I had a conversation with a few people earlier today about the Internet blackout scheduled for today. I've changed the names but it went a little something like this:

Jake: You guys hear about this blackout that's happening tomorrow on the Internet?

Me: Yeah, it's huge...everyone will know about it tomorrow...

Evelyn: Wait, what?

Jake: A lot of sites will be down for the day tomorrow...

Evelyn: Oh that doesn't matter - they're coming back up, right? If they're only down for a little bit, we can live with it...

Jake: Yeah, but they're going down to make the point that this new SOPA legislation will censor the Internet and change the way it fundamentally operates. The people want a free and open Internet.

Mike: Yeah, but it's going to go through. Have you seen the list of companies supporting SOPA? There's tons of big names backing it, and that means lots of lawyers. I don't think the blackout is going to make much of a difference.

Jake: That's exactly the point. We need more people to know about this censorship that is about to happen. 

I would say I'm a netizen - a citizen of the Internet. I identify with the culture and thoughts of the Internet first, before those of any nation. I could live anywhere on the planet, given access to this same Internet; it's the one thing that can unify us all. And when that is attacked by irresponsible bureaucreacy, I feel it's my duty to fight back. And so when I first heard about PROTECT-IP, PIPA, and SOPA, I immediately contacted my representatives in Congress via phone, fax, and email to let them know how I felt. 

Being a netizen, since that point about 2 months ago, I think I have been overwhelmed with news and information regarding SOPA and its progress. I was watching the Vergecast from CES and they were saying the same thing. Anyone who spends a significant amount of time on the web has grown tired of hearing about SOPA. We almost assume that everyone else must know about it by now.

But then I hear about people like Jon Stewart not knowing about SOPA. And I have conversations with friends like the one above. And I hear what members of Congress think this bill is and what they think it does. And I come to realize that we are the few that actually know, and it's our responsibility today to make sure everyone else is aware too.

What is SOPA?

SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act. It's the result of the MPAA and RIAA throwing money at Congress in hopes their problems will go away. Piracy is the real root of this bill but the ends do not justify the means in this instance.

If passed, it would allow government oversight into all content on websites. It would allow record labels and their representatives like the RIAA to file takedown notices (above and beyond what the DMCA already allows). Once a website shows a pattern of infringement, the government can decide it isn't doing enough to monitor what's being posted and censor the website. 

Once censored, the DNS records that help resolve the URL would be deleted from your ISP's DNS servers. So basically, if Google was blacklisted and you typed www.google.com in your browser, your ISP would say "sorry, we don't know where to go with that address." You'd have to remember that Google's real IP is http://74.125.159.136 and type that instead.

There are already plans for an alternative Internet structure that would gain traction immediately if SOPA was passed, but all of these would be illegal ways to circumvent the censorship and eventually would be taken down. It would be a neverending battle to keep up this secondary structure.

Instead, I think the real solution is for the entertainment industry to GROW UP! They need a better business model. The music industry is catching up - their technological advancements have made music piracy negligible now. But the movie and TV sectors still have a LONG ways to go. Instead of figuring out the hard solutions, they're throwing money at Congress to cut corners and find an easy solution by attacking the means of distribution. I think Mathew Inman said it well - it's like dealing with a lion that has escaped from the zoo by blasting some kittens with a flamethrower.

What Did the Internet Ever Do to You?

The Internet is a place where information is free. If you change the way it operates, it ceases to be such a cornerstone of our culture and our lives. 

This is why we will fight the Internet Service Providers tooth and nail about Net Neutrality. 

Like I said, I'm a netizen. This is my home. Wherever I am, it doesn't really matter, because I'm just one click away from home. I've never seen war. I've never even been compelled to fight for anything actually. I could never relate to all those people who fought wars for their "homeland". I really wish the Tea Party movement hadn't already claimed the Boston Tea Party because they're an embarrassment to this nation, but today, I can't help but feel like it's 1773 and this is us throwing the damn tea into the Boston Harbor, saying "you can't shut down our sites without due process because we all know how badly you screw things up!"

What Can I Do?

The honest truth is, if we don't educate people and the people don't contact their representatives in Congress, when sessions resume in February, SOPA WILL PASS.Congress just has to wait for the hype to die down, and they are good at waiting for the most opportunistic moments to pass legislation (Patriot Act, anyone?). 

1. Educate yourself and as many people as you can convince to spend 5 minutes reading up on SOPA. Read up on the right talking points so you don't come across as a madman.
    
2. Contact your representatives

3. Tell us what you think about SOPA in the comments below - hearing others' perspectives on how it would impact them keeps the fight alive...

What else could you possibly have to do today? The Internet is on strike, remember? :)