What is the SOPA protest about?

[raina_vissora]

SOPA is a bill currently making it's way through Congress, that would give the Department of Justice the ability to blacklist sites that it deems to be infringing on US copyrights. This can include anything from a link to another site containing copyrighted material to a photograph used without permission to an illegal movie. Sites accused of infringement would be blocked from U.S. users... and the kicker is that the site is guilty until proven innocent. There is no due process at all. It also makes uploading copyrighted material a felony. It's basically full-on censorship of the internet.

The bill is backed primarily by media organizations like the MPAA and the RIAA.

The #StopSOPA hashtag on twitter (along with #SOPAblackout and #J18) refers to online protests of the legislation which is coming up for a vote in Congress soon. January 18 is SOPA Blackout day... sites all over the net have pledged to shut down from 8am to 8pm on January 18th to protest SOPA.