Hey guys. I don't normally get involved in politics or any type of discussion like this, especially our game forums. However, as one of the guys who makes the internet work, and talking to a crowd of people who like what the internet can do for them, I hope you'll take the time to read this and consider doing something about it.
The Stop Online Piracy Act in the US House, and the Protect Intellectual Property Act in the US Senate, are incredibly dangerous bills that, if passed, will threaten the governance of the internet as an open communications channel for everyone.
What they do is allow someone who has a copyright to take down someone else's website on the accusation that they are providing access to (which includes linking to) infringing material. This means that if one of you guys posts a Youtube link to a machinima video of some WoW characters who are dancing to a top 40 song, the record label will be able to take the shadowmoor.org domain name offline until some badly defined civil legal process moves forward. The same threat goes for search engines, forums, link sites (like Digg, Reddit, etc), Facebook, or anything else.
(Note: The DNS bit is supposed to be removed from the bill, however, other things in the bill that will be required by the core technology of the internet also open HUGE security holes.)
What's even more disturbing is that the industry that sponsors the bills have, in the past, use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to take down content that they don't even own. I'm sure this was done in accident, but the precedent is there. It also will force the domain registry (where domain names like shadowmoor.org and every other domain name on the internet) to implement a system that can be exploited to take down any site. Imagine what would happen if the government (of any nation) had the ability to turn off websites that people use to organize protests, or to gather evidence of abuse. It's not that big of a stretch to see these things happen.
I've been working in the infrastructure side of the internet industry for most of my professional career. I've seen complete revolutions in how we communicate, from being able to email people in another college on the other side of the country to video chat with my dad when I'm overseas. This communications channel is, in my mind, the single most important force for the spread of individual freedom that there is in the world right now.
So, what can you do about it? Easy: contact your representatives and get involved. Learn about the issues, read the bills, and figure out where you stand. If you believe, along with me, that these bills are bad for the country (and the world), please call or email or write to your representatives.
DO NOT JUST SIGN A PETITION. That does nothing.
Here's some links for research:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Acthttp://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/pdf/112%20HR%203261.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PROTECT_IP_Acthttp://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-968Here's a link where you can find phone numbers and web addresses (where you can fill out a form that will email your representatives - they no longer give out their private addresses):
http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htmYou'll need your FULL 9-digit zip code. You can find that on
http://usps.gov by using the "Find a zip code" link.
