Wikipedia has blacked itself out. Google is doing its bit. So are numerous other sites. Please see below the lowdown on the draconian internet law, which if passed, will change the face of the internet.
Why is Wikipedia blacked out today?
Wikipedia is staging a public protest today to garner support for its opposition to the anti-piracy measures proposed in the United States Congress.
The move is to protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) Bill, which is aimed at combating issues like illegally copied films and TV content and and the proposed PROTECT IP Act (PIPA).
In a statement, Wikipedia said if the proposed legislation is passed, it 'would be devastating to the free and open web.'
Over 1,800 Wikipedians discussed the proposed actions the community wanted to take against SOPA and PIPA and came up with the decision to blackout the site for 24 hours, like other websites opposing the laws.
In his statement, the executive director of Wikimedia Foundation said, "Our concern extends beyond SOPA and PIPA: they are just part of the problem. We want the Internet to remain free and open, everywhere, for everyone."
The move is to protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) Bill, which is aimed at combating issues like illegally copied films and TV content and and the proposed PROTECT IP Act (PIPA).
In a statement, Wikipedia said if the proposed legislation is passed, it 'would be devastating to the free and open web.'
Over 1,800 Wikipedians discussed the proposed actions the community wanted to take against SOPA and PIPA and came up with the decision to blackout the site for 24 hours, like other websites opposing the laws.
In his statement, the executive director of Wikimedia Foundation said, "Our concern extends beyond SOPA and PIPA: they are just part of the problem. We want the Internet to remain free and open, everywhere, for everyone."
In the pic: Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation
What is SOPA?Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill 3261 was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011. A similar legislation is known as PIPA in the Senate.
As per the provisions of SOPA, sites carrying user-generated content will be forced to impose restrictions on the content being posted. These are backed by movie studios and record labels as a way to crack down on online content theft.
Google, the world’s most popular search engine, is also opposed to the move and will be carrying a link on it's home page to make public it's opposition to the proposed move.
The supporters of the bill (mainly publishers and film studios) say the move meant to curb IP theft and piracy, protects the intellectual property market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue.
Those opposing the law, on the other hand, say it will endanger free speech and "set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world."
How will it work?As per the provisions of SOPA, sites carrying user-generated content will be forced to impose restrictions on the content being posted. These are backed by movie studios and record labels as a way to crack down on online content theft.
Google, the world’s most popular search engine, is also opposed to the move and will be carrying a link on it's home page to make public it's opposition to the proposed move.
The supporters of the bill (mainly publishers and film studios) say the move meant to curb IP theft and piracy, protects the intellectual property market and corresponding industry, jobs and revenue.
Those opposing the law, on the other hand, say it will endanger free speech and "set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world."
If any site is seen as enabling copyright infringement, the US Attorney General will have the right to legally get the site in question to be shut down and make it virtually disappear for internet users in the US.
More importantly, even a user posting any copyrighted material as a comment on a website could lead to forceful shutting down of the website.
More importantly, even a user posting any copyrighted material as a comment on a website could lead to forceful shutting down of the website.
As an ordinary user, if you post copyrighted material onto a website, you could find yourself behind bars for five years.
Also, sites will be blocked by domain name instead of Internet Service Provider (ISP). So before your ISP runs a Domain Name System (DNS) lookup, it will be examined if the searched site is an "infringing site". If so, you will be given an error message.
For example, if one uploads a video of a group of friends singing a song on Youtube, not only will Youtube be put under the list of "infringing sites", the people in the video may also face legal action.
Also, sites will be blocked by domain name instead of Internet Service Provider (ISP). So before your ISP runs a Domain Name System (DNS) lookup, it will be examined if the searched site is an "infringing site". If so, you will be given an error message.
For example, if one uploads a video of a group of friends singing a song on Youtube, not only will Youtube be put under the list of "infringing sites", the people in the video may also face legal action.
How SOPA will change the internet?
SOPA, if passed, is likely to completely change how the online space is currently used. Any site that involves video sharing, blogging or other similar activities could be slapped with copyright infringement and shut down.
Even a single infringing link could lead to a website virtually disappearing off the internet. If one uploads any content that has music, quotes or any other form of intellectual property that is copyright-owned by a US company, under SOPA, it could be seen as an infringement. Activities like blogging, tweeting and sharing things that have become a second nature for us will never be the same.
You want to put that video of you dancing on a Shakira number? Think twice.
Who supports SOPA?Organisations whose business depends on copyrights have come forward in support of the Act. These organisations include Motion Picture Association of America, the Recording Industry Association of America, Macmillan US, the Entertainment Software Association, Viacom and News International.
Who opposes SOPA?
Major social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn have spoken strongly against SOPA. Others who oppose the act include Mozilla, Wikipedia, Google, Zynga, eBay, Yahoo, Mozilla, Reddit, Boing-Boing.
These organisations feel that if such an act comes into play, it will hamper innovation and creativity and curb freedom of communication.
Websites like Wikipedia, Reddit, Boing-Boing, Mozilla, the Cheezburger network are protesting by shutting down their website for 24 hours on January 18. Google plans to place a link on it’s homepage to highlight its opposition to SOPA.
What are the implications for India?
Indian websites that are considered by the US as 'infringing sites' will not be blocked to US users, but will be de-linked from search engines and US-based websites.
It is important for us to know that a lot of sites with a '.com', '.org' or '.net' are registered in America, thus the US will hold the right to block a number of sites that are used by Indians on a daily basis.
The bill would also bar online advertisers and payment facilitators like Paypal, Visa, Master Card from doing business with the infringing website, thus affecting the way we do our online transactions too.
It is important for us to know that a lot of sites with a '.com', '.org' or '.net' are registered in America, thus the US will hold the right to block a number of sites that are used by Indians on a daily basis.
The bill would also bar online advertisers and payment facilitators like Paypal, Visa, Master Card from doing business with the infringing website, thus affecting the way we do our online transactions too.
No comments:
Post a Comment