I generally try to stay out of politics, so this deliberately will be brief; but I also try to stay informed on issues regarding gaming and the internet, so I just wanted to take a minute to bring this up on the off-chance that somebody out there hasn't heard of this stuff already.
SOPA and PIPA are two congressional bills that could be passed into laws here in the U.S. and potentially affect the internet on a global scale. I won't go into a long diatribe here, but suffice it to say that these things were conjured up by politicians and corporate lawyers who believe that such laws will eliminate internet piracy and protect copyright holders -- basically new forms of DRM. In reality, however, I foresee that (like the other forms of DRM already in use) these laws wouldn't eliminate piracy at all but instead just make things more inconvenient for honest gamers and game modders.
So, if you haven't heard of these or don't know much about them (and especially if you're here in the U.S. and have the ability to vote and write to congressmen) you might want to take a minute to investigate them further. I believe these laws could potentially change the way the internet works and largely limit the few freedoms we have and thus should be opposed as much as we are able. Here are a few reasons why...
EDIT: 01-17-2012
I just noticed an announcement that Wikipedia is going on a 24-hour strike in protest of SOPA and PIPA. (Just FYI.)
And here are some more facts from our friends at Google. (Sign the petition!)
And in other news, MegaUpload has been shut down by the F.B.I. permanently. (Suppose it was really only a matter of time...)
SOPA and PIPA are two congressional bills that could be passed into laws here in the U.S. and potentially affect the internet on a global scale. I won't go into a long diatribe here, but suffice it to say that these things were conjured up by politicians and corporate lawyers who believe that such laws will eliminate internet piracy and protect copyright holders -- basically new forms of DRM. In reality, however, I foresee that (like the other forms of DRM already in use) these laws wouldn't eliminate piracy at all but instead just make things more inconvenient for honest gamers and game modders.
So, if you haven't heard of these or don't know much about them (and especially if you're here in the U.S. and have the ability to vote and write to congressmen) you might want to take a minute to investigate them further. I believe these laws could potentially change the way the internet works and largely limit the few freedoms we have and thus should be opposed as much as we are able. Here are a few reasons why...
EDIT: 01-17-2012
I just noticed an announcement that Wikipedia is going on a 24-hour strike in protest of SOPA and PIPA. (Just FYI.)
And here are some more facts from our friends at Google. (Sign the petition!)
And in other news, MegaUpload has been shut down by the F.B.I. permanently. (Suppose it was really only a matter of time...)
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