Slog

News & Arts

Line Out

Music & the City
at Night

« A Somewhat Kinder, Somewhat Gentler… | A Snow Penis, and a Snowman With a… »

Monday, January 16, 2012

2012 / Teh Internets PIPA is the new SOPA

Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 10:26 AM

Thanks in large part to the White House's opposition, SOPA has been shelved. However, the similar Protect IP Act is still going before the Senate:

A vote on the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has been delayed indefinitely, but the fight against Internet censorship continues: Reddit.com will go forward with its site-wide blackout on Wednesday, January 18, to protest the Senate’s Protect IP Act (PIPA), Digital Trends has confirmed. PIPA, a similar bill to SOPA, is scheduled to go up for a vote before the Senate on January 24...While SOPA has received the brunt of the backlash, PIPA contains similar provisions, which critics say could usher in an unprecedented level of government-enforced censorship online, harm the underlying infrastructure of the Internet, and hamper online innovation by stifling investment in Internet startups due to a more risky investment environment.

The Reddit blackout on January 18th is continuing as planned. This SOPA fight is a great example for those of you who say that Democrats and Republicans are the exact same and that President Obama doesn't do anything with his power. Do you want to bet that a Mitt Romney White House would have killed SOPA from its bully pulpit? Highly unlikely.

FacebookShare

Comments (9) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

Will thestranger.com join the blackout on Wednesday?

Posted by Jenny

on January 16, 2012 at 10:41 AM

You're not going to see a shitload of, "Yeah Obama" after he signed the NDAA. I'm actually shocked he's turning right on SOPA.

Posted by Authoritarian Creep Is Happening on January 16, 2012 at 11:24 AM

Wikipedia is joining the blackout as well.

Posted by spamky on January 16, 2012 at 11:55 AM

I think what this says is that congress & the senate are completely lost when it comes to the internet.

I understand that they're too busy blathering to be atk. Still, I'd vote for a politician that did a lot of his/her work online and away from the glad-handing, back-dealing ways which are status quo.

Posted by Some Old Nobodaddy Logged In on January 16, 2012 at 11:56 AM

Republicans hate freedom.

Posted by Vince on January 16, 2012 at 12:03 PM

If the President opposes a bill, then he can veto it. Requiring a 2/3 majority to over come the veto. That's real power.

The President's proverbial "bully pulpit" is a different thing.

Posted by Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

on January 16, 2012 at 12:29 PM

And remember when Obama killed NDAA from his bully pulpit? Oh wait, he signed that one. It's not that we think they're exactly the same, Paul, it's that we think they're not different enough.

Posted by OuterCow on January 16, 2012 at 1:04 PM

@7 thank you, as always.

Posted by philosophy school dropout on January 16, 2012 at 2:24 PM