Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.
~Henry Louis Gates
The first condition of progress is the removal of censorship.
~George Bernard Shaw
What if-
-You were to sing your favorite song then proceed to post it on a video sharing site like YouTube? A: You & your screechy voice may be sued for copyright infringement.
-You used or published a logo or trademark of corporation X and that corporation doesn’t fancy your website (regardless if you intended to use the logo/trademark as a critique or promotional/instructional tool)? A: You and your freedom of expression may be muzzled.
-The House of Representatives' Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Senate's Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) were in existence when Facebook, YouTube or Twitter were created? A: The Internet as we know it (for those of us outside the orb of the 13 countries that censor the Internet) would be drastically different.
These bills being debated right now, if enacted, would affect a countless number of Internet users who have no idea of intellectual property violations & will force websites (like this one) to block access to other sites suspected of some vaguely-defined copyright breaches. Are we witnessing the early stages of American Fascism or are we already there? It can (or may have) come like a thief in the night that escapes (has escaped) easy detection.Everything may seem normal on the surface - folks going to work, voting, shopping, etc - but just below the surface, something has changed: We no longer matter in this "democracy" as control of the government of the people, by the people, for the people has shifted to a small and privileged group who rule for the benefit of their wealthy peers and corporate patrons. Be aware. Here is a good infographic of what is at stake here
The silver lining is even if Congress approves the bills, President Barack Obama may decide to veto them.The White House issued a statement over the weekend saying that "we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cyber-security risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global internet".
Take action here or here.
OneLove
