Suck My Balls Wednesday: The blackout

Many sites on the internet have gone black today. Do you understand why? Do you understand why Google, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, Wikipedia, and so many others are protesting the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA)? Those bills wouldn't end the internet, but they would result in a change so significant that you wouldn't recognize it anymore. They would effectively get rid of user generated content without accomplishing their alleged goal of stopping software, music, and movie piracy.

Here's a primer on SOPA. [link]

Adam Savage from Mythbusters goes into it a bit deeper. [link]

More still. [link]

You might be thinking that these are big companies with lots of money for lawyers. That they don't have to worry. But these were small companies at one point. They and thousands of others wouldn't have survived under these proposed laws. Thousands of more companies won't have a chance to get off the ground if these bills pass.

If you're not in the United States, don't think this doesn't affect you. The internet is global and much of it runs out of here. We'll start blocking sites we don't approve of. So even those that just want to do business in America will have to change to adhere to these laws. This is America trying to dictate how the internet runs everywhere.

GoDaddy supported SOPA and their customers left by the thousands. [link] GoDaddy felt it and it hurt. 

So complain. If you can't complain to politicians in the United States complain to your own and tell them to complain. If you do business with companies in the United States stop and tell them why you've stopped. Make those who support this bill suffer. 

I've told lots of others to sod off. Not Congress. Congress can suck my balls.

Sign these petitions if you want them to suck your balls, too. [link 1] [link 2]