Sopa: The Slippery Slope to Internet Censorship

Congress has introduced a bill that if it does pass, it would cause a lot more damage than it would help. That would the Stop Internet Piracy Act or SOPA, which intends to crack down on Internet piracy. This bill is being backed by Hollywood, who claims that they have lost millions of dollars per year due to online piracy. It would allow certain websites that offer pirated material to be blocked.

While in its most base intention, the attack seems rather noble, when looking beneath the surface, it does seem less so. The Stop Internet Piracy Bill might start with the pirates and another area that is being targeted is illegal prescription websites that people can order drugs in dubious ways. Internet pharmacies have tended to be a problem and likely acquiring drugs in ways that are not from a prescription from your doctor can do more harm than good. However, it leads to a slippery slope that could lead to a restricted Internet.

Censorship At Its Most Sickening

Intellectual property tends to be a rather sketchy manner. People have debated how far people should go to protect their copyrights and their intellectual property. The Stop Internet Piracy Bill has been called censorship by people and it’s obvious that their points should be seen. The greatest fear is that first the pirates will be attacked, but then it will attack people in general, perhaps by having an opinion that is contrary to what many believe. People could find their personal websites and blogs shut down, because they might have had a link to an advertisement that could be a website that contain pirated material.

Or so it may seem. With the right money behind the situation, people could get something shut down that paints them in a bad light. Under a claim that would be kind of difficult to prove or disprove. Money talks after all in this world.

Most websites on the Internet, if you really follow every little bit of intellectual property law, are likely to be to shut down. Even one picture could get a website shut down if followed to the letter. Even if it’s someone’s avatar on a forum related to the website.

Is Congress in the Pocket of Hollywood

Hollywood is losing money but it’s not all because of piracy. They are unwilling to get with the times and embrace technology. Digital media is the wave of the future but they refuse to embrace it completely, because they are too set in their ways. The reason why most engage in Internet piracy is because it’s easy. If you put across an easy alternative that might put some money in your pocket, then that’s good.