SOPA has been creating waves all over and Reddit has been firm on opposing it. One might have seen a demonstration on the same on December 29th, 2011, which was declared as Dump GoDaddy Day, by the Reddit community, as the domain service was supporting for SOPA. Yet again, the online sharing community is declaring a blackout day on 18th of January, 2012. Its propaganda is to protest the upcoming legislation on Internet privacy, SOPA. The community would be shut down the site from 8 am to 8 pm Eastern Standard Time.
SOPA could have a number of effects, positive and negative, but Reddit has been focused on the negative effects, which it notes in a blog post that SOPA can kill sites like Reddit and many others. Reddit stressed that SOPA will in fact ‘destroy the Internet’.
They said, “We will be displaying a simple message about how the PIPA/SOPA legislation would shut down sites like reddit, link to resources to learn more, and suggest ways to take action. We will showcase the live video stream of the House hearing where Internet entrepreneurs and technical experts (including reddit co-founder Alexis “kn0thing” Ohanian) will be testifying. We will also spotlight community initiatives like meetups to visit Congressional offices, campaigns to contact companies supporting PIPA/SOPA, and other tactics.”
An extract of the blog post is posted below:
“Instead of the normal glorious, user-curated chaos of reddit, we will be displaying a simple message about how the PIPA/SOPA legislation would shut down sites like reddit.
A few months ago, many people thought this legislation would surely pass. However, there’s a new hope that we can defeat this dangerous legislation”
The raging thoughts are placed against SOPA and PIPA. Stop Online Piracy Act SOPA bill that is currently working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives, while PIPA, is an acronym for the Protect IPA Act, a U.S. Senate version of SOPA.
Reddit is definitely not the lone warrior against SOPA, as it was noted in a Washington Post, that Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales wants to join in on Reddit’s protest. Favoring the Reddit blackout, he added that he would like to act quickly to co-ordinate for the blackout with Reddit. But he said that he leaves the decision of the same to its users. For the same, the community would come up with a poll soon, wherein the users will have to vote whether to blackout or no.
Other parties supporting the blackout had Anonymous, the hacker group. They have diverted their requests to Facebook, Twitter and Google, to oppose SOPA. These giants can weigh heavy if they garner support to the groups opposing SOPA.
Basic detailing of SOPA, as noted on Wikipedia, is posted below:
SOPA was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Lamar Smith (R-Va.). It is co-sponsored by John Conyers (D-Mich.), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and several other lawmakers. The bill expands the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods[2] Now before the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act.[3]
Reddit’s firmness in this case is being talked about. To add to the fuel, it has noted a section, urging people to ‘Get Started’. The contents of the same, note:
- /r/sopa
- List of companies that have expressed support for SOPA or PIPA.
- List of tech companies, and their contact info, that have expressed support for SOPA or PIPA.
- List of companies that have expressed concern with SOPA and PIPA.
- Take Action Checklist at Stop American Censorship.
- Contact Your Representative with info and a widget to find them by EFF and Wired for Change.
- Directory of Representatives
- Senators of the 112th Congress
- Helpful info on making phone calls to your Senator or Representative.
- SOPAOpera.org keeps track of where your Congress members stand on PROTECT-IP and SOPA.