Major companies such as Sony Computer Entertainment, Nintendo and EA officially pulled support for the Stop Online Piracy Act, which was created to “promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes.” The Act was introduced by the United States House of Representatives in October 2011 and has received massive backlash from a lot of people who argued that it is a threat to freedom of speech.The legislation gives companies the power to slice revenue and shut down web sites at individual discretion. In addition it could be abused for censorship purposes.The gaming giants withdrew not long after the hacking group Anonymous threatened to destroy Sony’s network for supporting SOPA.
Mini Matmian:
This battle against/for SOPA is likely to get very messy before a conclusion is reached. I would like to make my position clear here and now, SOPA is NOT for the good of the internet. It will reduce innovation, give even more power to the large corporations and risk freedom of speech. The internet would no longer be a place for individuals or groups to express an opinion that goes against a governments’ or corporations’ wants and needs.
If you are not sure of your own position on the subject, here are some reading materials, make up your own mind:
p.s. SOPA is not the only bill that risks all that the internet has stood for since its inception. The US Senate has it’s own bill called PIPA (Protection IP Act) which could have just as far reaching consequences as SOPA.
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