Wikipedia is blacked out today in protest of the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) rumbling through the House and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate. To learn more, here's a line to a story that explains the purpose of the blackout.
I haven't fact-checked this article so I can't vouch for its 100% accuracy. That said, it's a little disturbing that the House bill seemingly would allow the government to "blacklist" sites that allegedly distribute pirated content.
Certainly, as a writer, I understand that the need to keep intellectual property secure. But there's only so much that can be done. Intellectual property is also a gray area that will forever be open to interpretation. And anything that purports to shut down Internet sites seems to me to be a blatant violation of free speech.
So I hope the House reconsiders and tempers its bill. There has to be some room for compromise somewhere.
Because I need my Wikipedia Canadian Football League article back.
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