User blog:Subtank/SOPA and how it affects the internet

In case you didn't know, it is potentially possible that by this time, the results of the hearing regarding the Stop Online Piracy Act or (SOPA) bill will be released to the public.

What is SOPA?
Internet censorship at its best...

The Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA is a 2011 bill proposed by the US Congress that allows claimants in intellectual infringement claims to restrict users from accessing infringing websites. Essentially, the US government would be able to take down any website containing any infringing materials as long as there is one without having to rely on "track and report" methodology. Essentially a short-cut to immediately strike down anything... sounds bad, right?

The scope
Majority of the websites are hosted in US... The scope of the bill extends further when you look in the international perspective. SOPA allows government officials to remove the entire website from the internet by denying foreign users access to the said site. This means that the bill not only focuses on blocking content for those living in the US, but also to the international community. This can be achieved by pressuring ISPs and altering the DNS.

What we can do
The petition part is almost useless now... but if you want to, you can do so here (for US citizens only). For the rest of the world... just watch and see.

More information

 * Culture Map: All about the Stop Online Piracy Act: What you need to know about American censorship
 * Time: SOPA Won’t Stop Online Piracy, Would Censor Everyone Else