I learned about SOPA today.

SOPA is the Stop Online Piracy Act. It essentially creates an internet blacklist in the US, where offending sites are no longer accessible by domain name.

Lobbyists from the entertainment industry claim SOPA is intended to block foreign sites that specialize in illegal music and movie downloads, or counterfeit goods. It makes the whole thing sound pretty harmless but I've learned that companies will use whatever means available to strong-arm anything they dont like. This article explains the process for how companies will use SOPA to circumvent the traditional DMCA process. If your website has even one piece of infringing material (such as an unlicensed picture on a user page), this material could be used as an excuse to:

1) Block your domain name, essentially shutting off your site to the US.
2) Block your advertisers and payment processors.
3) Block your search engine listings.

Rumor has it that it's hearings are rescheduled for 2012 or something; se, whaddya think? Has Kim Jong Il moved to America?

PS: http://lifehacker.com/5869665/desopa-for-firefox-bypasses-sopa-dns-blocking

I miss when we were land of the free

What could we do about it?

protest, fucking protest, ive already called up my representatives despite the fear of getting caught for murder and thrown in jail.. then again.. i dont think even the us government could hurt me