You may be wondering why many of your favorites sites have virtually "shut-down". There is a reason why Congress' approval rating is so low. Not only have they failed in passing legislation that could benefit the American public but now there are two bills set to censor internet content and limit piracy. The two bills before Congress, Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and Stop Online Piracy Act, will be voted on Jan 24th and have already been opposed by many internet users and entrepreneurs.
I know many of you are thinking "How does this affect me?" In a short version, not only does this site basically "shut-down" piracy sites (sites which share links and downloads of music, software, and other miscellaneous illegal material) but it also affects many social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, tumblr, and even affects sites like craigslist. Not only does SOPA block these sites but violators also face the possibility of up to five years in prison within a 6 month period. Basically it is a patriot act for internet sites.
Although not every blog and website is innocent in their piracy, this act is an extreme solution to a growing problem in illegal downloading. An action that many sites, like Google, Wikipedia, and Piratebay have taken a protest against. To have your voice be heard and learn more about the bills before Congress, type google.com into your web browser and do some research.
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