible.
ReplyDeleteI understand piracy is a concern to many people who profit from the Internet, however I have to be honest and say I don't think piracy affects me significantly. Because it doesn't really affect me, I don't really care about the existence of an act preventing it. That being said, because the act inconveniences me I think it's garbage and agree with the protesting parties, albeit for more selfish reasons. Additionally, the transgressions of a few is never an acceptable reason to punish the many.
ReplyDeleteSOPA and PIPA, while in some ways carries good intentions, completely overextend themselves to a level that absolutely outweighs its detriments over benefits and is clearly in need of review, if not revoking. It will be shocking if they are actually passed, feels like a "few bad apples spoil the bunch" type of case, and it will hardly keep itself nested within the United States--a free and open internet means an entire world at risk of unnecessary blocking and blacklisting.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, before we learn the final decisions behind SOPA and PIPA, don't just bookmark. Download, download, download.
I agree with Marney that the issues surrounding piracy and infringement of copyrights on the internet is a complex issue that needs to be dealt with. The passing of this bill would not only limit the freedom of speech of individuals but such legislation would also limit internet users access to information that is posted within the internet. Being a student SOPA would have a strong effect on me along with many others attending university or college.
ReplyDeleteThe stop SOPA initiative was a great idea to raise awareness about what can happen if SOPA goes through. To see wikipedia as blacked out and not be able to access basic information was quite striking. Shutting down entire websites is not the way to go about stopping piracy, it is a violation of freedom of expression. -Nicole Luchanski
ReplyDeleteI think this will have unforeseen repercussions!!!! And as a student is already hindering me today as I often go to Wikipedia if I don't understand something in my textbook just to get a different view of it.
ReplyDeleteI feel that piracy is an issue that should be taken very seriously, but I have taken sides with STOP SOPA. I feel this way because SOPA is far too drastic and would be punishing many innocent Internet users. I read on CBC news, an article where there were a slough of different perspectives. I enjoyed Corynne McSherry's response thoroughly. She points out that "the cost so far outweighs any conceivable benefit." One of the perceived costs she considers is Internet sites coming from nations under Authoritarian rule will have problems communicating information because SOPA could shut them down. It is important to keep the Internet open and flowing to allow communication and for informative purposes. I do not know the solution to the problem of copyright infringement, but SOPA is not the answer.
ReplyDeleteIf SOPA is passed it will drastically change the way we use the internet. Web users have realized this and bonded together through an act called STOP SOPA, yes it means that we can't use wikipedia for a day but what if we could never use wikipedia again? Although wikipedia is not always a credible source it can be used as a starting point for research, or as a quick fact check in a debate with friends. I agree that it is important to stop piracy, but is censorship really the way to do this? If SOPA is passed we can say goodbye to the way we currently use the internet.
ReplyDeleteIs there anyone that agrees that SOPA is a positive thing and that the bill should be passed? Because we are all students, we are all very likely to share the same perspective and be against the passing of this bill. It will greatly reduce the amount of research sites that we can access for a quick background check or for information for writing papers. The U.S. government is trying to shut down the piracy-facilitating sites, and protect the rights of the original authors but the bill will also affect and shut down a lot more sites that are not committing actual piracy. It makes me wonder about what other demographics of our society would be for the passing of this bill and why they would agree with it.
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with SOPA,because I believe shutting down websites like Wikipedia would be drastic.Many people all over the world use wikipedia on a daily basis including myself.Not all websites and internet users are pirates.Taking such actions would be punishing many innocent people that use such websites and include their references.I feel using SOPA to cease pirating and fix the problem of copyright infringement is not the right action to be taken.
ReplyDeleteI agree that piracy is wrong and an issue that needs to be addressed, but I do not believe that SOPA is the correct way to ammend the problem. The passing of SOPA would bring an end to the internet as we know it today and would affect the entire world, not just the United States, as the internet is a world commodity.
ReplyDeleteI think that while efforts to prevent piracy is very important, piracy is always going to exist no matter how much we try to stop it. The opportunity cost of completely eliminating piracy is too high for society and people. What SOPA is proposing is basically that the websites are responsible for everything on their sites. That's not feasible for large corporations like google and Facebook where they have lots and lots of traffic. This will severely harm our accessibility online. I am not even worried, because I'm quite certain that this ridiculous bill will not pass.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the Wikipedia blackout will be beneficial to educate the online community about SOPA and how it will directly affect them. Although piracy is a crime and should be monitored a bit more carefully, SOPA will destroy internet use. I agree with what you said in class, Jess: why punish responsible online users for the mistakes of the ones who don't follow the law? The internet should allow people to view, responsibly, all types of information and if SOPA passes we will be denied that access.
ReplyDeleteI think that the act STOP SOPA is a great way to raise awareness on this important issue. The blackout for one day is a small price to pay for stopping something that could become a worldwide inconveinence. Just from one day of of this blackout, we can see just how internet dependent we are as students and a global community. There must be easier and safer methods to fix the piracy issue instead of implementing SOPA.
ReplyDeleteIf the SOPA bill passed, I think the internet we know now would be very different. Losing a site like Wikipedia would affect the way I look up information, for academic or my own purposes – as well as limiting freedom of speech.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I think that the Stop SOPA black-out is a very smart way to spread awareness of SOPA, and its possible effects. News of the Stop SOPA protest has rapidly spread the internet and has quickly informed people directly through Stop SOPA web black-outs, news reports, on social media like Twitter and Facebook, as well as on the radio. Before yesterday I hadn't even been aware of SOPA or PIPA, and this black-out has certainly made me think about how it’s so easy to take websites, like Wikipedia, for granted.
I understand the concerns of SOPA, piracy is something that needs to be addressed, but shutting down websites isn't the answer! The internet allows us to access information, download music and use other social media websites with the click of a button. The convenience of the internet would be seriously diminished if pirating laws were implemented... which would be taking a giant step backwards. Although the information would most likely still be available it would cost money and take a lot of time to retrieve... and being a student, time and money are a pretty hot commodity. I hate to admit, but I benefit greatly from being able to pirate things, and use the internet as I please. I think that the protest to STOP SOPA is necessary, and that the black out is a great way to create awareness.
ReplyDeleteJulianna Lackowicz
The concern of SOPA is right and important, but what I believe is we have our own right to choose whether we should use this tool or not, and it is an internet tool for knowledge, or even more, a freedom to search for your own knowledge. I cannot see why this kind of freedom should be controlled by the government.
ReplyDeleteI support to protect knowledge online, but if SOPA passed, it may be damage the online social network. I rely on the Internet and obtain numerous information,which help me a lot.The Internet could be less useful without these searching websites.I understand that it is important and necessary to the knowledge protection but SOPA may not be a good way. Hope a balance method can be ultimately found.
ReplyDeleteI feel that SOPA will affect my research in school and also just getting general information for something I don't know about. I understand that it is trying to stop piracy but the internet is a main source for education in today's world and I think it is one of the reasons why kids are learning so fast these days. But then again I never had a computer or internet access until I was in grade 10 so researching for material and learning the old fashion way wouldn't affect me too badly. Just the convenience issue.
ReplyDeleteI support the protection of online content , but if Sopa is passed it can be to the detriment of freedom of expression and .Surely there must be something else!
ReplyDeletePrivacy of course is valuble and should be protected to some extend; however, the government should not closed down the social network just for protecting privacy. Google, twitter, blogger, wikipedia etc., all these websites provide internet users an easy way to get information fast. Wikipedia is an awesome website such fast search; thus, we do not have to go through all the selecting and filtering processes just to figure out the name of a certain type of food. Also, these social networks connect people no matter where they are in the world; this makes it possible for us to keep in touch with our friends and even family members. I could not imagine our lives without all these nets and social network. I am pretty sure that there will be another way to deal with the privacy and copy right issure, and SOPA should not be the way.
ReplyDeleteI agree that piracy is a crime but the government should not control what is on the internet. Sites like wiki, google ect are there for the benefit of the readers and are used as learning tools. Most people are aware of the fact that if something is done on the internet then it is going to be transferred to these sites. This also helps people recognize the articles written and without these quick search sites I believe that there would not be nearly as many people viewing their documents as there is now.
ReplyDeleteI find this a little extreme!! The internet exist to allow people to speak their mind, so we do not need control over that! What about freedom of speech?? I use Wikipedia/Google search on a daily basis, to search up absolutely anything I need. Also for my academic papers, I sometime start there and get references from their articles and search them up. It a great source of many valid scientific references!SOPA should not be a way to deal with privacy issues!! I disagree!
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with SOPA. If SOPA is passed it will severely stall the spread of information to people through the internet. Information will be harder to access and thus society as a whole will be less informed. I think the greatest use of the internet is the spreading and sharing of information through many different sources. Some of these sources are properly referenced but some sites such as blogs are not. To disallow the sharing of information via blog is ridiculous. Blogging is a way for people to voice what they think and if SOPA is passed I feel as though it will be taking away the right of freedom of speech.
ReplyDeleteI don't really understand what this Bill means, nor do I believe anyone else does either. I hear things like censorship and comparisons to the Chinese government and their control of the internet... But from my understanding, this is for The United States of America, and all the moaning and groaning on the internet is mostly from Americans, and American websites. Welcome to Capitalism folks.
ReplyDeleteWhat will be the result if this Bill passes? The American government has control to block Americans from viewing websites? Or they have the power to shutdown websites located in America? I do not understand how American legislation has the power to block websites from me... Only that they can shut them down if they're American.
Why is this so shocking to everyone? The American government can detain you and torture you if you are believed to be a terrorist; they claim that hackers are a threat to the security of the country and are now terrorists. The country was created around war, genocide and slavery... The proposal of this Bill is right up their alley.
I'm really not too sure what to think about SOPA. Yes, piracy is a crime but I think this is a little extreme. So many websites would be shut down and the purpose of internet is to get information out to the world. Shutting it down would create a lot of problems with communication, information, etc. I don't think SOPA would be the best idea, since it would just be a problem causer.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't think that SOPA should pass. I understand the copyright issues however, from reading Wikipdedia today I found out that they go through material and remove content that doesn't follow copyright laws. So they are doing what they can to ensure their site is within copyright laws. Also Wikipedia and other sites that would be affected contain a wealth of information, most of which is not considered infringement, and if they had to shut down that information would no longer be able to be accessed by the general public.
ReplyDeleteI think that passing SOPA would be unfair to those who do consider certain websites such as Scientopia a source of useful information, rather than those who abuse it. Although piracy is a problem, passing SOPA would do more harm than good, putting limitations onto those who need access to reliable scientific information for their research as well as to those who wish to gain different perspectives on certain issues. I don't believe SOPA is the rational way to deal with piracy, especially within the science community.
ReplyDeleteYes,piracy is an issue but the internet is so full of knowledge and information that makes learning and research so much more accessible that censoring sites is not the way to go. SOPA will punish all those who use the internet, not just those who violate copyright laws. They need to come up with a different way to deal with this issue.
ReplyDeleteTo protect the online privacy is correct, however, that might not be a right thing to do. If SOPA becomes law, I will affect us on study, research and gaining information, no matter professionally or personal. I think SOPA is too extreme, like either this or that, no middle way. I believe there is a way people can easily access the information online while the privacy is protected.
ReplyDeleteProtecting online privacy is important to many users of the internet and each individual is entitled to that privacy. However, censoring such websites such as Wikipedia, which is used to gather information for free in a quick and convenient way will hinder the progress of research and assignments (such as ALES 204!). If SOPA comes to pass as a law, it will lead to such heavy censorship that beloved sites including Tumblr, Google and Wikipedia will be so constricted that they will be shut down. I don't believe that SOPA is a realistic way in dealing with this issue and other resolutions should be considered first.
ReplyDeleteI think SOPA would definitely take away our freedom of speech. Millions of internet users benefit from information sources such as Wikipedia and if the government censors these websites, the sharing of ideas will be greatly hindered. I use Wikipedia frequently and even to have it blacked out for 24 hours has become quite an inconvenience for me today. I can't imagine what it would be like if Wiki blacked out forever. If SOPA is passed, the "intellectual property owners" will be given a lot of power over censorship and I find that very intimidating. I agree that piracy is an issue that should be addressed, but SOPA is an extreme measure and should be carefully revised.
ReplyDeletei think that SOPA would have a massive impact on the way that individuals use the internet in a negative way. Yes piracy is against the law, but censoring entire sites would be punishing everyone who uses those sites, not the people who are pirating. Search engines such as google would basically not be able to operate functionally due to the copyright on many sites and information would be much harder to obtain from the internet.
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DeletePeople make a career out of blogging and making videos now. If no one is allowed to link someone's cover of a song from Youtube, that artist will have a much harder time to gain popularity and notice for their work. Even if you don't cite something nowadays, people know most of the time when a video doesn't belong to the poster. If someone tried to claim work that was not theirs, they are almost always caught because someone always finds the original work. But even with that in mind, the main problem it seems is that it is in the end about profit. It always seems to be with the government. They try to masquerade their real motives behind facades of supposed fairness, equality, etc.
ReplyDeleteI feel that "STOP SOPA" is quite effective in raising the awareness of the importance of free online information. Imagine when you don't understand something and you want to look it up on the Internet, the screen goes black and tells you that you don't have access to the website! SOPA would really limit the spread of information, and I think the costs would be larger than the benefits of it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that SOPA will change the internet for the worst, and for this I completely agree with the blackout protest. The internet is all about free speech and expressing ones opinion with out fear of being censored. Although this act only encompasses piracy, I believe that this act will have much further reaching consequences that will not be realized until the bill is put in place. In my opinion if this act passes the internet will never be the same.
ReplyDeleteStop SOPA code increases the awareness of people the importance of having a free online environment. I personally think SOPA Act should be prohibited. Everybody should has the write to access to information and knowledge. It should not be owned by someone. Yet it is true that some people have contributed the gather of certain information or knowledge and surely they deserve to be rewarded. But that cannot be the excuse that they should monopoly information or knowledge and require other people to pay for "learning" their knowledge.It is unfair to learn knowledge depending on how rich people are. Therefore, people should be gathered together to protest against this act and Wikipedia is trying to do this in their way.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think it's a little too late to be doing anything about it now. If this was something that was imposed back when the internet was introduced, perhaps this would not be a big issue now. The internet is a society of it's own. It is constantly growing and is one of the biggest ways for people to relay information. Many people have either grown up with it, or grew into it. I mean the internet plays a HUGE part in our lives, whether we like it or not. Schools are now fully equipped with desktops/net books. Teachers are now using social networks to teach their course(s). Employers are using social network to evaluate their employees. Consumers are using social network to review their products/services. Companies/corporations are using the internet to improve and target their consumers. Suddenly banning/censoring certain aspects will affect society, economically, socially, and politically. It will not only cause outrage and protest, it will also cause a noticeable slowdown in society.
ReplyDeleteI think that "stop sopa" is a very effective way to raise the awareness of the importance of online information.The internet may not have been around in the past and people were able to find a way to get information that they wanted. Although now we have all become accustomed to have the world information at our fingertips. Even more now with smart phones having internet access. A lot of world business and research comes from typical 'google' searches and even a general understanding of concepts can be achieved through wikipedia. I think that this will cause more harm than good considering how our lifestyles have changed with the emergence of the internet in our everyday lives.
ReplyDeleteIf the SOPA legislation is passed,it will greatly affect our individual right for freedon of expression and how we communicate. Surely there must be something else!
ReplyDeleteIf SOPA legislation passed I think that the internet would crash because what would be the point of the internet? I feel as though we are back in the 70s and the "man" is trying to depress freedom of speech and the ability to share information. However I hope we are not still as narrow minded and willing to look for better options.
ReplyDeleteAlso if people are not talking about you or your work then you are not being noticed and that is what the internet allows people to do be noticed and start converstions and discussion. I hope for that this bill is just a bad dream that never comes true