WordPress has a ton of SOPA blackout plugins for people to use. I've picked one that will put a handsome "BLOCKED" sign up with my own message below. I'm linking to Carl Malamud's story in the message because the work he does is exactly the kind of primary source treasure trove I post about and use all the time.
Oh, also I guess I have to take back that thing about SOPA being dead. Apparently, it's not as dead as it looked. Both SOPA and PIPA seem to still be in play.
All the stuff that's going down in protest is affecting those of us who are against the SOPA/PIPA, not those who are perfectly fine with blowing up the internet in the name of "those god damn kids downloading mp3s".
Unfortunately, I just don't think the internet has a vehicle with which to impact the technophobic dipshits in congress, or those who are paying them to fuck us in the ass.
__________________ Father Helel, save us from the dark.
All the stuff that's going down in protest is affecting those of us who are against the SOPA/PIPA, not those who are perfectly fine with blowing up the internet in the name of "those god damn kids downloading mp3s".
Unfortunately, I just don't think the internet has a vehicle with which to impact the technophobic dipshits in congress, or those who are paying them to fuck us in the ass.
See, thing is, I don't think most people fall into either of those categories. Based on the types of things I've seen when other bad technology legislation has slipped past, most people are probably ignoring the issue entirely. Most people seem to just blow these things off as some kind of unknowable technical issues that they don't understand and that will not really affect them. And that's exactly what the lobbyists and their legislators want. They want people to be bored and confused and to subsequently ignore the issue.
Sites going black are making it very clear to those people that, yes, this type of legislation will affect them in tangible ways, whether they understand it or not.
So as satisfying as it might be for me to say, "OH SEE I TOLD YOU SO MOTHERFUCKERS" when the DMCA ends up affecting someone who ignored me when I warned them, I would very much prefer that people paid attention to these things before they're passed, and let their legislators know that, whether they fully grasp the laws themselves or are just trusting the word of those who do, people are watching them and they will hold them accountable.
Of course it will affect users more than the big companies, this is about spreading the word and showing we, the internetz, can perform actions on a large scale beyond (and including) rick rolling.
It's only a bad idea if we stop there. Even if these bills fall, the basic idea behind them still exists. This isn't really about fixing IP or protecting content creators but distributors trying to keep their crumbling choke hold on their respected industries. After the protests I think a couple lines of action need to be taken. One is to call out and campaign against anyone who votes for these bills, another is to support alternative forms of distribution.
I frankly don't know enough about the issue to fall on either side of the debate. (Said knowledge sought but not understood by me as I am too dumb.) But I thought I should throw out an opposing view for the fairness of the thing.
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Last edited by SharonDee; 01-18-2012 at 01:13 PM.
Reason: To add excerpt and personal disclaimer
All the stuff that's going down in protest is affecting those of us who are against the SOPA/PIPA, not those who are perfectly fine with blowing up the internet in the name of "those god damn kids downloading mp3s".
Unfortunately, I just don't think the internet has a vehicle with which to impact the technophobic dipshits in congress, or those who are paying them to fuck us in the ass.
See, thing is, I don't think most people fall into either of those categories. Based on the types of things I've seen when other bad technology legislation has slipped past, most people are probably ignoring the issue entirely. Most people seem to just blow these things off as some kind of unknowable technical issues that they don't understand and that will not really affect them. And that's exactly what the lobbyists and their legislators want. They want people to be bored and confused and to subsequently ignore the issue.
Sites going black are making it very clear to those people that, yes, this type of legislation will affect them in tangible ways, whether they understand it or not.
So as satisfying as it might be for me to say, "OH SEE I TOLD YOU SO MOTHERFUCKERS" when the DMCA ends up affecting someone who ignored me when I warned them, I would very much prefer that people paid attention to these things before they're passed, and let their legislators know that, whether they fully grasp the laws themselves or are just trusting the word of those who do, people are watching them and they will hold them accountable.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I do understand the value of awareness. It would just be a lot more fun if there were a more tangible way to kick motherfuckers in the nuts over this shit. Like, the ability to shut down something that will cost those assclowns money for a day.
Taking down wikipedia and some real estate in the blogosphere isn't biting anyone's wallet, unfortunately.
__________________ Father Helel, save us from the dark.
I think Google's solution was quite effective. I noticed it, I clicked on it, I signed the petition. In fact, that's how I even learned about this blackout thing. However because they allow searches, they don't lose their revenue for the day either.
The big sites hurting themselves doesn't hurt the people they are trying to reach. More sites should have done what Google did, instead it seems most either fully participated or ignored it completely.
I frankly don't know enough about the issue to fall on either side of the debate. (Said knowledge sought but not understood by me as I am too dumb.) But I thought I should throw out an opposing view for the fairness of the thing.
It's nice to see another side, even if I don't agree with it. I'm particularly surprised at the answers, since the answers focus on foreign sites, yet the questions do not*. In the US, the DMCA regs are particularly heinous, and do allow for takedown of sites without due process. Having those regs applied to foreign sites, ostensibly to be just as fair to foreign sites as the US is to US sites, is a bit of a subterfuge.
eta: Entertainment media companies are known abusers of DMCA, btw. This would only give them far more scope to abuse what they are already abusing.
*On further reading, it's obvious why the answers focus on foreign sites. I'm OK with that now.
Oh, also I guess I have to take back that thing about SOPA being dead. Apparently, it's not as dead as it looked. Both SOPA and PIPA seem to still be in play.
I told my Senator and Congressman to vote no on SOPA/PIPA, so I'm pretty sure they are gonna vote no. You owe me lisarea.
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Chained out, like a sitting duck just waiting for the fall _Cage the Elephant
My Congressman responds to most of my phone calls by going out to his backyard and shooting a watermelon, and then sending me a form letter saying he appreciates my support for all his positions that I just called him to tell him I do not support, so I probably won't bother. My Senators are getting phone calls, though.
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"Trans Am Jesus" is "what hanged me"