As internet professionals, it is imperative that we all do what we can to help prohibit the Stop Online Piracy Act from becoming law.

Congress is currently of reviewing the Stop Online Piracy Act. SOPA and its PROTECT IP act would give governments and corporations the power to take down entire websites over alleged infringing posts by users. If Congress interferes with the architecture of the Internet by passing the deeply flawed SOPA, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be at risk.

Your freedom is at risk!

If SOPA becomes law, the government will have created America’s first system for censoring the Internet. Please take just a few seconds to voice your concern, do what you can, and pass it on.

Why this is important:

• JOBS: America desperately needs jobs. If Congress interferes with the architecture of the Internet by passing the deeply flawed Stop Online Piracy Act, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be at risk.
• CENSORSHIP: If the Stop Online Piracy Act becomes law, the government will have created America’s first system for censoring the Internet. We cannot allow America to become like China where voices are censored without judicial oversight.
• SECURITY: Our government’s own cyber-security research center asserted that SOPA could harm US security. Pirates will use more unlawful means and it will be even harder for law enforcement to catch and punish the bad guys.

So Imagine:

• You post a picture of your auto detailing product sitting on the hood of a Jeep or other major brand vehicle with the logo showing.
• Or, you post a product demonstration video taken while a song was playing on the radio.
• Or, you unknowingly post copyrighted content in a book review post.
• Or, you post a podcast which contains a brief audio intro you thought was royalty free.
• And your entire site gets shut down!
• Don’t laugh, under SOPA this is all possible.

What can you do?:

Contact your representative:
http://fightforthefuture.org/

Help Stop American Censorship:
http://americancensorship.org/

SOPA facts from the EFF:
http://bit.ly/sopa-eff

NOTE: The sad truth about this bill is that if it passes, posts with allegedly infringing content will not just be censored like this one. The entire site will be taken down. Do what you can to help stop SOPA by contacting your representative below.