Anyone looking to quickly look something up on Wikipedia, flip through Reddit, or grab a quick read from the front page of Wordpress today will be sorely disappointed.  Those, among with many other sites are currently working to educate users about the dangers that SOPA and PIPA would bring if passed.

On the surface, the two bills are looking to solve the huge issue of Internet piracy.  However, much removed from that, the ramifications of them would be felt globally, destroying an open Internet all around the world.  Both bills have one thing in common: censorship.  They would permit the U.S government to take down any website - and by take down I mean take down and make it completely non-existent in the U.S - on small copyright claims.  Both bills have support from the MPAA as well as other huge corporations who are willing to pay for senators to vote in favour of it.

SOPA/PIPA (Stop Online Privacy Act and Protect IP Act) will be voted on on January 24th, 2012.  If passed, they would allow the U.S. to censor the Internet, pave the way for other countries to pass similar laws, and destroy the security and neutrality of the Internet.  If passed, the world as we know it could end in 2012, just as the Mayan calendar predicts.  Call, email, or send a letter to your senator and make sure they know you oppose SOPA/PIPA to keep the Internet an open place and to preserve freedom of speech around the world.

This is big enough that Wikipedia, Reddit, Cheezburger, and other huge online presences are willing to go dark for it, and others considered doing the same (Google, Amazon, Microsoft…).  This is a big deal- speak up and don’t let the Internet go dark.

More information about these acts:

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more

List of SOPA Supporters