I’m going to boycott the internet for 24 hours to join the SOPA Blackout. Internet censorship even if it is under the guise of helping the music and film industry fight piracy is one step too close to Communism for me. If I wanted to be a Commie I would be living in North Korea right now helping to embalm Kim Jong-il.
Fight the man.
Fight the power.
Fight the corporations trying to control everything we do. Otherwise whenever we go online there will be so many blocked, blacked out sites we will feel like we are banging our heads against a brick wall.
If you want to learn more about SOPA and the blackout here are some great links:
from The Verge
from The Huffington Post
from ABC News
for and against the protest on BBC News
SOPA Blackout Plug In For WordPress
Boss of Motion Picture Association is Mad
from Anonymous
And if you think it could never happen in the land Down Under, we already have an internet filter
See you on the other side….
Selma In The City 
Hi Selma,
The World is in a terrible place when Governments want to take over the net, the damage that can be done for freedom of speech is just unbelievable.
Australia’s Internet Filter by the Government didn’t start in July 2011, what was started then was a filter done voluntarily.
“The Labor Government’s mandatory ISP-level blocking plan is/has been on hold since July 2010 – awaiting the completion of a government commissioned review of “Refused Classification” criteria by the Australian Law Reform Commission, which has been asked to issue its report by 30 January 2012.
In July 2011, several ISPs commenced voluntarily “blocking” access to child sexual abuse material on a blacklist provided by Interpol.”
http://libertus.net/censor/isp-blocking/au-govplan.html
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Thanks for all that info, Mags. You are an invaluable resource. I dread to think what would happen if we were heavily censored on the net. On my son’s school computer many sites are blocked by the Dept of Ed which to me don’t seem inappropriate or unsuitable. Sometimes there seems to be no apparent reason for blocking them as the content is G-rated. This ad hoc blocking of sites often interferes with the student’s ability to do research for assignments and so on. It has given me an insight as to what it would be like if there were censorship across the board. I hope it never happens.
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You rule.
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I try. LOL. Seriously, though, the last thing any of us need is the internet police standing at our shoulder. That would really be too much. 😯
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I question … where did the US Congress get the mandate for controlling what the rest of the world say or think. I shudder to think what will happen if this bill goes through … if you can remember that far back, we all once thought that American couples always slept in twin beds, because the rules wouldn’t allow showing a couple in bed together!
The horrifying thing is … not a mention is being made of this on our TV, radio or papers … I found out everything I know about it, I got from the Internet.As a wise man once said:
‘The best way for evil to triumph is for honest people to do nothing’
You go, girl!
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I completely agree with you, Travelrat. I wonder about that too. I remember some of those shows from childhood. It was quite odd to see the twin beds. That type of conservatism really isn’t good.
They’ve spoken about it a bit in the press here but it hasn’t been given that much coverage, either. Thanks for the encouragement. You never know, all of us together might make a difference!
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It’s quite scary.
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It scares me too, Lauri. What’s the next step? Having to apply for a licence to surf the net? It wouldn’t shock me if such a thing were proposed. It’s just all a bit too much…
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Sometimes I look at the world and I can’t believe what’s happening. I feel like we’re going back in time. What will happen when we get back to the dark ages?
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I think that too, Jen. In many ways we do seem to be going backwards. It’s quite alarming. Sometimes all I can do is shake my head….
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Go Selma – yayayayay – when are you doing it (or have you done it already – haha)? I read that some in Australia are going to do it on Australia day.
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I tried to do it at the same time as the Americans so I started at midnight on Jan. 19. I think I might have messed up the times though. I always make a mistake with the time difference. Australia Day is probably a better idea!
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I’m with you on this one Selma … fight the man and fight control of the internet … I hope the ‘powers that be’ follow common sense.
Thanks for the links, I also really enjoyed The Oatmeal’s take on SOPA – worth checking out.
🙂
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I agree. Please just be sensible powers that be. We have enough restrictions and stresses on us as it is. I’ll go and read The Oatmeal take after this. Thanks!
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What a great hippie girl you are! I love your passion for the things you care about ~ I also love your writing, I just finished the “cold” story, amazing what came from you seeing those few words on a wall!
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Awww thanks, Susan. I think I am a bit of a hippie at heart. I think it’s important to stand up for what you believe in as long as you are respectful of others and try to see both sides of the issue. If you can do that you might effect some change. I’m so glad you liked that story. That means a lot to me!
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Did you see Rupert Murdoch’s comment quoted on ABC? The man’s a Luddite!
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And then some, Bluebee. Don’t get me started on Murdoch – we’ll be here all night. He has got some nerve, I’ll give him that 😯
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I downloaded movies, mp3s and e-novels galore on that day to protest against stupid SOPA. Governments should probably be more worried about taking care of more important things like hunger, poverty, healthcare, terrorism, increasing agriculture, creating jobs and protecting lives rather than butting into the internet!
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Hear hear, Roshan. I couldn’t agree more. Focus on the things that really need to be fixed, that’s what I say. 😀
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Hmmm, I don’t think I participated in the blackout. Not because I in any way support SOPA, I just didn’t think of it. Which is actually unusual for me. I like to think that it’s kind of like that line in Jurassic Park, “Nature finds a way”. No matter what the govt does to try and limit what it can’t control, one way or another, information will find a way to break free and be heard.
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I think that too, Steph, although sometimes nature does need a helping hand. We seem to be entering an era of protest right now, which I like. I think it’s good to see so many people feel they have a voice. Power to the people!
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