Internet censorship looms large

SOPA. PIPA. I’ve written about them before. I’m writing about them again. The Senate votes on a motion to begin debate on PIPA (the Protect IP Act or Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011) January 24, and by all accounts, the bill will pass. It and SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) will change the Internet as we know it.

Call or write everyone you can think of in Washington to voice your opposition to these bills. If you’ve done it before, do it again. Tell your friends. Tweet about it. Blog about it. These laws will break the Internet.

WordPress has finally come out against SOPA and PIPA, joining Creative Commons, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Mozilla, and many other Internet-related organizations in fighting these bills. But they and we are up against some of the biggest industries in the nation, and we are about to lose the fight.

For a detailed explanation of exactly what’s at stake on January 24 and how cloture works, see OpenCongress.org. It’s also a great site from which to write to your representatives, track their votes, and track legislation.

Act now, through your connections or the links I’ve listed before, or go to Stop American Censorship for more information and action you can take.

Additional information on Pied Type:
Congress is taking aim on our Internet
Creative America defends entertainment, drug industries
At last: Reverse robocalls
Targeting Thanksgiving