For everyone who thinks our federal government is unresponsive, take heart. And take a look at what happened when a sizable group of Congressmen and Senators tried to pass legislation that most experts said would hamstring the Internet.
They got e-bombed.
Senate websites collapsed under the flood of email protests. Switchboards were unable to keep up with the barrage of phone calls opposing the House bill, known as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), and the Senate bill, called PIPA (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act). A Google petition opposing the bills was signed by 4.5 million people. Wikipedia observed a blackout, and some 7,000 sites across the Internet joined the protest.
And it worked.
The bills’ co-sponsors couldn’t drop their support fast enough. And for now, both pieces of legislation have been put on hold.
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So what was the big deal? The bills were supposedly designed to protect intellectual property and are supported by the film and music industry. But opponents say the bill infringes on free-speech, weakens cyber-security, and interferes with domain access rights. Worst of all, the House version would have given the feds authority to “blacklist” sites that are alleged to distribute pirated content.
Intolerable, said the vast majority of Internet users, producers, and purveyors — in other words, almost everyone in America.
For now, techies are winning the Silicon Valley versus Hollywood war. But it’s just a matter of time before the issue will once again hit the floors of Congress.
So keep sending those calls and emails. Because Congress does listen if enough people take the time and trouble to speak up. And not just on this one issue. Stay informed and stay in touch with your representatives. If you need to find out who they are, visit Thomas.gov.